How much importance do you give to geography?

[Aspasia]

Like, do you study it one year out of the first eight, or two years, or every year? Etc.

 

Right now, I have it in my head to study one continent per year through sixth grade (no year for Antarctica--sorry), and then repeat. It will get about half the time that science and history each get (the equivalent of one day a week, but I'm trying a block schedule). I just feel like each continent definitely has a year's worth of material as far as landforms, landmarks, cultures, animals, etc. But when I come down from my geography cloud, sometimes I wonder if giving this much attention to geography is perhaps...excessive? I don't know. I'm new at this. So what do the rest of y'all do? How important is geography?

[pitterpatter]

We used Evan-Moor Beginning Geography last summer when DD was newly five. Now, we do weekly map work during history. We're studying Ancients this year. I hope to add in another round of geography this summer, but we already have a full plate, so we'll see.

[mom2bee]

I don't think its excessive at all. I get the impression that Americans US Citizens are the only ones that are so geographically inept. Almost every student I meet in the International Student Club talks about having a thorough geography education. I don't know how they get it, but its a subject that many educational systems still seem to place a high value on.

 

I would probably approach geography in a different way, but I definitely want to teach a thorough geography unit. My ideal set up is to have students K-2 learn all the continents, countries, capital citys and states in the world and every semester after that knowledge is down cold, focus on one continent, each time layering on more and more knowledge.

 

Edited because as my international friends like to remind me, everyone from northern tip Canada to the southern tip of Chile is an American.

[Holly]

I think it's very important...Think about how many news stories take place around the world. It's much easier to process that information if we have an idea of where it is, what it's like, and a bit about the history of the country. It also helps them better visualize their history lessons. We study a continent each year and it's somewhat tied into our history lessons. We do Charlotte Mason style map drills, work on our Geopuzzle, and read a few living books on the area. Stories about missionaries tie in really well...there's at least one famous missionary for each country!

 

ETA: I totally agree aobut Americans being clueless with geography! I'm pretty sure my 10yo can identify more African countries than most adults! :tongue_smilie:

[Joan in GE]

I really like the way the French teach geography - it is somewhat of a mix of human and physical...If you are reading or studying French, it is a way of making your school a bit 'bilingual'.....

 

CNED online has free materials though they are a bit tricky to navigate and find all that is actually available - even corrections to help you know how to express ideas in French if you are learning too....I prefer to use the real books but that could get expensive to ship to the US....

 

Take this 6th grade book (which is history and geography combined)...

 

On these pages they are looking at grain production in the US and then rice production in the Orient...

 

Start at page 6/22 (though on the pages themselves it is called 61 because they've separated out sections of the book)

 

http://www.academie-...Sequence-08.pdf

 

Here is the link for the corrections for the whole 6th grade book

 

Beware that the French system has different labeling than the US...

 

6e = 6th grade in the US

5e = 7th grade

4e = 8th grade

etc.

 

Primary school has other labels CM 1 and 2, CP1 and 2 etc...

 

Here they're discussing how half the world's population lives in cities...though those particular pages don't have so many color pics....

 

http://www.academie-...1-INTR-193940-1

 

One of their teaching strategies is to have children study the pictures and discuss what they are learning from them....helpful for discussion...

 

Joan

ETA - so many Americans will mix Sweden and Switzerland...We'll say that we live in Switzerland and then they'll answer with some anecdote about Sweden!

[MeaganS]

I'm just starting out, so I haven't gotten very far yet, but to me geography is very important and it's own subject. It's actually one of the subjects that I'm most excited to be able to homeschool because my geography education was abysmal. I'm not sure we'll ever use an actual curriculum for it, though. My rough plan is to have my young children learn the continents, oceans, and as many countries as we can. So far this year, my 4 year old has learned to identify all the continents, oceans, and about 25 countries on a world map. I'm actually finding map puzzle apps on our iPad to be very helpful with this. As soon as their fine motor skills are good enough, we'll start geography blobs a la The Core. We're also going to look up every geographical location we come across in our studies. If we do all these things regularly, I have no doubt my kids will have a very firm grasp on all things geography.

[Susie in CA]

 

Joan

ETA - so many Americans will mix Sweden and Switzerland...We'll say that we live in Switzerland and then they'll answer with some anecdote about Sweden!

 

Joan, this is really funny. I am from Austria. I cannot count how many times this gets confused with Australia. :-)

[mom2bee]

Joan, I speak not a lick of decent french, could you please link directly to the geography pages?

 

Sorry, I got lost on the CNED page that is linked first, I see the pdf's now. Thank you Joan! These are great!!!

[Ellie]

 

ETA - so many Americans will mix Sweden and Switzerland...We'll say that we live in Switzerland and then they'll answer with some anecdote about Sweden!

 

Apparently, some people cannot tell the difference between Mexico and New Mexico.

 

These may be the same people who ask if boy and girl twins are identical, although I cannot be sure of that.

 

 

:D

[SFM]

:bigear: Great ideas, great thread, thanks for sharing.

[Penguin]

 

ETA - so many Americans will mix Sweden and Switzerland...We'll say that we live in Switzerland and then they'll answer with some anecdote about Sweden!

 

That's funny. This is what we get: "Wow, you live in Denmark now! Have you learned Dutch?"

 

DS likes geography, so I emphasize it. We are excited about our new find: flag quizzes.

[Arcadia]

List below is just for fun.

Australia - Koalas, Sydney Opera House, Emu

Austria - Mozart (Salzburg, Vienna)

Sweden - Ikea (the stores here flies the swedish flag)

Switzerland - United Nations (Geneva), Le Musée Olympique (Lausanne/Lucerne)

 

We do emphasize geography but not so much as an academic subject. Map reading is a survival skill, knowing the continents and oceans is general knowledge. We did road trips to experience human and physical geography. Las Vegas is different from Death Valley, Grand Canyon, Route 66 or Columbia Gorge. We flew back home to South East Asia and kids trace the plane flight from California to Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Russia, Japan to Hong Kong where we transit.

 

Australia is in the works because of hubby's relatives and kids ask for the Louvre and Eiffel Tower so Europe is in the works to for long term planning. I joke with them that they need to be good in their german and french before we go Europe.

 

What is in my kids earth science portion of their K-5 curriculum would have been in our geography back home. Geology and Meteorology for us is covered extensively under geography. Map reading is in my kids history curriculum but would have fall under geography for us (hubby and me).

 

ETA:

The other day older did Hans Christian Andersen for literature. We end up talking about Denmark and about butter cookies, legos and Hans Christian Andersen. Of course my boys want to go there because of cookies and legos.

Edited April 4, 2013 by Arcadia

[Dory]

I thought I'd pop in and say that the geography that I remember best is the geography I learned by following maps as I read stories. We do map work here with history, but every time we read a story I make sure I have a map on hand that matched the time period and area that they'll be reading about in the story and I'll have them find places from the book. I've found my kids drawing maps of places for the fun of it.

[Hunter]

I prioritize geography over history. There is historical precedence for this and it is currently what the Amish do.

 

I prioritize the basic continent information and the earth in space topics, over learning countries. I spiral through all the continents every year, prioritizing the most basic information only.

 

I'm satisfied with mastery of the seasons, day and night, zones and biomes, and the 7 continents, and their most prominent landforms, and the 5 oceans and major seas. And truly that is a big accomplishment. I introduce countries and cities, to ILLUSTRATE what the CONTINENT is like, but don't FOCUS on countries or cities or expect mastery of anything about them, unless it comes up in our HISTORY studies.

 

I'm an advocate of triage. I do what I can. I pick a few things that I think are the MOST important, and do my best to teach them well. There is much I do NOT try and teach anymore. Time and money and room to store books is so limited. I lay a safety NET, for students to self-educate and look for OTHERS to teach them to fill in those holes. I plan on holes, big gaping holes. Holes are the PLAN.

[Crimson Wife]

I tried teaching it informally as we went along in history and when studying the saints' lives, but I wound up deciding to take a break from history to devote this full year to world geography. My DD (then almost 10) seriously thought that Argentina was one of the 50 states :banghead:

[Ritsumei]

[sigh] I'd like to give more importance to geography, but I just can't reach far enough to get it done. Maybe when my kids are older, but with a toddler & a newborn, I just don't have room in my day; I tried. So we're not doing *any* formal geography right now. We do map work with history, and we grab the globe and look at things regularly when things come up, but for now, all geography instruction is informal. And it's still more than I recall getting when I was in school.

 

On the one hand, I do not wish to be one of those "ignorant Americans" under discussion, nor do I want my kids to be that person. On the other hand, I can only do so much, and you can pick up a lot incidentally.

[HS Mom in NC]

We incorporate relevant geography into all our history studies. Since we integrate subjects using unit studies, all our subjects (other than phonics and math) are connected to our history studies. We use Blackline Maps of World History by Terry Johnson (repacked as something else now, look for the author's name) for some and Mapping the World with Art for others. The first assignment we do is the map of the region we're studying and we find it on the globe. Then we add to our map anything mentioned in our studies that we're on the master. With BMWH you print out a master copy and a student copy (it moves chronologically through history just like SOTW does.) and the child copies onto the student copy the features labeled on the master copy. Super easy.

 

When we were studying the explorers and European colonization we had the kids memorize the location of each of the states so when we began American history, they already had it down. Early American history involves colonies and territories that are labeled differently than the current states, so I wanted them to know what the equivalent was in modern American geography.

 

I'm the parent of an international adoptee and am appalled at how ignorant the typical, college educated professional is. You'd be amazed at the dumb things they've done or said due to a lack of knowledge of basic geography, world history, and world religions. It's embarrassing, really.

[poiema]

I think it's pretty important, at least I do now. I had a high school BF who thought it was fun to quiz me on geography because I had absolutely no clue where anything was (and I didn't care). I realized there was a problem when my ds (who was 5 at the time) knew more geography than I did. He asked me to put maps up on his wall, and from that he learned all the US states and capitals. When I asked him what he wanted to study this year for history/geography, he said world geography. So this year we are working through each continent one country at a time (reading books about each country, doing map work, etc). I don't want to embarrass myself by giving any details, but I have learned a LOT this year. Things I should have known. And I am college educated. I even had a credential to teach. It really is embarrassing.

[Tanikit]

What fascinates me when reading about geography from the perspective of mostly Americans is that when they talk about it it is mostly to mention country studies with a possible mention of geology as well. I didn't take geography late in high school as I never liked it much, but I do know that there is more to geography than country and continent studies and I do plan to teach my children some of this (sigh... I'll have to find out something about it first)

 

Here are some of the aspects of geography I found when I went looking:

 

1. Mapwork in all forms (political, topographical etc, satellite and other forms of maps, local and world maps)

2. Geomorphology - from the earth's crust, land formation, volcanoes and erthquakes etc

3. Water - including flooding, shorelines, waves, human impact on coastal regions etc

4. Weather and Climate

5. Soil (Pedology) and Rocks (Geology)

6. Economic Geography

7. Population geography

8. Human Impact on the earth

9. Urban settlements (Cities etc)

 

There are a few more I came across, though I doubt I'd consider them in K-8 geography. I do not have a curriculum for geography and just cover it as it comes up in science and history and general life, but I do think it is important that they have a good understanding of it.

[Aspasia]

Okay, good. You are all making me feel much better about all the geography resources I'm buying this year.

 

For me, studying geography is important for the facts, map skills/knowledge, preparation for Jeopardy (eternally important), etc. I also think that studying other cultures just opens the mind and soul. I want my kids to respect other ways of doing and thinking, both globally and also in their own neighborhood. I want them to understand from an early age that there are a million different ways to approach the same problem. I think there's no better way to do that than studying other cultures. So like I said, my plan is to study one continent per year (though i will liely fold some of Asia in with Australia). We'll study the physical geography, major landmarks, biomes/animals, learn countries and capitols. Then we'll select a few countries to study culturally.

 

[sigh] I'd like to give more importance to geography, but I just can't reach far enough to get it done. Maybe when my kids are older, but with a toddler & a newborn, I just don't have room in my day; I tried. So we're not doing *any* formal geography right now. We do map work with history, and we grab the globe and look at things regularly when things come up, but for now, all geography instruction is informal. And it's still more than I recall getting when I was in school.

 

On the one hand, I do not wish to be one of those "ignorant Americans" under discussion, nor do I want my kids to be that person. On the other hand, I can only do so much, and you can pick up a lot incidentally.

 

 

If I used a traditional schedule (doing a little of everything every week), I guarantee that geography would get the shaft at our house. I'm hoping that this block schedule helps with that. I basically divided up my weeks so that each subject still gets the same portion of time that it would get in a traditional schedule (if I were giving formal geography one day a week). So history and science each get 14 weeks, broken up into 3-week chunks. Geography will get 7 weeks, broken up into 2- to 3-week chunks. During geography weeks, we'll do our skill work first and then spend the rest of the time, every day, doing geography. I won't feel like I'm squeezing it in along with anything else. It will be the only thing I have to worry about beyond the 3 R's, which are all pretty much open-and-go. That will be Monday through Thursday. Every Friday will be for art, artist study, and composer study.

[crazyforlatin]

I think about geography when Dd embarrasses us in public. We then spend a couple of days on it and then it's dropped. So we study it in spurts, but we do love it here. It's just not a priority right now since I really need to focus on writing and Spanish.

 

I have all the GeoPuzzles which I find more effective for younger kids.

[Mrs Twain]

I spend time once per week on geography. I think it is important to include map skills as well as learning names, places, landforms, and some culture of interest. After buying a bunch of geography materials I hate and bombing out with the The Core continent blobs, I finally found Mapping the World with Art which I love. So we spend time once per week doing a couple of pages of map work and one lesson or activity from Mapping the World with Art. I am very happy with this arrangement. Also, I just started rereading A Chid's Geography of the World (Hillyer) to my kids at bedtime which is an old, out of print book similar to CHOW. That book is hopelessly outdated (needing editing on the fly), but it is thoroughly enjoyable and chock full of great info.

[kiwik]

Things may have changed in the last 30 years but geography in NZ was pretty abysmal too. I think it is the "we must improve reading, writing and maths" mindset that is the problem.

[HS Mom in NC]

Remember that geography is very influential in the flow of history. From the earliest civilizations to colonization to modern imperialism geography can motivate people to move from region to another while ignoring others. Technology often develops in response to geography when it comes to increasing (through natural resources) and expanding trade which often results in the transfer of some ideas in one region instead of others, and the like. Geography, economics, philosophy, and politics go hand in hand. Add in weather, and the very knowledge of history can be directly affected by the climate which is a combination of geography and weather. Some places naturally preserve human writings about history better than others.

 

The worst dumb American comment I heard in response to my youngest being from S. Korea was this, " Yeah, it's terrible how all those over populated godless communist countries like that have one child policies that force those kids into orphanages and then out of the country." S. Korea is a democratic country with an alarmingly low birth rate that has several different religions represented. Birthmothers choose to place their children because the Confucian social norms (Confucianism is a social order not a religion) makes illegitimacy and single motherhood very socially unacceptable. S. Korea is the gold standard in the world for high quality in home family foster care.

 

The second runner up goes collectively to all those Americans who asked me "So, which Korea is she from? " Current events even 9 years ago should be enough for people to figure out that no one gets out of N. Korea. Now I simply tell people S. Korea rather than Korea because you can't assume anyone knows.

 

Honorable mention goes to the very nice lady who said, " It's good adoption is now socially acceptable all over the world." Nope. It's not. Asia (including Russia and the Middle East) and much of Africa are places where adoption doesn't happen in country there they way it's done here because of terrible social stigmas attached to it.

[JDoe]

How important is geography?

Which geography?

 

Political - Zilch

Physical - Read a map, and get around the obstacles. :)

[*Michelle*]

I'm planning on four days history/one day geography for next year. Informally, we use our maps all the time.

[mo2]

Remember that geography is very influential in the flow of history. From the earliest civilizations to colonization to modern imperialism geography can motivate people to move from region to another while ignoring others. Technology often develops in response to geography when it comes to increasing (through natural resources) and expanding trade which often results in the transfer of some ideas in one region instead of others, and the like. Geography, economics, philosophy, and politics go hand in hand. Add in weather, and the very knowledge of history can be directly affected by the climate which is a combination of geography and weather. Some places naturally preserve human writings about history better than others.

So what is a good way to teach geography in the context of history (or history in the context of geography)? Is there a program that teaches this way? I am geographically challenged. :lol:

[Rosie_0801]

Joan, this is really funny. I am from Austria. I cannot count how many times this gets confused with Australia. :-)

 

Lol, we get the opposite. :rolleyes:

 

 

I'm satisfied with mastery of the seasons,

 

What does that mean?

 

 

 

P.S. Koalas are not bears.

[Arcadia]

P.S. Koalas are not bears.

 

 

My bad habit even though I know they are not bears :) I just like to call them koala bears. I have a Koala stuff toy though and used to have a Koala kids backpack.

[Rosie_0801]

 

My bad habit even though I know they are not bears :) I just like to call them koala bears. I have a Koala stuff toy though and used to have a Koala kids backpack.

 

 

You sound *so* 19th century. :p

[happymomofboys]

I made sure they memorized the continents and oceans by 1st grade. Once that was down, I taught geography by helping them locate places we read about on a map each week. I don't worry too much about them locating specific countries randomly, but I do make sure they know on which continent certain countries are located. For example, my oldest might not be able to locate Czech Republic on a map, but he knows it's in Europe.

 

This year, I started using Seterra which was recommended in this eBook. We don't schedule it or anything; the boys can just practice with it if they finish their history reading early. I followed the instructions in the eBook to take the quizzes once myself and they both tend to score higher than I on the first try, so I guess my laid back geography method works for us. :001_smile:

 

Edit: Grammar

[HS Mom in NC]

So what is a good way to teach geography in the context of history (or history in the context of geography)? Is there a program that teaches this way? I am geographically challenged. :lol:

 

I do SOTW readings by region as a unit study when the kids are younger because bouncing around the way SOTW is written isn't my preferred approach. So, after the introductory chapters about how we know about history, I had my then 6 year old watch the first chapter of Mapping the World with Art: Mesopotamia . In that series you have the child watch the video and pause at each step so the child can make his or her own map. The other option is to print out the master map and student map of First Cities and Civilizations 4,000 BC from Blackline maps of World History and have your child copy. Then you read the chapters in SOTW and Usborne Book of World History in chronological order that relate to the Mesopotamia and surrounding countries. Supplement heavily with library books that cover mythology, folklore, indigenous plants and animals, festivals and customs, hands on projects, etc. Anytime a new place is mentioned within the region you're studying, put it on your map.

 

As you read about the area point the importance of rivers for irrigation and trade in Ancient times. As populations grow, point out which nearby regions are natural choices for expansion. Look at where the mountain ranges are and what's mined there.

 

Ask general questions:

 

What geographic features encourage animal domestication? If one region is low in a particular natural resource, which neighbor is the most likely to fill that need? Which ones make for natural fortresses against enemies? Things like that. Look for examples as you read. Technology (science) is often developed to solve a need or to be more efficient at something. Focus on that. The Ancients is a good time to point that out.

 

Ask specific questions:

 

How many options did the Romans and Hannibal have getting to their destinations? What are obvious pros and cons to each? How did the astrolabe and ship building affect trade? How did the fall of Constantinople in 1453 contribute to both the Renaissance and the Reformation? Rum, slaves, and tobacco are the perfect example of climate, trade, and the technologies of ship building and navigation affecting world history in the very early days of colonialism. The questions and ideas are more specific and detailed as the kids get older.

 

SOTW is good about mentioning these kinds of things in the narrative. As you hear about each new location mentioned in SOTW, or UBWH or the library books that supplement the historical narrative, put them on the map. The more you use the map the easier it is to learn it.

 

Cause and effect is technically the Logic Stage, but it can be introduced in the Grammar Stage. Kids are always asking, "Why?" after all.

[Arcadia]

Okay, good. You are all making me feel much better about all the geography resources I'm buying this year.

 

Her free resources are good not only for geography but science as well.

http://www.ellenjmchenry.com/homeschool-freedownloads/geographymaps-games/index.php

[momma2three]

I remember being so intrigued by the idea that kids in the UK study geography as a stand alone course, and couldn't really figure out how they can do that. I was in a bookstore in London and opened a GCSE prep book about Geography and the first page was about the soil, climate, and animals of the Great Plains... 15 year olds in another country were expected to know far more about my own country than I ever learned!

 

Geography is about so much more than just map work.

 

This link might help develop a sense of what geographical skills probably should be taught to kids:

http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/standards/national-geography-standards/?ar_a=1

 

Ugh, there was another link I had that was even better, but I can't find it now... I'll post back if I remember it.

[Aspasia]

Remember that geography is very influential in the flow of history. From the earliest civilizations to colonization to modern imperialism geography can motivate people to move from region to another while ignoring others. Technology often develops in response to geography when it comes to increasing (through natural resources) and expanding trade which often results in the transfer of some ideas in one region instead of others, and the like. Geography, economics, philosophy, and politics go hand in hand. Add in weather, and the very knowledge of history can be directly affected by the climate which is a combination of geography and weather. Some places naturally preserve human writings about history better than others.

 

I love this. I just love the way you put it.

 

And just to address the comments about geography being more than just map work, I absolutely agree. My geography plan covers physical geography, political geography, human geography, climates/biomes/animals. I think that when you study cultural/human geography alongside physical geography, it is pretty natural to talk about how one affects the other.

[happymomofboys]

Geography is about so much more than just map work.

 

I agree that it is more than just map work, but imo the map work is the hardest part. We discuss how the geography of a region affects its history and technology as we're studying history. We cover climate, weather, and biomes in earth science. I don't see the point in having a stand-alone geography curriculum when we're already covering so much geography in our other subject areas. Then again, I have a child who likes to read atlases for fun, so our situation may be unique.

[Joker]

We apparently think there is no such thing as too many maps. We love them and they've always been visible at home. Dds could identify most countries before starting kindergarten. We have a large world map framed in our kitchen and since dds were little they've studied it or pointed out different things and places. I never did any formal study because as they discovered new places on the map we would get books or watch documentaries. We've just made it all part of everyday life.

[JenC3]

We have a game called "Where in the World." We also have geography card games I just picked up. I think we will add Ellen McHenry's map program and do these on Fridays. The kids also have geography apps they play on the iPad.

[HS Mom in NC]

I love this. I just love the way you put it.

 

And just to address the comments about geography being more than just map work, I absolutely agree. My geography plan covers physical geography, political geography, human geography, climates/biomes/animals. I think that when you study cultural/human geography alongside physical geography, it is pretty natural to talk about how one affects the other.

 

Yes! That's why I'm so inclined to do unit studies. The interrelationships are what I think give children a better broader understanding of the world and how it works. Stand alone compartmentalized academics (or geography) are always better than no academics (or geography) but I think the integrated approach is a much more natural way to teach children interrelationships. It definitely suits my goals better, but then I'm more Charlotte Masony and teach-all-the-kids-at-different-levels-the-same-content-when-possible oriented.

 

I also get that there are very different ways to accomplish an excellent Classical Education, so some people will be better off taking the stand alone approach in their particular situations.

[Kathleen in LV]

Last year my then 5 y.o. son was really into geography, especially his US map puzzle and driving his cars on our laminated world map. He very much enjoyed this workbook: http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Book-Maps-Geography-Grades/dp/0769685595/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1365125204&sr=8-1&keywords=complete+book+of+geography It has a lot of fun map work for elementary level students. This year he's not as interested in geography, but like others mentioned, we do a lot of map work with SOTW. In addition, he absolutely loves playing Ten Days in Europe, which is helping (both of us) learn the locations of the European countries. We'll probably soon invest in another 10 Days game.

[EMS83]

I think it's pretty important, at least I do now. I had a high school BF who thought it was fun to quiz me on geography because I had absolutely no clue where anything was (and I didn't care). I realized there was a problem when my ds (who was 5 at the time) knew more geography than I did. He asked me to put maps up on his wall, and from that he learned all the US states and capitals. When I asked him what he wanted to study this year for history/geography, he said world geography. So this year we are working through each continent one country at a time (reading books about each country, doing map work, etc). I don't want to embarrass myself by giving any details, but I have learned a LOT this year. Things I should have known. And I am college educated. I even had a credential to teach. It really is embarrassing.

 

Don't feel bad. Seriously. It sounds like I'm about in the same boat. I know some ladies that are much older (70's and 80's) who are still learning and studying and tell me that the more they learn, the less they know. We'll never know it all. It's best to just accept this fact and maintain a teachable spirit!

[SunnyDays]

We are lucky here... Geography is the great love of DS's life, LOL!! From the time he was in preschool, we'd see a map or atlas somewhere and he HAD to have it. He knows more about it than most adults I know. He loves GeoPuzzles, and he also has one called The Global Puzzle, which is 600 pieces, I think. We just make sure we continually incorporate it with our history, and provide lots of resources like the puzzles, books/atlases/encyclopedias, a giant wall map, etc. in addition, we will take a more traditional high school social studies/history sequence, so I think we will do a full year concentrated on world geography.

 

I definitely think Geography deserves more attention than it's traditionally given, at least in most American schools.

[Joan in GE]

I remember being so intrigued by the idea that kids in the UK study geography as a stand alone course, and couldn't really figure out how they can do that. I was in a bookstore in London and opened a GCSE prep book about Geography and the first page was about the soil, climate, and animals of the Great Plains... 15 year olds in another country were expected to know far more about my own country than I ever learned!

 

 

Yes, they do have interesting geography books in the UK...

 

Here's an example for about 8-9th grade

 

http://www.amazon.co...raphy 360 payne

 

So what is a good way to teach geography in the context of history (or history in the context of geography)? Is there a program that teaches this way? I am geographically challenged. :lol:

 

 

We used the Usborne history books besides SOTW - and they are great for that because they always have a little map showing where the historical situation occurred...So I'd bring down the globe to help the kids get a 3D understanding of where it was.

