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JSchaaf
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| Posted: Aug 15 2007 at 1:28pm | IP Logged
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Our geography workbook has been deemed "boring" by the girls and I have to agree. Any suggestion on how to teach geography without workbooks? Part of my fear of giving up the workbook is I don't know what the girls need to know when-the workbooks are a crutch for me.
Thanks for any suggestions!
Jennifer
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JuliaT
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| Posted: Aug 15 2007 at 3:37pm | IP Logged
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Geography has always been pushed to the side with us. This year, though, I have some ideas that I am hoping will come to fruition.
The Holling books are always good for geography. I am also going to make up some push pin maps a la Montessori for my kids to learn continents, provinces and other landforms. I think Montessori is the way to go when learning about countries. Have you looked at the Montessori board? There are a few threads about continent boxes that might give you some ideas.
I have also been thinking about taking a picture study approach to geography. For a month or more, we would focus on one country. I would get books, fiction, non-fiction and activity books and we would delve into the country's culture, physical aspects, the people, etc. I am planning on doing that after Christmas.
You could also take a literature approach to geo. Start with a fiction book as your jumping off point, like A Little Princess and then learn about the country that it is set in or talks about. In the example, I gave you you could do either India, England or both.
I'm getting excited just writing all of this out. I hope you find a way that will instill excitement into your family as well.
Blessings,
Julia
mom to 3(8,6,4)
http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Juliainsk
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SallyT
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| Posted: Aug 15 2007 at 4:27pm | IP Logged
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Ditto both the Holling books and, generally, the literature approach. We just keep maps and globes around, and we look up countries as we run across them in other reading. I often make geography a part of history, too.
Mater Amabilis (http://www.materamabilis.org) has some good living-book recommendations for geography.
Also, with my 9yo son and his best friend, both of whom like to cook, I'm going to do a geography-by-cooking project, using the Usborne Little Round-the-World Cookbook (this is a tiny book -- in a larger format it's called something like the Children's World Cookbook). This is a nifty little cookbook with easy recipes from various countries, plus internet links (vetted for safety and live-ness) to more info about the countries and their cuisines. I'm seeing this as maybe a Saturday-morning endeavor, while my oldest is off at her algebra tutor's. The boys can also do some independent research for each country we do.
This same son, who has a little blog of his own (though I don't share the link with anyone, and I've disabled the comments, so it's kind of an isolated blog!), has just decided to use it for a geography project. Well, he didn't put it that way. On this blog, he is not himself, but a monkey named Jungomonkey, who lives in a mango tree. This is all very good, except that not much ever happens around the mango tree, so Jungomonkey has not had a lot to talk about heretofore. So my son announced the other day that he had decided that Jungomonkey should go travelling around the world and report from the places he visits. Obviously, as I pointed out, this would involve some research. Well, duh, he essentially said, although he was more polite than that. So anyway, now we have the Jungomonkey Geography Project, and if Mother would ever get off the COMPUTER, maybe he could get STARTED on it . . .
So, um, I don't know how you could come up with something like that, because I'm not sure I would have come up with it myself. But there are lots of ways to incorporate geography into other things that your kids enjoy -- we've never actually done it as a freestanding subject, anyway.
Other ideas:
*let kids help you plan family trips and research where you're going
*keep a travel journal when you go on trips
*pick a place to PRETEND you're going to move to, and research it and talk or write about how life there would be different from life where you currently live
*old National Geographics. We inherited a bunch from my sister-in-law, like from the 30s-60s, and my kids love reading through them at will. I always keep a few out in the den, rotating issues on and off the shelf, because I know that people will pick them up and read through them
*old maps and globes -- when we lived in an apartment, this same son came home one day with a globe which the maintenance guys had been about to put in the dumpster, but gave to him instead. We spent a long time trying to date it, based on the countries which existed at the time that it was made -- the USSR, Belgian Congo and various other former colonies, etc. It's very interesting to compare older maps (like out of those old National Geographics) with current ones.
*our dictionary has pages of national flags in the back -- the kids have had fun trying to memorize them. My 5yo is currently a flag fanatic and likes to identify our state flag when he sees it, as well as the American flag
Anyway, maybe something will prove useful out of this mishmash of ideas, some of which we've actually done, some of which we plan to do, and some of which I just thought of this minute, without ever having tried them.
Pax,
Sally
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CKwasniewski
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| Posted: Aug 15 2007 at 4:32pm | IP Logged
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Holling IS fun for US Geography. Here are some ideas for World geo:
I just got from ebay a copy of V M Hillyer's Child's Geography. So far, it hasn't arrived, but I can get back to you on that. In general, I find Hillyer to be twaddle-free though.  You could look into a copy of that.
