I love teaching Geography. As a family we have visited many amazing places from camping in Yosemite to backpacking through Italy. I want to be sure my boys know Geography and all about this amazing world they get to share with amazing different people!
This year I decided to go back to one of my favorite companies, Geography Matters, and purchased Trail Guide to World Geography.
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My oldest son had really liked their history curriculum Trail Guide to Learning Paths of Settlement and Paths of Progress. So I know the company does a great job with what they offer.
I am a bit picky about Geography curriculum. It has to be informative, fun, and engaging. Teaching where places are just by map memorization is utterly boring. BORING! You can throw around a big inflatable globe, but the the curriculum has to keep us wanting to learn more daily.
This curriculum leaves plenty of room to add more activities or just keep to some basic facts. Since it comes with a cd, I can print and re-print millions of maps. I’ve created a habit of laminating my continent maps, but I also like having the same ones to work with over and over focusing on different things. One day capitals, another day rivers, one day exports, etc.
Besides, a laminated map starts to get a little dingy after a week of different colors that somehow someone magically forgot to scrub.
I’m finding the “Daily Drill Questions” in the book really good. I appreciate the different levels for different grades. Some days we have to drop down to the beginner questions and other days we can add on the expert questions for fun. They’re not your typical boring map memorization questions about borders.
However, I do not like the Atlas that was recommended. It is definitely too young for my 5th grader. It’s not a Geography Matters Atlas. I’m on the hunt for something much better and not so North America heavy. (example: there was only one page dedicated to “Central America” and I found that disappointing)
I completely forgot to pick up the Geography Through Art book that is a wonderful supplement.
Homeschool Tip: read what curriculum includes and what books you have to piece together. Thankfully we have Amazon Prime.
I’m looking forward to this book’s arrival, because I’ve been exhausted looking for crafts on my own! Not that we’re geography crafting every day but it is nice to wrap up a unit with a craft. Something that I do not have to google an image and then spend an entire day trying to find a supply list.
Because let’s be honest, Paper Bag Maps are fun … but this unique boy of mine wants to paper mache the Eiffel Tower and make some “real crafts”.