 

It's the little bits all along the way that help the kids have context for understanding the world.

 

Isolating geography to just maps and learning lists of countries, cities, etc. is probably the most sure way of having them forget it later on...Whenever possible we linked the geographical setting to history, dinner guests, or even literature....

 

That is what is different about the UK and French geography studies....they do compare and contrast with different settings and situations, for example - looking at bidonvilles (shantytowns) in different countries, or grain production or tourism or where orange juice comes from, which pique curiosity of children.

 

What is fascinating about using the French books is looking at the US through the eyes of another country!! We've used the French books much more than the UK books so maybe they do it as well...

 

People over here in Europe are just immersed in geography because they have other countries all around and the likelihood of having traveled to a foreign country is very high. We do our food shopping in France sometimes because it is only 2 miles away and has better prices and selection for some things. Plus countries here are working together in the European Union which helps heighten everyone's awareness of surrounding countries - their politics and economies are linked.

 

So people in the US are at a disadvantage for that, besides the fact that the US has been the dominating world power in the last bunch of years....The country at the top doesn't have the same drive to learn about it's competitors that the challengers have. This is changing of course as China grows in power - but you can imagine children in the Chinese classroom all learning about the US over the past years. Now children in the US are learning Chinese and about China, but it is not a nationwide preoccupation in the US yet. Perhaps as the economies change, it will wake up the drive to compete spirit (and therefore the need to know your competition)...

 

So what can people do if they're sitting in the middle of the US surrounded by seas of grain instead of oceans or other countries, to make world geography more real?

 

I would think of trying to get to know people from other countries that are living in your town or city...then finding where they come from on a map, then the globe, watching a video about that country, asking them to tell stories of their country or how things work in their country...asking them if they have photos of their country eg....trying to learn some vocabulary of their language....just simple things like greetings, thank you's etc...

 

And then see what of all those things have caught the interest of your children and go on those leads...

 

At one point we were putting up little stickers on our world map showing where our dinner guests came from. Also, dh was doing a lot of travels so we would put stickers to show where he was traveling...I realize that our life was pretty exceptional in this way compared to even my situation when I was growing up in a small town in the US...But look around and see what there is in your own environment which can link to other nations and settings....

 

 

Sweden - Ikea (the stores here flies the swedish flag)

 

 

You could add that homeschooling is illegal in Sweden. :-(

 

Joan, this is really funny. I am from Austria. I cannot count how many times this gets confused with Australia. :-)

 

 

You have me wondering if this is a listening thing? They just listen to the first few letters or syllable and jump to conclusions???

 

Beware that the French system has different labeling than the US...

 

6e = 6th grade in the US

5e = 7th grade

4e = 8th grade

etc.

 

 

I forgot to say that "college" in France = middle school 6-9th grades...."lycee" = high school - in case anyone is looking at the main page...

 

Joan

[Aspasia]

 

I would think of trying to get to know people from other countries that are living in your town or city...then finding where they come from on a map, then the globe, watching a video about that country, asking them to tell stories of their country or how things work in their country...asking them if they have photos of their country eg....trying to learn some vocabulary of their language....just simple things like greetings, thank you's etc...

 

And then see what of all those things have caught the interest of your children and go on those leads...

 

At one point we were putting up little stickers on our world map showing where our dinner guests came from. Also, dh was doing a lot of travels so we would put stickers to show where he was traveling...I realize that our life was pretty exceptional in this way compared to even my situation when I was growing up in a small town in the US...But look around and see what there is in your own environment which can link to other nations and settings....

 

Joan

 

This is a great idea. We're fortunate to live in the DC area, so we have TONS of neighbors from other countries, not to mention all of our friends who work for the federal government (particularly State Dept) and end up moving to other countries. And of course dh does a lot of foreign travel for work. If we just followed those countries alone, we would have a pretty robust geography program!

[happypamama]

I want my kids to have a basic idea of geography. It doesn't have to be perfect, but I want them to know the difference between Austria and Australia. I'm okay if they can't necessarily name every country in every continent, but I want them to at least know that Somalia is in Africa, Argentina is in South America, and Saudi Arabia is in the Middle East. I had to memorize all the countries in Africa in seventh grade; it was pretty much in a vacuum, with little to no context. I did it, scored 100% on the test, and have now forgotten most of them -- but I do have a general idea of where each of them is. I think context and background count for a lot. We had a friend in Afghanistan for a while, and we sent him packages, so we discussed not only where he was, but also how it was hot and sandy there, much moreso than here. Watching The Sound of Music gave us context for learning about Austria. And so on. This year is our first year to use the AG and maps with SOTW (ancients), and my kids have really, really loved the maps. We like that they're repetitive without being boring, building layers of understanding without being tedious. We do keep US and world maps on the wall of our schoolroom, so that we can refer to them in the moment; my favorite moment is when my 4yo sat, quietly studying the world map, and said, "Mama, tell me again where Persia is," because he remembered hearing it in SOTW. Context!

