Sue G in PA Posted March 10, 2008 Share Posted March 10, 2008 I've realized that my dc really don't have much of a clue where things are in this world of ours (with the exception of the 7 continents). I can't afford to take a year and do just World Geography at the expense of History although I'd love to do MFW ECC with my youngers. Can't do it all. :) So, I need to know what's out there as far as curriculum options for a "light" study on World Geog. I really just want them to know where the countries are and perhaps a bit about the culture. Not very in depth and certainly not the focus. We do talk about each country as we come to it in History, but in Ancients...you're really only talking about a few. Any ideas on curriculum? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArwenA Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 How old are your dc? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue G in PA Posted March 11, 2008 Author Share Posted March 11, 2008 dd11, ds9, ds8, ds6, ds5 and dd2. Obviously, this is only for the older (not the toddler!). Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArwenA Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 Yay for big families.:) Atlases are always a good place to start. You could spend 30min -1hour each week and cover a region or country. Read a bit about it, find it on a map/globe and cook or do some activity if you want. If you want a pre-planned curriculum the are lots of ideas here. We loved Galloping the Globe which we tailored to make it pretty light. Right now were doing cultural cooking which has been lots of fun. If you would like lesson plans or the books we're using please contact me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle T Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 from DK. Once a week, I'd read the two page spread on a child, then look up their country on the globe. That's what we did, and DS is pretty good at finding countries now. We've moved on to an actual geography textbook this year, but that is mainly because I want DS to handle a few subjects on his own. Michelle T Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissel Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 We're doing Galloping the Globe and keeping it pretty light. We're really just spending a week per country. We have our big maps on the dining room wall, where DD looks up every country and state that is ever mentioned in our house, LOL! We read a few books each week from the literature list, maybe cook some food or go out for some (hibachi next week, woohoo!), read the corresponding Children Like Me pages, and watch a United Streaming video or two. Some people spend 2 weeks to a month on each country, really going deep into the culture, but right now I'm mainly using it to lead us to greater geographic awareness more than anything else. We like it :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asher Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 ArwenA, I'm subbing & I can't get your link to come up right :( I'd love to hear your advice :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephanie Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 I've realized that my dc really don't have much of a clue where things are in this world of ours (with the exception of the 7 continents). I can't afford to take a year and do just World Geography at the expense of History although I'd love to do MFW ECC with my youngers. Can't do it all. :) So, I need to know what's out there as far as curriculum options for a "light" study on World Geog. I really just want them to know where the countries are and perhaps a bit about the culture. Not very in depth and certainly not the focus. We do talk about each country as we come to it in History, but in Ancients...you're really only talking about a few. Any ideas on curriculum? Thanks! Hi Sue! We're doing Galloping the Globe and it's can be what you described. It can be taken lightly or it offers opportunities to delve further into the site. We do ours every Friday. I read to them about it, we look it up on the map, we check out our Atlas b/c there's always nice pics in it, and then we make the flag of it. It really doesn't take long at all. Last week we studied Italy so I took them to a local Italian bakery and had them talk to the staff about the difference in gelato and ice-cream! Then we went to The Olive Garden- geography done! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArwenA Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 ArwenA, I'm subbing & I can't get your link to come up right :( I'd love to hear your advice :) The link is a list of geography curric. from Rainbow Resources:http://www.rainbowresource.com/search.php?sid=1205250231-880904 HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragons in the flower bed Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 Any ideas on curriculum? Thanks! We just got a flier in the mail today asking us to renew our subscription for Time4Kids. I see they're now adding to each week's mailing what looks like a newsbrief on a different country of the world. I'm definitely going to subscribe. My kids are so excited to get mail that they devour the little newsletter and really remember what it said. It's a painless way to sneak more learning in. ;) Another idea would be to get Audio Memory's Geography Songs and a reproducible geography coloring book or set of outline maps. Take 10 minutes each morning to have the kids listen to a song and color the related map. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 We've been using the Trail Guide to World Geography with the CD of the Student notebook. The cd is great because it has all the various levels in one place plus all the maps etc. I find it takes us 15 minutes a day for 4 days plus a bit more on the map work day (but that may be due to constant consultation with the atlas and the use of colored pencils). It has several components and you could use as many or as few that suit you. It would allow multiple ages to work together on one project. Or-you could try the other method we use for learning political geography. Get a large laminated world map, atlas or world map, and wipe off markers. Print a list off the internet of world capitols and go from there. Our kids work on 10-12 countries until they have those down and then add some more. To keep things exciting we started with the large countries and countires they have visited. Then we add a few from each continent each time. I think not learning one complete continent at a time has helped their memory. Once we get all the countries and capitols down we will move on to major rivers and lakes etc. Learning major land features etc. We did have a prize when they each reached 100 countries. Something small (ds selected a rubber band powered glider) but it did convince them that it was possible. I plan on coordinating learning the US states in the same manor during the American History phase. Have fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 You know, it doesn't have to be a whole curriculum that you do. Geography awareness can go a long way. I keep lots of maps out (big huge maps, small maps, you name it) and refer to them often. I got one of those electronic globes, the kind that will play games with them and quiz them. They'll learn and you won't have to teach them, hehe! The geography songs from Audio Memory are wonderful. Just learn a new song every 3-4 weeks. Timberdoodle sells wonderful GeoPuzzles and geography games you're going to love. There are puzzles of the whole world with animals and there are smaller puzzles by region. Personally I'd suggest starting with the smaller puzzles. The whole world puzzles take a bit of patience and littles will wear out. Subscribe to God's World News magazine and you'll get maps and posters in each issue that show the topic, where things are happening, etc. When you read your read aloud or something is in the news, look it up! I think just basic awareness and fun things you can get them to do to themselves (the songs, electronic globe, etc.) will go a long way. That globe was pricey (I got mine off half-price clearance), but it definitely draws her attention! I often find her in there playing with it, and she'll drag it out to make dh answer the questions when she doesn't know. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rwalizer Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 I believe it is made by the same people that make Galloping the Globe. We like the way you can use it with many age levels so I don't have to buy more as ds grows up. And you don't have to devote a whole class period to geography, you can just use it a little here and there. That's how we use it. (Ds, 12, even likes it and he's like Mikey, he hates everything) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 You don't have very high aims (not saying that to be negative though it sounds like it!) so I think you could cover exactly what you want by sticking a detailed map of each continent on the wall, and borrowing books from the library. I particularly recommend the "Children of the World" series. They have books on almost every country and I think I borrowed all of them from the library when I was a kid. They have a brief blurb about the country's topography, language, culture, food, government, seasons of the year and probably other stuff I've forgotten. A really good overview. A few jigsaw puzzles of world maps provides a hands on activity. :) Rosie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asher Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 The link is a list of geography curric. from Rainbow Resources:http://www.rainbowresource.com/search.php?sid=1205250231-880904HTH Thanks :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penny Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 I just plop mine down and have them play the geography games at: http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/ It's amazing how much they know. Other than that, when we read a book I try to make sure we follow along with a map. I bought a geography curriculum earlier this year and it was the first thing to go during the time crunch. Penny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue G in PA Posted March 12, 2008 Author Share Posted March 12, 2008 I used to get mailers about it all the time. Basically, you would have a particular country that you would get every 2 wks or so. Included was a passport, puzzle, info about the country, etc. I just can't remember the name of it OR the company that put it out! It was one of those clubs you subscribe to and you get a few free packets to start off with, including your passport with stickers of each country. Does anybody know what I'm talking about? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnTheBrink Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 I used to get mailers about it all the time. Basically, you would have a particular country that you would get every 2 wks or so. Included was a passport, puzzle, info about the country, etc. I just can't remember the name of it OR the company that put it out! It was one of those clubs you subscribe to and you get a few free packets to start off with, including your passport with stickers of each country. Does anybody know what I'm talking about? Is this what you're looking for? http://www.highlights.com/jump.jsp?itemID=1477&itemType=PRODUCT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 We just play with the (ordinary) globe. I started out getting Hobbes to find places that are important to him on the globe, now we are spotting and learning more and more. It's painless and Hobbes enjoys it. We do it for a few minutes at the beginning of his history session. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue G in PA Posted March 12, 2008 Author Share Posted March 12, 2008 This is EXACTLY what I was looking for! Yeah! I thought it was Highlights but I just couldn't find it anywhere. I think this is what we may do next year and over the summer! Thank you, thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neesek Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 This is EXACTLY what I was looking for! Yeah! I thought it was Highlights but I just couldn't find it anywhere. I think this is what we may do next year and over the summer! Thank you, thank you! My ds absolutely loves the Top Secret Adventures! Just in case you don't know, you don't have to get them in the order that Highlights sends them. You can just call up their customer service and order the countries you are interested in. I just ordered the first one free that they gave me, then cancelled my subscription, and since then I have just ordered them as needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kortney in AL Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 We liked Geography Trails. They have one for world geography and U.S. geography. It's also easy to adapt to use with several ages at the same time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2abcd Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 My ds absolutely loves the Top Secret Adventures! Just in case you don't know, you don't have to get them in the order that Highlights sends them. You can just call up their customer service and order the countries you are interested in. I just ordered the first one free that they gave me, then cancelled my subscription, and since then I have just ordered them as needed. That's neat! Do you remember how much they cost per set? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neesek Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 That's neat! Do you remember how much they cost per set? If I remember correctly, it was the same price that they list on their website - $12.95 plus 3.45 s/h. I don't think there was any price difference for ordering outside of the subscription. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tami Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 We've been using the Trail Guide to World Geography with the CD of the Student notebook. The cd is great because it has all the various levels in one place plus all the maps etc. I find it takes us 15 minutes a day for 4 days plus a bit more on the map work day (but that may be due to constant consultation with the atlas and the use of colored pencils). It has several components and you could use as many or as few that suit you. It would allow multiple ages to work together on one project. Or-you could try the other method we use for learning political geography. Get a large laminated world map, atlas or world map, and wipe off markers. Print a list off the internet of world capitols and go from there. Our kids work on 10-12 countries until they have those down and then add some more. To keep things exciting we started with the large countries and countires they have visited. Then we add a few from each continent each time. I think not learning one complete continent at a time has helped their memory. Once we get all the countries and capitols down we will move on to major rivers and lakes etc. Learning major land features etc. We did have a prize when they each reached 100 countries. Something small (ds selected a rubber band powered glider) but it did convince them that it was possible. I plan on coordinating learning the US states in the same manor during the American History phase. Have fun! We love Trail Guide. It's a flexible resource that's great to have around. With the World and US copies on my shelf, I am set for life! :patriot: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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