Geography question/MFW Exploring Countries and Cultures

[MommyInTraining]

I was considering going with MFW again this year because I like the concept of exploring different countries and cultures with the children. I think it would be fun and exciting to visit the different continents and learn about the lifestyles of the people and the different animals that live there. However, I don't think I want to use MFW after our experience with K and Adventures. I think HOD is going to give us more of what I want.

So, my question is: What would you all suggest I use for a geography supplement to Little Hearts and Bigger Hearts to get the same type of material as Exploring Countries and Cultures from MFW. From my understanding HOD won't cover geography in the same way since it will use that year in Preparing to do an overview of world history instead of the geography year. If Carrie or anyone could set me straight on that if I am mistaken, please do .

Therefore, if the different people and animals of the continents are not covered, could someone please suggest a resource that would cover those areas that I could use, that wouldn't be too time consuming, as I am already wondering how I am going to run 3 separate programs and take care of a baby !

[Vicki]

I've thought about the same thing myself, so I've discovered something that is free (for the printing), and looks to be along the lines of a Charlotte Mason style. It is called Highroads of Geography by Anonymous, and it can be found at Project Gutenberg online.

I've read a few chapters from this book online, and it seems about the right speed for us. It is a set of "letters" that a father wrote home to his family during his travels around the world. I would love to find somewhere the pictures that are used for the illustrations in the book.

Since we are using HOD for everything else, I decided to add this in either as an after lunch activity or before bedtime. I plan on getting the globe and world maps out when we read these stories, and I also may make some country cards and laminate them with pictures of animals, people, landmarks from that country. I hope that makes sense. I may even try to add in a dinner dish from the country we read about. I don't plan on making it very involved, as I found out before coming to HOD that getting overinvolved with things is what leads to frustration and burnout.

I think this will be a gentle introduction to world geography, which I am sure will be followed up along in the Bigger, Preparing, and other manuals to come.

Hope some of this helps! I'm trying to keep things as simple as possible around here, and I don't want to get overwhelmed with much in the way of add-ons. I just think that for us, this is a good one.

[Samuel'sMommy]

I haven't used this myself, but I've seen alot of people recommend Galloping the Globe. I've looked at it to use with my little guy in the future and it looks neat to me. You can see samples on www.geomatters.com

[skillet04]

vicki: the version here has the illustrations .. they are not huge pictures

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/11218/11 ... 1218-h.htm

hth

[6timeboymom]

We are using little hearts and bigger and we don't do anything separate. In little hearts we learned the continents, (we're only on like unit 3 or 4) and the science talked about the different animals that are on different continents. In bigger we talk about European and Asian geography when we talked about Columbus and Marco Polo, and North/Central American geography during discussion of the discovery of the continent. We basically work it into the daily lesson that way. We have maps we refer to when we talk aobut countries and such, and that gives us an idea where they are on the globe. I've considered a stand alone geography, but the boys seem to be learning with the maps on the wall and the brief discussion we have, so I've dropped the idea.

[KatieM]

Another thing you could add to a country study is these passports and stamp stickers. If you order the free passports, you actually get quite a few (you could share with friends!) You could also look at the curriculum that goes with it, if you don't mind that it comes from a Lutheran church.

Here's the website for the passports and stamp stickers:
http://www.lcms.org/pages/internal.asp?NavID=9522

Katie

[Carrie]

Terri,

Instead of having a "geography year", we weave geography through all of our guides, matching it with our history directly as we study it.

In Little Hearts...., it is more just an awareness of the world around them through the stories and history activities. Starting with Beyond, it is a once a week lesson in Geography. The people and animals are covered throughout the stories that you read for history and science. The people groups are also covered through the stories you read throughout the guides. All aspects of geography are covered through the years.

There's definitely no need to add anything to the study, however, if you desire you can certainly add in anything you wish to meet your family's special goals.

If you wanted a continent by continent look, there are many wonderful resources that do that. The Trail Guides and Galloping the Globe are possibilites.
Blessings,
Carrie

[inHistiming]

I just have to agree with the pp that maps on the wall add a LOT to the kids' learning in Geography. We often end up discussing where countries/states are during dinner(the maps are on our dining room walls). When a particular place comes up in our teaching or in conversation, I'll have the kids find it on the map... my just-turned 5 year old who has had minimal schooling so far knows where Florida, California, Alabama, New York, and Canada are on the map...all from us discussing and pointing out where Nana lives, or his uncles, or where we used to live, etc. It's amazing what it can add to their learning...and I think I paid $20-30 for a set of 3 wall maps (world, U.S., North America) at BJ's. It's been well worth the investment!

[water2wine]

We have done a good part of Galloping the Globe. I think that is more of adding a program to a program unless you are good at limiting yourself and maybe just pick one aspect of it to do I think it would be too much to add to HOD unless you have decided to just do certain categories of it and leave the rest. If you do it all it is very time consuming. And I am thinking you could turn a blessing into a burden by trying to add it to another complete program.

We also use Trail Guides. We were doing it before we started HOD. It is easy to add. This is a good one if you just want to really focus on Geography and have it be really easy to add to HOD (get the student CD though otherwise it becomes labor intensive). My kids do this pretty much on their own and it is really more of Geography rather than culture but it is interesting to them and helpful. The US one goes very well with Bigger without being too overwhelming). This one is on three levels so it is easy to customize for each child by printing out the different levels.

Or another thing to do might be to just add Windows of the World and just pray for different people and map it while you do it.

You are going to find when you get started that what you need is all there in HOD so one caution is try not to add too much to it until you are sure you really need it. It's going to surprise you how rich it already is. But I do like if you want to have another focus as well there is flexibility to add it. I am a big adder to things but I don't think if I had started with HOD that I would be quite so much this way.

[icul8rg8r]

I've been trying to decide between My Father's World & Heart of Dakota, too - I had the first 8 years planned out with MFW including field trips & vacations to coincide with what we'd be studying that year! THEN I stumbled upon HOD and started Little Hands this year (MFW didn't really have a preschool program and my 4-year-olds were anxious to "do school").

We love it and now I'm contemplating switching to HOD for all grades! EXCEPT, like you, I love the idea of doing a whole year of geography. So I think (when we get to that stage) I'll probably take a year off from HOD and do MFW ECC (or look at Galloping the Globe). I'm a former travel agent and our family travels ALOT so it's important to us that our kids have a firm grasp on the world around us. My husband & I have always studied up on the language, history, and culture of a place before traveling to a new destination.

Two "passport" type programs out there I highly recommend - the first is the U.S. NATIONAL PARKS passport - our kids LOVE IT! The park rangers will stamp their passport and usually have lots of activities and info for the kiddos. The 2nd is Walt Disney World's EPCOT CENTER. If you can't physically travel to various countries, Epcot brings the countries to you. There are like 13 different "countries" you can visit and learn about and have their passport stamped (trading "pins" is fun, too) - even the food is "authentic". If you go, do so before your kids are 10 years old - once they turn 10 Disney charges the "adult" rates! We went when the kids were 3 (didn't bother with Epcot then) but plan to return when they are 9 when we're studying ECC.

[MommyInTraining]

I think what we are going to do is a lapbook from Hands of a Child. They have lapbooks for each continent. I asked my dd which continent she wanted to study first and she said South America. So, I can just order the lapbook and project pack for South America and let her work on that in her free time . Thanks for all of the suggestions!

[wdworkman]

My kids are a little older, 10 & 14. We did ECC last year (before I found out about HOD) & I think we all enjoyed it, but I'm not sure how much my 10 yo retained. What really seems to stick more in my kids' minds is current news geography. We keep a world map on our dining room table, under a clear vinyl tablecloth, and constantly check the map as we watch the 5:00 or 10:00 news. Within the last few days we've looked at the Russia vs. Georgia conflict, where the Afghan woman athlete disappeared, & of course a lot of Olympic references.

Since the map is on our table, we often get conversations about other countries going at dinnertime when Dad's there to join in!

[MommyInTraining]

under a clear vinyl tablecloth

Thanks Janet,

Can you tell me where you found this?

[wdworkman]

under a clear vinyl tablecloth

Thanks Janet,

Can you tell me where you found this?

In the Walmart Fabric section. It wasn't really a tablecloth - just a roll of vinyl that they cut to length.

[MommyInTraining]

under a clear vinyl tablecloth

Thanks Janet,

Can you tell me where you found this?

In the Walmart Fabric section. It wasn't really a tablecloth - just a roll of vinyl that they cut to length.

Oh, OK. Well, we have a round table, so I don't know how that could work?