 

When we did US history, we read the Sleeping Bear Press book for each state, as we came to its date of being founded/joining the union, and that was a lot of fun, seeing what was special about each state. Next year, we're using the Great Google Earth Puzzle Challenge book or whatever it's called, and I'm looking forward to that. I am planning to have the kids mark each location on a paper map, and I'm hoping to get a few supplemental books for each country/feature.

 

So, yeah, I want them to have some understanding of geography. But I also want them to know that Lee fought on the Confederate side, and that Martin Luther King, Jr. and Benjamin Franklin were never US Presidents, and it seems a lot of people don't know those facts either. So I don't necessarily drill geography over other subjects.

[Joan in GE]

 

This is a great idea. We're fortunate to live in the DC area, so we have TONS of neighbors from other countries, not to mention all of our friends who work for the federal government (particularly State Dept) and end up moving to other countries. And of course dh does a lot of foreign travel for work. If we just followed those countries alone, we would have a pretty robust geography program!

 

There is also food from that country....making an Indian meal and putting on Indian music, etc....eating on cushions on the floor, eating with the fingers or chopsticks....so many activities which can help children understand how differently other people live....while incorporating the activities into daily real life needs....

 

Joan

[Mystie]

We've done Geography mostly informally or along with other things (short mapwork as part of independent studies, Geography Songs during Circle Time), and I've found the little bits here and there over the last 3-4 years have really added up. I'm amazed at the geography skills of my 7yo & 9yo.

 

I outlined what we've done on my blog: Geography Without Lesson Plans

 

For this next year, we'll add in Ann Voskamp's geography book as a read aloud.

[evansmom]

We just started geography a month ago and the kids love it! Here are some resources you can use for elementary grades. There are tons of resources online for older kids.

 

For younger kids, I'd look at these books/resources:

Pinterest - tons of crafts and ideas

Books:

Me on the Map

Maps & Globes

Where do I live?

Follow That Map

Geography from A to Z (great for all ages)

A Child's Introduction to the World: Geography, Cultures, and People - From the Grand Canyon to the Great Wall of China - excellent for all ages.

 

Planet Earth DVD

Geography COloring book - really good!

 

Curriculum:

Galloping the Globe

Mapping the WOrld by Heart - Excellent lessons for all ages - well worth the money but you can find it used many times.

 

ALso - call and talk to someone at a map store - they may be able to give you used maps, resources at a discount or have your kids come in for a field trip to look at various types of maps.

 

Good luck,

Wendy

[Aspasia]

We just started geography a month ago and the kids love it! Here are some resources you can use for elementary grades. There are tons of resources online for older kids.

 

For younger kids, I'd look at these books/resources:

Pinterest - tons of crafts and ideas

Books:

Me on the Map

Maps & Globes

Where do I live?

Follow That Map

Geography from A to Z (great for all ages)

A Child's Introduction to the World: Geography, Cultures, and People - From the Grand Canyon to the Great Wall of China - excellent for all ages.

 

Planet Earth DVD

Geography COloring book - really good!

 

Curriculum:

Galloping the Globe

Mapping the WOrld by Heart - Excellent lessons for all ages - well worth the money but you can find it used many times.

 

ALso - call and talk to someone at a map store - they may be able to give you used maps, resources at a discount or have your kids come in for a field trip to look at various types of maps.

 

Good luck,

Wendy

 

Great! Like I needed more ideas! ;)

 

(Off to check these out and ratchet up that grand total curriculum price.)

[Tracy]

We did one year of geography before we started our 4-year history rotation, using a literature-based approach (see my book list if you are interested). I am really glad we did that, because it made our history studies so much more meaningful.

 

Now, I don't (and won't ever) teach geography as a separate subject. It is integrated into everything else we do (history in particular). We also play "Think of a Country" while we eat our meals and look at our map on our dining room wall. (One person gives clues, and the other guess the country they are thinking of.) Both of my kids know so much about geography using this method, and it has been so easy to implement.