Taking 12, 9 and 7 yr olds to France.

[Guest carrieeshortee]

Any ideas to help me tie in geography and history for boys in three different grade levels while we live in France for three months? Enjoyed TSW and HItory Odyssey, but want to focus more narrowly on Europe. My boys would probably enjoy mapwork.

 

I've previously only homeschooled one grade level and now taking on three at a time! We will only do math, history/geography and French while we are there. Thanks

[PinkyandtheBrains.]

If you know where you will be going specifically in France, you could read up on the specific history of those locations.  For example if you are going to Mont Saint-Michel, they might find some of the stories surrounding it very interesting.

[craftymama]

There is a place in France where they are using the old ways to build a castle...very cool! There are towns that have barely been touched over time. The Normandy beaches and Point du Hoc (very, very cool!) if you want to tie into American history. There is also an American cemetery in that area.

[Harriet Vane]

Three months isn't that long. I would focus most on field trips and on absorbing the culture. Do history and geography as they relate to the field trips you do.

 

Also I would do a special art unit.

 

Get a bunch of travel guides from the library and start making a list.

 

Doing art and photography, learning French, and seeing the sights will be a wonderful, magnificent unit study. Don't clutter up the experience with too much bookwork.

[Alicia64]

Any ideas to help me tie in geography and history for boys in three different grade levels while we live in France for three months? Enjoyed TSW and HItory Odyssey, but want to focus more narrowly on Europe. My boys would probably enjoy mapwork.

 

I've previously only homeschooled one grade level and now taking on three at a time! We will only do math, history/geography and French while we are there. Thanks

 

Can I steal the thread for 5 seconds and ask how you guys get to do three months in France? Sounds awesome!

 

Alley

[Peplophoros]

You can't go wrong with the mapwork in SOTW, though you will  have to sift through several workbooks (vols. 2-4) to find all the France maps. Definitely don't go without the Blue Guides to France (Blue Guides have much more map/history information than regular travel guides). 

 

http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=france+blue+guide&tag=googhydr-20&index=stripbooks&hvadid=32882873429&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=888470310280898288&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_9swtagp4gl_b

 

 

Seriously jealous.... :drool:  Have fun!!

[Guest carrieeshortee]

We are starting at Coeur de France, a school in Sancere that offers family immersion programs all year. We're saving some $$ by going in February. Classes run 9-12, then they offer optional excursions for a little extra cost. We'll be there for two weeks, then renting a house in Antibes. There is another school there that caters to older teens (CIA-Antibes), but is working with us to do immersion classes 9-12 daily for a week in mid-April to break up the trip. I plan to do homeschooling in the afternoons in Sancerre and Antibes, mostly as I mentioned above, in math and geography/history to match our locations. 

 

All of the feedback here has been great, and I recently found the bbc web site: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/primaryhistory which I will also use to guide us. I will copy maps from Odyssey and look into those blue book guides as well. 

 

I also found world heritage sites web site and will try to hit some Greek ruins in Marseille and Roman ruins near us. 

 

Working on stting up a blog and will keep y'all posted. Keep your ideas coming; many thanks 

[Guest carrieeshortee]

OK-- thanks to everyone for replies-- we're here. Here's our blog: 

 

http://theshortstrip.blogspot.fr

 

I'll need some serious help/suggestions/prayers when we really get going next week. This week is French language school. Pick up remainder of curriculum next week. 

[mumto2]

I just read your blog! Fun! :grouphug: for next week.