Geography Fall 2009

In addition to pulling out a map anytime we are talking about a place (especially in history) or the kids ask about a place, we have two other ways we study geography.

1. We read the Holling C. Holling books and map the journey made in the story. Last year we read & mapped Paddle to the Sea, and this year we are reading Tree in the Trail. Here is a link to the map I printed out for each of us on cardstock. I also have a quide called Geography: A Literature Approach, which has outlines of what to map for all the chapters, as well as lots of other study ideas in history and science. We pretty much stick to the geography information, but occasionally dip into the other areas as the kids show interest. This same company (Beautiful Feet Books) also sells a map pack to go with these books, but I've been able to find maps similar to these on google images.

2. We study a continent or foreign country-- right now we are studying Africa. We are watching the Wild Africa series from the BBC. We are reading a wonderful book called Growing Up in Africa: The True Adventures of Two American Children in the Wilds of Africa. I also check out other books from the library for the kids to look through on their own-- these are general books about Africa or picture books with African stories. I also have the Wee Sing Around the World CD, which has several songs from Africa that we listen to, and we may possibly memorize one if I happen to feel so ambitious.