A (protestant) hs mom has written her own Child's Geography. It is CM style. You can look at sample chapters on the website: http://www.achildsgeography.com/
This won the geo "reader's choice" award with Cathy Duffy.
Another one I have my eyes on when my kids are older is Mapping the World by Heart. It is for 4th grade and up.
hth
CK
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MarieC
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| Posted: Aug 15 2007 at 8:06pm | IP Logged
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We're using the Holling books this year...actually just started this week....and we're using this literature guide along with these maps. I like having the study all planned out and the maps are on a very heavy cardstock. My dd (9) is enjoying it so far.
We also have the map skills books from CHC which are text-booky but both my girls (9 & 7) are really into them. Again, just beginning with them.
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dds-98, 00, 02 and 09 & dss-03 and 06
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chicken lady
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| Posted: Aug 15 2007 at 8:48pm | IP Logged
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I think all these ideas are excellent. We read saint stories and look up their countries, we have National Geographic, a large world map, a globe, puzzles, and lots of read alouds. I always make note of the time and country. I am amazed how much my dc know about Geography. I love Geography so I think my kids caught the bug.....have fun with it!
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Cay Gibson
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This year we're starting with my 14 yr old son charting and mapping all the countries involved in WWII as that's the history study he wants this year.
The girls and I will start with our Around the World with Cinderella. We'll simply read a book, locate it on the globe, and chart it on our maps.
And my 9 yr old LOVES "Map Skills". She does those in her spare time for fun.
I'm really aiming to keep it simple...but full of cognitive content.
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MaryM
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If you are looking for assurance that you are covering material that is suggested for a particular grade level I recommend using the workbook for that purpose and finding the living books or activities that teach those concepts. You can also find a "Geography Scope and Sequence" for that grade level and make sure those topics are taught. There are some available on line from a variety of sources including local school districts or state board of education.
For example in Colorado state standards for K-4 are:
In grades K-4, what students know and are able to do includes
-identifying the characteristics and purposes of maps, globes, and other geographic tools;
-reading and interpreting information from photographs, maps, globes, graphs, models, and computer programs, if available; and
-displaying information on maps, globes, and geographic models, and in graphs, diagrams, and charts (for example; designing map keys and legends).
These are some resources we have used and enjoyed when studying geography. I didn't include all the atlases, but having a variety of atlases, maps, and a globe around for hands-on is a great geography teaching tool.
Activity books
Janice vanCleaves' Geography for Every Kid
Geography Wizardry for Kids
Great Map Games
Geography Fun: Maps and Plans
Amazing Hands-On Map Activities
Kingfisher Maps and Mapping
Fun to Solve Map Mysteries
Make-it-Work Geography Series - Andrew Haslam
Maps
Rivers
General books which we enjoy:
Geography A to Z
There's a Map in My Lap
And Sally, I love all your ideas!
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sewcrazy
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We have been using Cantering the country for the last year along with state lapbook template
We did a similar thing with Galloping the globe and a country lapbook template. The kids have really enjoyed it.
LeeAnn
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MarilynW
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sewcrazy wrote:
We have been using Cantering the country for the last year along with state lapbook template
We did a similar thing with Galloping the globe and a country lapbook template. The kids have really enjoyed it.
I recommend the Geography Matters website too -
LeeAnn |
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Geography Matters
Lots of great geography resources - we are using the Trailguide to US Geography this year - using their notebook templates and adding in our own living books.
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MarilynW
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Sorry - I got the quote and post above all mixed up. Tried to correct it but could not!
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Marilyn
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ShawnaB
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We've been doing a now two-year geography unit, going continent by continent. I made a Book of Continents binder (inspired by the Book of Centuries), and divided it by the 7 continents. After reading books and doing some exploration of the continent in general, I usually focus on 2 or 3 contries from that continent to study a little more in depth. I've chosen living books, both fiction and non-fiction for each country. Its been really fun. Ask my kids about the Yanghtze River (from The Story of Ping) or Matryoska dolls (Sasha's Matrioskca Doll), or What a Vegemite Sandwich is (Possum Magic), or where Venice is and what is a gondolier (Papa Piccolo), and its easy to see that they've learned a lot of Geography from Living Books!
I recommend "A Trip Around the World" and "Another Trip Around the World" for ideas and activities. They are available at
My Father's World Books
I purchased several nice Geography books here. I imagine some of their material has a Protestant bent, but many resources are neutral.
HTH!
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Shawna, wife of Jacob, mom to Abraham 8 Amelia 5 and Jillian & Jonathan age 3 years http://www.psalm121family.com
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4Real Forums : Across Time and Place
Topic: Twaddle free Geography??
