Momof3 Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 So...now that the Highlights Top Secret Adventures magazine has got my wheels turning again...and tempted me towards yet another purchase... What are the best investments you have made toward learning geography? Thinking games, books, puzzles, toys, etc. The kids are fascinated by *so* many different countries. I'm really wanting something that helps us learn (experience, if that's possible) as many countries of the world as possible...and love doing it! I have looked at Highlights' Top Secret Adventures magazine series, their game, the 10 Days in... games carried by Sonlight, etc. I don't have the $ to just buy whatever I think looks like fun...so, once again, I turn to the Hive. :) What have you used that is fun? What have you used that has taught you the most? What have you used that has failed to be fun and/or educational? My kids are young, so that rules some things out...but they are strong readers & we love games... :) Thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jar7709 Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 Hands down our best bang for the buck geography tool has been map placemats. Painless Learning has a wide selection. We often end up talking geography at the dinner table, they are very convenient when a place comes up in conversation or curriculum, etc. Good times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackie Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 GeoPuzzles are great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orthodox6 Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 We had a "talking globe" that gave a few basic facts for each country plus played the national anthem. An excellent software, although extinct, was "World Geography Deluxe." A free software that I like comes from Seterra. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 A really good big globe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antsam Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 Maps, atlas, globe, stack the states and stack the countries apps! I like the map placemats also. Jodie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 Eat Your Way Around the World - LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeghanL Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 Visualize World Geography. The kids like the corny videos...but remember the names of all the country's by sight. The DVDs also include a separate disk that includes physical geography and interesting facts about the region. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth S Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 The Leapfrog Odyssey Talking Globe http://www.amazon.com/LeapFrog-Enterprises-40002-LeapFrog%C2%AE-Explorer/dp/B00005BYPA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1422026845&sr=8-2&keywords=leapfrog+odyssey+talking+globe And host a local competition for the National Geographic Geography Bee. :) Grades 4-8, minimum 6 homeschooled kids, following their rules . . . but it feeds to the State Bee & then the National Bee in Wash DC. http://www.nationalgeographic.com/geobee/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 If I could rewind 5-7 years to when we had the same age lineup as you do now, I would buy one atlas, a stack of tracing paper, and a set of wall maps or a globe. Our best experiences have come through our atlas and maps....and a lot of watching documentaries, travel shows, and other PBS kinds of things. We've also made a lot of great food and tried a bunch of sweets from the various ethnic markets in our area. In the dream world where I had lots of space to store everything and an endless budget, I'd be all over continent boxes. With the age range you have, you might look at that and all of the free printables out there.... We have a couple of geopuzzles. Fun, but the kids played with them once. We have a talking globe. They played with it a few times for probably an hour total. We tried a salt map a couple of times. My kids were extremely frustrated by the process. Map placements lasted for a while, but no one looked at them. Faces magazine went over really well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prairie Dawn Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 We also love the Stack the Countries (and Stack the States) apps, Geopuzzles and map placemats. Something I haven't seen mentioned is a world map shower curtain - great opportunity for learning, though it sometimes makes showers a bit longer. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 We loved Kathy Troxel's "Sing Around the World Geography Songs." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandra Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 We have a lot of stuff, but some of the best things were free. Top pick for learning locations is Sheppard Software. Imo, nothing beats these addictive games. For kids who can read and use a mouse. Videos. Our current favorite is Aerial America, but we have enjoyed many others online and from library. Michael Palin is fun for older kids. Ditto BBC Atlas of the Natural World. We used videos to practice note taking skills -- emphasizing jotting down a few pertinent facts, not recording everything, lol. Purchased: Outline Maps. We like Homeschool in the Woods and Geography Matters, but there are lots for free online. Kids can fill in details when watching videos. Atlas. We have a number of kid atlases, all good. Bobbie Kalman's Lands, Peoples, Cultures series. Globe, ordinary, inexpensive. I have purchased old, slightly out of date globes at church fairs. They work just fine for young kids who are not scrutinizing every detail. Evan Moor Daily Geography. Or any other map focussed book.scholastic has some great books for K level. We also go to ethnic festivals and restaurants. Cub and Boy Scout books on mapping, compass, etc. Own, but do not use much: Various geography games Apps like Barefoot Atlas, Atlas by Collins. Barefoot Atlas is for kids, perhaps upper elementary? I remember considering a talking globe, but I realized it would either get broken quickly, or I would be guarding it., lol. We do Core Knowledge curriculum, which has a country study or two every year. I liked doing a few things in more depth. You can find some of the topics free online at the CK website. For early elementary, we loved Jack Knowlton's Maps & Globes, and Geography From A to Z., suggested by CK. Rebecca Rupp's recommended As the Crow Flies -- we liked it, but did not find it got as mech repeated use as the Knowlton's books. Janet VanCleeve's Geography is excellent (older kids) I like to define geography broadly, so that we include physical geography, mapping, cultural geography, etc. We have done units on rivers and mountains (Core Knowledge again), for example. Used road maps, trail maps, weather maps. Nothing exhaustive, but at least an introduction to many topics. I never got around to this, but one curriculum (Five In a Row?) suggested having a map and putting locations of stories. It would have been wonderful to have a map with a little pix of Madeline in Paris, Eloise in New York, Paddington in London, and so on.... I really regret not doing this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy to monkeys Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 Can anyone recommend a good atlas or two? (one for elementary and one for older kids) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsbrack Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 Can anyone recommend a good atlas or two? (one for elementary and one for older kids) We have the National Geographic Atlas for Young Explorers and it is great for elementary age. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDoe Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 Google Earth, at the price of free impossible to beat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 Montessori puzzle maps, and the teachings that go with them. Nice globe. Placemats. A wall map--NOT in the hall but where it's seen and where you can interact with it. We had a nice US map and we put stickers on all the places where relatives and friends lived. Those connections made it more meaningful. And I'll put in a plug for SOTW--the activity guide maps and constant review of different lands helped so much in learning the "hows and whys" of geography. Geog is more than just naming places--it's also about how the land and water forms shaped human history. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coco_Clark Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 We covered our table in clear plastic and stuck a world map underneath. As far as actually learning country names ect, that's been our biggest help. We end up talking about geography over dinner, especially when guests are over they love to tell the kids about travels ect. And it's there for easy reference in other subjects. We've also loved our geopuzzle. But I think the map has done more. As far as cultural knowledge we've been slowly, over a year, building continent boxes. I purchased photo boxes, a small book on each continent, and a toob for each continent (generally animals, though Europe is mostly landmarks). The kids add in knock knacks like chopsticks for Asia, crafts like beaded jewelry for Africa, tiny 1/4 size lap books they've created on local food, landmarks, language, whatever has interested them, oh yeah, and local money they beg off relatives. It's been so much fun and I can see us adding to them and pulling them out for perusal for years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.