DragonFaerie Posted January 17, 2017 Share Posted January 17, 2017 (edited) DS has been doing Mapping the World With Art for geography this year. It started off okay, but it's been in steady decline for him, and at this point, he's not really getting anything out of it other than frustration at his (perceived lack of) drawing skills when it comes to mapping. He likes to draw, so I thought he'd really enjoy this program, but not so much. I'm at the point now where it seems like just a waste of time, but what to do instead? We're halfway through the school year, and I don't want to completely change gears with social studies (I don't think), but what else is there? He likes geography; just not this geography. Anyone have any (secular and inexpensive) suggestions? ETA: He's doing 8th grade world geography. We've covered the U.S. already. Edited January 17, 2017 by DragonFaerie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Twain Posted January 17, 2017 Share Posted January 17, 2017 This is the best program for learning to draw all the countries of the world. I have been using this with my kids for about two years. It is only $15 for all the PDFs. You can try it for free: http://map-of-the-whole-world.weebly.com/ 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonFaerie Posted January 17, 2017 Author Share Posted January 17, 2017 This is the best program for learning to draw all the countries of the world. I have been using this with my kids for about two years. It is only $15 for all the PDFs. You can try it for free: http://map-of-the-whole-world.weebly.com/ Thanks. But I'm not necessarily looking for another drawing program. I'm just trying to get him a well-rounded, middle school-level world geography course--probably one that doesn't involve drawing--that we can do in the last half of the school year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted January 17, 2017 Share Posted January 17, 2017 Trail Guide to World Geography is inexpensive? It was one of those just okay, got the job done painlessly options for us. If you have a decent atlas and/or an internet connection you could pass on the extra books if needed. The accompanying cookbook was my kids' favorite part. We used a set of blackline maps heavily too. If you'd rather go textbook the Oak Meadow world geography used in their 9th grade package is easily doable for an average 8th grader. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted January 18, 2017 Share Posted January 18, 2017 (edited) How about cribbing from the BYL grade 7 book list and doing Sheppard Software to memorize the countries and capitals and so forth? Or is that too DIY'ish for you? ETA: This is the BYL book list for that year: http://astore.amazon.com/mamrex-20?_encoding=UTF8&node=10 I meant mostly that you could get some of the "geography" books and have him reading interesting things that take place all over the world (maybe not just those, but other things - several books per continent, a nature book, a cultural book, a fiction book for each continent... something like that) and maybe those Peter Menzel books or books like The Road to There, which was about maps, which we really liked (that one is on the BYL list). And basically just read books for the rest of the year. And spend 15-20 minutes a day on Sheppard, which is free, working on memorizing political geography. Edited January 18, 2017 by Farrar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonFaerie Posted January 18, 2017 Author Share Posted January 18, 2017 Trail Guide to World Geography is inexpensive? It was one of those just okay, got the job done painlessly options for us. If you have a decent atlas and/or an internet connection you could pass on the extra books if needed. The accompanying cookbook was my kids' favorite part. We used a set of blackline maps heavily too. If you'd rather go textbook the Oak Meadow world geography used in their 9th grade package is easily doable for an average 8th grader. Is Trail Guide secular? I've heard good things about it, but I thought it was Christian. I also looked at OM, but it looked like a year-long program, so I didn't dig too deeply. I'll take another look. How about cribbing from the BYL grade 7 book list and doing Sheppard Software to memorize the countries and capitals and so forth? Or is that too DIY'ish for you? ETA: This is the BYL book list for that year: http://astore.amazon.com/mamrex-20?_encoding=UTF8&node=10 I meant mostly that you could get some of the "geography" books and have him reading interesting things that take place all over the world (maybe not just those, but other things - several books per continent, a nature book, a cultural book, a fiction book for each continent... something like that) and maybe those Peter Menzel books or books like The Road to There, which was about maps, which we really liked (that one is on the BYL list). And basically just read books for the rest of the year. And spend 15-20 minutes a day on Sheppard, which is free, working on memorizing political geography. Thanks for the reminder about Sheppard Software. We used that some years ago for the states. I'll have to look into that again for the countries. That's a good idea. I can also check out the BYL book list and see what looks interesting. Thanks. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted January 18, 2017 Share Posted January 18, 2017 (edited) . Edited September 8, 2023 by SilverMoon 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonFaerie Posted January 18, 2017 Author Share Posted January 18, 2017 I don't think Trail Guide has anything religious? Admittedly I didn't look at it with a secular lense but I can only remember straight geography. It has questions to answer via research, mapping assignments, and a pile of extra activities to pick and chose from (like researching a major landmark). It's pretty basic and I'd probably pick it up used instead of paying full price for new. If you want to cobble my DS really enjoyed playing around on Google Earth for 7th last year. Hungry Planet and Material World went over well. You could probably find an around the world sort of book for just about any interest to go with it. Mine likes architecture, so I added Bridges: Three Thousand Years of Defying Nature. Mine wants to be an architect or an engineer, so the Bridges book might be great. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonFaerie Posted January 18, 2017 Author Share Posted January 18, 2017 Okay, I've ordered Hungry Planet, Material World, and Bridges: Three Thousand Years of Defying Nature. I'm thinking if we read those along with Sheppard Software, maybe that can be enough for the rest of this school year. I actually already have the Glencoe book and teacher's guide that Oak Meadow uses, so perhaps I can see about using that for a high school-level course for next year. Thanks again for the suggestions, y'all! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TarynB Posted January 18, 2017 Share Posted January 18, 2017 (edited) Okay, I've ordered Hungry Planet, Material World, and Bridges: Three Thousand Years of Defying Nature. I'm thinking if we read those along with Sheppard Software, maybe that can be enough for the rest of this school year. I actually already have the Glencoe book and teacher's guide that Oak Meadow uses, so perhaps I can see about using that for a high school-level course for next year. Thanks again for the suggestions, y'all! Hungry Planet and especially Material World were big hits with my DS a couple of years ago. I'm going to have to look up the Bridges one too. Haven't heard of that one before. If you want/need even more to fill out your semester, my DS read those two books along with a supplementary secular worktext called World Religions. I was afraid it might be too dry, but he really enjoyed using that book to learn all about the cultures and religions it covered. It's published by Teacher Created Resources and you can preview it at this link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1557346240/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Edited January 18, 2017 by TarynB 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted January 18, 2017 Share Posted January 18, 2017 Yay! If you end up with more time, The Road to There looks blah, but it really was well done. And the short chapters are perfect for practicing short written summary narrations or outlining. https://www.amazon.com/Road-There-Mapmakers-Their-Stories/dp/0887769330/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1484711204&sr=8-2&keywords=val+ross 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alte Veste Academy Posted January 19, 2017 Share Posted January 19, 2017 Creek Edge Press has a set of geography task cards. Flexible and inexpensive. :) http://www.creekedgepress.com 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEmama Posted January 19, 2017 Share Posted January 19, 2017 (edited) DS is using Oak Meadow World Geography this year and getting a lot out of it. It's a welcome break from history for us. The end of week projects are right on target for the age and appeal to a wide range of interests and learning styles (drawing, musical, analytical, etc). We've definitely been pleased with it. It's totally secular. Eta: I just saw you might use it next year. Sorry! Edited January 19, 2017 by MEmama 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hermione310 Posted January 19, 2017 Share Posted January 19, 2017 Have you seen the geography from Memoria Press? It's inexpensive and just-the-facts-ma'm. Very straightforward, and although the publisher is Classical Christian, I believe it's devoid of any religious content in the geography materials. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mc26 Posted January 20, 2017 Share Posted January 20, 2017 Have you seen the geography from Memoria Press? It's inexpensive and just-the-facts-ma'm. Very straightforward, and although the publisher is Classical Christian, I believe it's devoid of any religious content in the geography materials. I am going to use this soon (or next year, not sure). I am a secular homeschooler and saw nothing religious. It was exactly what I was looking for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonFaerie Posted January 26, 2017 Author Share Posted January 26, 2017 Have you seen the geography from Memoria Press? It's inexpensive and just-the-facts-ma'm. Very straightforward, and although the publisher is Classical Christian, I believe it's devoid of any religious content in the geography materials. I am going to use this soon (or next year, not sure). I am a secular homeschooler and saw nothing religious. It was exactly what I was looking for. I have not seen that. Sounds like something I should check out. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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