Is there a history or geography curriculum like this?

[1shortmomto4]

I have a VSL third-grade ds - on the immature side but very creative. MFW ECC is not engaging him at all - the map on the wall fine, but coloring in and labeling the states or oceans - nope. He can point to all of the stuff on the map when asked...

so for science I bought the Queens Discovery Nature book and thought I'd try that - well, the story was okay (not quite long enough for him) but the activity of going outside and looking at the oak tree (thank goodness we have one in the front yard) and then drawing/coloring (he actually decided to just make a leaf print - this was his own doing) worked great. I was thinking - lame, so what. Well, a few days have passed and he remembers all about the oak tree - score! With him, you just never know.

 

So, is there some history/geography program that I could do that is similar - reading some stuff and then something short and sweet hands-on style? He is not an independent reader just yet and he loves, loves, loves sitting on the sofa and listening to stories....

 

Suggestions? What am I missing here?

[Lily_Grace]

Well, Story of The World is rather like that. :confused: We used to read, then do some of the activities, answer the questions/summarize the next day and do more of the activities..and repeat all the way through the books. We skipped the coloring sheets and opted to do the things like cooking meals, playing games, and making crowns. There are enough activity options that you can do only the ones your kid will get the most out of.

[1shortmomto4]

SOTW was the one thing I tried that was a disaster - he thought that SOTW was the most boring book I'd ever read to him - go figure. I'm not sure why but I had hoped to use it so did a trial run for a week and it was just not a good fit.

[Embassy]

My VSL enjoys the geography studies I put together. They typically involve reading on the couch with activities although not all the activities are short and sweet. We look at different countries around the world and spend a long time in each country. We do the same thing for history (spend a long time in one time period). Here are some examples of what we do if you are interested.

 

 

• Scotland
  
• China
  
• Ukraine
  
• World Poverty
  
• Native Americans
  
• Ancient Mesopotamia
  Ancient Babylon (first two posts on page)
  

 

[5LittleMonkeys]

If you are looking for just geography you might want to look at this. My 6th is using Trail Guide to World Geography, but it can be used with dc as young as 3rd. We are using Eat Your Way Around the World and Geography Through Art with it. She also gets books out of the library to go with the region she is studying.

 

If you don't want a 4 year rotation for history you might want to look at Time Travelers History Studies. My 3rd is using this in conjunction with Trail Guide to Learning-Paths of Exploration, but I have heard people say they use it as a stand alone for history too (supplement with library books).

[Aurelia]

Oak Meadow might work. It's not chronological history like WTM, but it's engaging for a hands-on and visual learner, and my daughter enjoyed the stories we did in OM2 (just finished). OM3 and 4 are similar, I believe, although I've heard OM4 is more challenging in the way of writing.

[lisabees]

I have always been intrigued by this Lindamood Bell history series.

[lorrainejmc]

Galloping the Globe might be a worth a try, from the same publisher as Trail Guide posted above. All the reading is from the book list so you can choose which ones you know will fit and can get from your library and there are lots of activities. It's very flexible, more like a guide to making your own geography unit studies with the added bonus of a cd of printables if and when you want them.

 

I have 2 boys just like that. My 8yr old learns nothing from worksheets but after a nature walk to pick black berries he can identify the blackberry plants instantly. It's so satisfying when you find what works for them.:001_smile: