Compare & Contrast: Mapping With Art - Visualize World Geography

[NineChoirs]

I tried to post this in an existing thread but it got lost in the already existing discussion so I decided to create a new thread.

 

In the various geography threads I have found recommendations for two programs that look great.

 

"Mapping the world with Art by Mchenry"

 

This program looks really great, the recipes are a great addition because my kids love to eat historical foods. The sample chapters look fun and the program is very affordable.

 

My concerns are the lack of detailed world maps and the history parts. We are Catholic and I would hate to come across anti-Catholic sentiments in a "fun" program. Does anyone know if they avoid those issues?

 

The other program was:

 

"Visualize World Geography"

 

This program looks very good for country memorization. My concerns are the price, the lack of sample lessons on the website, and does it really work? Also what are the workbooks like? What is the procedure of a typical lesson? It sounds good but for the price there isn't alot of detailed info on the website.

 

So how do the two programs compare? Has anyone used them? I will be choosing one to use as a combined subject next year with a 7th & 8th grader. We are also doing combined history program using a spine and timeline construction, so anything that compliments that is a bonus. I really want a program that will help my kids locate countries on a map. The cultural elements will be covered in history. Any advice?

 

 

Since I originally posted this I had time to watch the video clips for the DVD set and am super impressed. I watched them yesterday and the information was so delightfully fun that it is still going through my head. I even shared it with my husband and he was impressed as well. Now I almost want to get both programs.

 

I am still curious as to what is included in the student workbooks and teacher manual for the DVD program.

[Caitilin]

My friend is teaching the Mapping the World With Art by McHenry in a co-op setting, and she loves it. :) Every week she tells me how happy she is with the way it's laid out, and how glad she is that I found it for her to teach. She is Catholic, and most of the co-op students are as well, so she is very attuned to whether or not something has an anti-Catholic bias, and so far nothing but singing its praises. :D

 

I have no experience with the other material you mention, but I don't think that you'd have any problems with the McHenry program, should you choose to use it. My 4 older children are using it, and really enjoy it.

[Mom22ns]

My dd is using Mapping the World w/Art this year. She is not quite half way though, but we have really enjoyed it. The activities are fun, the mapping has been a wonderful experience. We are not Catholic, so while I don't think there is anything anti-catholic, I could be totally wrong. I wouldn't be sensitive to it unless it were severe.

 

I've never even heard of Visualize World Geography, so I can't compare them at all.

[NineChoirs]

Thanks for the answers! I think I am going to buy both programs. I will use the McHenry program to go along with our history timeline construction. Then I can use the Visualize program for a more formal type of geography.

[Cindyg]

We are just beginning Visualize World Geography (the DVDs). It's actually too soon for me to give you a review. My initial impression (after owning it) wasn't good. (My initial impression from the website was terrific.) I will tell you that the lady who sells it (the author) is delightful. She has bent over backwards to help us incorporate this into our study.

 

If you don't buy it right away and want to ask me about it in a couple of weeks, please do.

[NineChoirs]

Thanks Cindy, I do plan on waiting to buy it since it would be used for next year. Please let me know your opinions of it because the cost is pretty high if it is mediocre program. Can I ask which aspects of the program initial impressions are negative towards? I trust these first impressions quite a bit because with the very rare exception my first impressions of a program (once I have the actual curriculum in hand) turn out to be correct.

[siloam]

Thanks Cindy, I do plan on waiting to buy it since it would be used for next year. Please let me know your opinions of it because the cost is pretty high if it is mediocre program. Can I ask which aspects of the program initial impressions are negative towards? I trust these first impressions quite a bit because with the very rare exception my first impressions of a program (once I have the actual curriculum in hand) turn out to be correct.

 

I bought Visualizing Geography years ago, I don't know if it has changed.

 

Like Cindy my initial impression after buying it was negative. Mostly because it seemed so hokey. There are 2 or 3 of the contents that are pictures of her children and use her children's names in remembering the places. I tend to not like rhyming/singing to memorize (because you store it in a different part of your brain and you have to sing/rhyme it in rhythm to remember it and that can be embarrassing in the wrong situation), so I just sold it. Thus I can't say if it works.

 

I would agree that the author was very nice.

 

Heather

[Cindyg]

Just a follow up on this thread. I returned this curriculum.

 

I loved the idea. It seemed sort of like Yo Sacramento, which we loved. But it didn't work out like that.

 

Similar to Siloam's experience, the graphics looked hokey to us, the rhymes seemed hokey to us, the transactions weren't up to my son's standards, and the music and voices were not pleasant. (My son is a budding graphic designer, and he's really sensitive about stuff like that.)

 

But beyond that, I couldn't follow the memory hooks. The video would show a map, and would say something like "Romania is part of our big bird animation. The big bird flew across the red sea looking for a place to perch." (I'm just making that up as an example. That line is NOT from the video.)

 

So I asked stopped the DVD and asked my son if he knew what they were talking about. No. Could he tell where Romania was. No. Could he see the big bird on the map? No. Nor could I.

 

In addition, we also had an awful time following her menu structure and finding our place in the program. When we finally did find our place, the time the DVD spent on our country was minimal. Really, not enough to justify the trouble we went to to find it.

 

My guess is that this would work best if you could follow the countries in the order in which she presents them. Because we were using another program as our spine, we needed to jump into VWG here and there (covering countries in the order our spine covers them); and it's just not designed for that.

 

In our case, we were trying to study Mongolia; and in the video, Mongolia is tied to China. You can't get to the Mongolia segment without watching the China segment. If you were following her curriculum, this would not be a problem. But we just wanted to get to Mongolia, so it was annoying. And, in this case, China got a good review, but Mongolia only got a brief mention. So, like I said, it wasn't worth our trouble getting to it.

 

I was really sorry not to love this program. I love the idea of silly games to help you visualize and remember country names. And, like I said, the author was really nice and helpful.

Edited December 6, 2010 by Cindyg

[lisabees]

Thanks for the update cindyg. I chucked when you mentioned your son's reaction to the graphics. Ds17 refused to use EGPY math because of the computer interface. Picky, know-it-all kids! :lol:

[NineChoirs]

Thanks Cindy for the update! I think I am just going to stick with "Mapping the world with Art". Mchenry's program looks pretty easy to tie in with our history timeline construction. You guys just saved me quite a bit of money! :001_smile:

[Cindyg]

You guys just saved me quite a bit of money! :001_smile:

 

Ha! Keep reading the boards, and we'll cost you PLENTY! :)

[NineChoirs]

Ha! Keep reading the boards, and we'll cost you PLENTY! :)

LOL This is already true as well! :lol: