Katydid Posted June 22, 2013 Share Posted June 22, 2013 I'm torn between using The Complete Book of Maps and Geography and the Geography Coloring Book for independent work for my map-loving boy next year. The Complete Book looks cute and fun, but maybe a little too easy for him and the coloring book looks very nice and thorough, but not quite as "exciting" as the other. Oh how I wish I could flip through both in my hands before I make the decision! Does anyone have experience with either/both of these books? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted June 22, 2013 Share Posted June 22, 2013 I've had the Complete Book of Geography and Maps before. I know it's well liked here, but I couldn't stand the jumpiness and lack of cohesiveness. For independent and painless geography for a 4th grader I'd go with an Evan-Moor Daily Geography book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TraceyS/FL Posted June 22, 2013 Share Posted June 22, 2013 I just got the geography coloring book (this one right? http://www.rainbowresource.com/product/sku/015741/8c31be76d97561a65f0f935e ), i'm pondering Geography as well. Obviously I haven't used it, but can try to answer any questions you might have. I have just flipped thru it and made a copy of the TOC to use for planning.... once I figure out WHAT to plan. I also have Mapping the World with Art, and got the Around the World in 100 years book she recommended. I read the first chapter of that last night and I think I really like it. Now to figure out how to pull it all together (i'm also thinking of throwing in drawing and painting the maps ala Deep Space Sparkle's lesson that I have http://www.deepspacesparkle.com/2012/12/09/watercolor-art-projects-for-grades-4-6/ ). Sorting it all out is on my list for the week.... I think I need to talk to the child that will be doing it and see what she thinks. But not until I pin down the rest of what I'm pondering! LOL!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TraceyS/FL Posted June 22, 2013 Share Posted June 22, 2013 There are also these options from Scholastic - most of them are on sale at the moment for $1-3 in ebook form. i bought the 3rd and 5th grade Success with Maps books for $1, I like them better than the Evan-Moor daily Geography for my oldest. I may try the daily geography next year after we do this one. http://teacherexpress.scholastic.com/summer-steals?dir=asc&grade=182&limit=64&order=position&subject=215 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walking-Iris Posted June 22, 2013 Share Posted June 22, 2013 I use Scholastic Book of Outline Maps and a Dover Coloring book of the States together with A Trip Around the World for geography. Rather than covering all of geography in one year, I'm always spiraling back to it throughout the years within our history lesson. I also use wall maps and globes and an atlas and we are in the habit of looking up any country we hear or read about. You may also like Montessori landforms and cultural resources. http://www.montessorimaterials.org/geo.htm If you google "montessori landforms cultural lessons" you'll pull up a ton of resources, some free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katydid Posted June 22, 2013 Author Share Posted June 22, 2013 I just got the geography coloring book (this one right? http://www.rainbowre...97561a65f0f935e ), i'm pondering Geography as well. Obviously I haven't used it, but can try to answer any questions you might have. Yes, that's the one. Does it have them working on map skills (stuff like latitude and longitude, keys and legends, etc.) or is it mainly about learning the countries/states? How much "extra" information is there about the countries (like cultural stuff, etc.)? Thanks in advance for your help! :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curlygirlzx2 Posted June 22, 2013 Share Posted June 22, 2013 There are also these options from Scholastic - most of them are on sale at the moment for $1-3 in ebook form. i bought the 3rd and 5th grade Success with Maps books for $1, I like them better than the Evan-Moor daily Geography for my oldest. I may try the daily geography next year after we do this one. http://teacherexpres...ion&subject=215 Tracey, Do you feel The Success with Maps books are enough for a whole year? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TraceyS/FL Posted June 22, 2013 Share Posted June 22, 2013 Yes, that's the one. Does it have them working on map skills (stuff like latitude and longitude, keys and legends, etc.) or is it mainly about learning the countries/states? How much "extra" information is there about the countries (like cultural stuff, etc.)? Thanks in advance for your help! :grouphug: It is mainly a coloring book I think - but there might be enough to jump off into, so use it as the spine. The samples at RR have the TOC, so you can see how things are broken up. Oh, Christian Book has a slightly better view of it. Basically the Map of the North Eastern US is on the left facing page, and then the "stuff" is on the right side. The stuff page is in a small font on some pages - you know, to cram it all on one page! It is the normal atlas type of blurb to me - but I haven't done much with geography with any of the kids, so i can't compare it to anything. It is mainly physical, the legend work is done by coloring - or not - certain things. The child would have to like to color, trust me on this one! LOL!!! I'd also say fine motor skills need to be up there in the coloring area - my rising 3rd grader struggles in that area, she would not like this book at all. There is "fine detail" required. It comes across as "information overload", I don't have a neurotypical older kid, so it is hard to judge how they would react! I'd say my middle that I want to do it functions at an 9-10yo range cognitively overall, but loves to color and draw and that skill range is currently her best. The reviews on Amazon said the pages were then - I do agree with that, and I think for us copying it onto thicker paper and having it be single-sided is a better idea (which yes, I know is not allowed in the copyright, but I can do that or return it - because this student is so NOT going to be able to handle the book as a whole). I think it is expensive as a single-user resource - it was an impulse/splurge buy. For us, I see it being used over the course of multiple years. I like the book, I just haven't figure out how to implement it with the other stuff I want/have. I'm not sure if I should blast thru the Scholastic book first (she hasn't had much "map" work"), then work on the book. I want to do states - so do I just use our American History stuff as a kick off to the states, then go region by region? (there isn't a map of each state) Tracey, Do you feel The Success with Maps books are enough for a whole year? probably not - there are 20-23 lessons..... unless you used it as a jumping off spine for further work. But Probably not - I was pondering that last night! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katydid Posted June 22, 2013 Author Share Posted June 22, 2013 So I'm leaning more towards the Complete Book at this time. The cover says that there are stickers... can anyone tell me what the stickers are? Are they flags or something? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted June 22, 2013 Share Posted June 22, 2013 Does your library have Draw Write Now volumes 7 and 8? They teach how to draw the world. I like them much better than the Geography Coloring book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katydid Posted June 23, 2013 Author Share Posted June 23, 2013 I actually have those DWN books, but I really want something a little more independent for him to work on that includes reading different kinds of maps, etc. I also would like something with some cultural geography and was thinking about R&S's 4th grade social studies book (based on your recommendation, Hunter) But, even though I'm a Christian, I am very turned off by any mention of the need to make other nations Christian while trying to learn about them. I am afraid R&S would be like that, but please correct me if I am wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TraceyS/FL Posted June 23, 2013 Share Posted June 23, 2013 I started coordinating resources last night using: Success with Maps Grade 5 ( i just flipped thru the 4th grade book and I think i'm going to use it with her instead. I think. Except that means redoing what I did last night.... ) US Map Crosswords Map Crosswords - Great Map Mysteries - using logic skills to solve Fun-to-Solve Map Mysteries - easier than the ones above, looks fun Great Map Games - this might turn out to be my favorite, they look simple enough to put together and play! I'm going to start with this for now, and skip more of the cultural side until next year. I'll start looking for "stuff" that will work for this child in particular in that area and go with it. If she wants to add it now - then we will do it. But this set mainly concentrates on map skills, and we haven't had any of that yet (beyond theme park map reading - got that part down pat!!!). She will be doing Mapping in her America the Beautiful history class too, which I think will lead off to my use of the Coloring Book for now. Now, back to planning - and I will be hanging out to see what anyone else recommends so I can maybe implement it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted June 23, 2013 Share Posted June 23, 2013 I also would like something with some cultural geography and was thinking about R&S's 4th grade social studies book (based on your recommendation, Hunter) But, even though I'm a Christian, I am very turned off by any mention of the need to make other nations Christian while trying to learn about them. I am afraid R&S would be like that, but please correct me if I am wrong. I don't remember that flavor of comments, but I wasn't always very involved when we used that R&S book. FWIW, my kids enjoyed and benefited from the map work assignments, but they would pick the Scholastic ebooks over it anyday. We only used the R&S book about once a week. We also did map drawing ala The Core, Scholastic books (Instant Map Skills and others), and we dabbled in Evan-Moor's Daily Geography 6. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted June 23, 2013 Share Posted June 23, 2013 I've just used R&S as a read aloud. I'm so used to the Mennonite missionary focus that I did't even notice whether it is present of not. I'm sorry. When I was involved with the Mennonite church, the ladies in Northeast USA were more linked to their sisters and cousins serving as Missionaries and just living all around the world, than they were with the ladies living on their road. Those fax machines were ringing all the time. :lol: It's just default in their culture that the world will be won to Christ. After I had the students draw the continents from DWN, we used an atlas to map the biomes, cultural and political stuff. Sometimes I used printed copies of maps instead of drawing. I never liked any of the workbooks being discussed. They were not focused on what I wanted to focus on. I was big on the 5 themes of geography. The older Evan Moor 7 continents series uses the 5 themes, but is getting a bit outdated. I didn't print out the worksheets, but used some of the graphic organizers as a guide for notebooking pages. I haven't been prioritizing geography like I did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katydid Posted June 23, 2013 Author Share Posted June 23, 2013 OK, I've been scouring samples of all sorts of geography books and workbooks and I think I've come up with a plan that will work for us. I was originally thinking I could make this more of an independent study for him, but realistically, DS is not a huge fan of workbooks and has already learned so much about geography from his own interest. I don't want to kill his love of the subject by making him do "boring" workbooks. Plus, I really love geography, so I think it will be fun for us all to do together (DD included). I have the following resources: A Child's Introduction to the World Children Just Like Me Draw Write Now books Geography A to Z Usborne Living World Encyclopedia I plan to buy: The Geography Book Kingfisher Geography Encyclopedia Maps and Globes Easy Make and Learn Projects: Animal Habitats World flag stickers We will work on this material once or twice a week making notebook pages as we go. Plus I am buying the Map Trek book and CD combo to map our way through CHOW and OIS (we are covering the time period from Rome through the end of the middle ages this year). I like that all these resources are non-consumable and will most likely last us for several years of study. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TraceyS/FL Posted June 23, 2013 Share Posted June 23, 2013 YAY!!! Happy you came up with a plan!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted June 23, 2013 Share Posted June 23, 2013 You might like the geography instructions in Homeschooling on the Cheap. The Kindle version is awkward to navigate, but it's only $4.99. I downloaded the Kindle sample of The New York Public Library Amazing World Geography: A Book of Answers for Kids. I'm thinking of buying this, as it's useful as a read aloud, instead of an activity, and seems to display adequately on my phone. Every once in awhile, I beef up my phone with schooling options. My phone is insured with Sprint and no matter what I do to it, will be instantly replaced. Everything can be backed up and stored at Amazon, even pdfs that I bought elsewhere. I like having as much of a complete curriculum as possible on my phone. I cannot find a blog post by a homeschooling mom raised in Africa about tracing atlas maps. I wish I could link to it. It was awesome. Ugh! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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