Showing posts with label Geography. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Geography. Show all posts

Thursday, 20 May 2021

G is for Geography

 Welcome back to Blogging through the Alphabet. Today we are looking at the letter G. I must confess this letter stumped me for a few days until I resigned myself to writing about Geography in your homeschool.  My co-host Desiree is sharing G is for Green in her Lego ABC series.

Geography tends to be one of those neglected subjects within homeschooling circles and some curriculum providors.  It does not need to be however as there are some really amazing resources available to us now.  Below I've listed a few resources to get you started.

 


 Unit Studies on this blog
As we travel the globe on our discovery of Geography I will be adding more geography unit studies to this blog.

Mapping 
Books we love
(Libraries are an excellent resource to teach for FREE)

Homeschool giveaways has an excellent resource list of printables too

 

 On Pinterest 

Curriculum

Expedition Earth

Sir N and I are currently working through Expedition Earth: A Journey through God's World. This curriculum was written by Erica from over at Confessions of a Homeschooler. We have been working our way slowly through this download watching YouTube clips, cooking and extra Notebooking pages. Sir N is enjoying it so much that he calls it our Travel School.


Trail Guide to World Geography


Trail Guide to World Geography  This particular package is my all time favourite.  You can purchase this as a book or an eBook download.  This little big book is chock full.
If you do this book with your children they will have covered geography from A-Z in three years.  You do each section once.  Once in primary school, once in middle school and once in high school. Each time your student does a year they go deeper learn more and practise more.
Each level is a complete 36 week school year course.  The teachers manual comes with everything you need to successfully and comprehensively teach geography without any prior knowledge of the subject.  There are also student work books available for each grade level.

Other Resources

Did you know that the total area of land surface on earth is: 143,804,549 square km? 

What are YOUR favourite Geography Resources ?

Blessings

Chareen

Find the other ABC posts in this series here:

  1. A is for Art Lessons at Home
  2. B is for Books Where do You Purchase Yours? 
  3. Charlotte Mason a Round Up of Posts 
  4. Delight Directed Education
  5. Encouragement for Weary Homeschooling Mothers
  6. For the Children's Sake  
  7. G is for Geography

Featured from Week 4 all things 'F'

 This week  over at Our Homeschool Notebook the topic is G is for Green .  

Please link up your posts starting with the letter F for this weeks ABC Blogging.

 

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Wednesday, 20 July 2016

MWorld {Review}

Over the last few years I've been pursuing a new direction in our home school, one that is built upon Charlotte Mason's ideals and sprinkled with delight directed opportunities.   In today's digital filled era I have found it difficult finding information that is enriching, twaddle free and reliable.  

Monash University have set out to meet this need and created an app to meet the criteria and today it is my pleasure to introduce you to MWorld.


Last week I had the privilege of a teleconference with Justin who shared with me his passion to grow and create an app that would use curiosity to unleash learning in our children.  Justin and his team have been working alongside the leading academics at Monash University to produce each unit on MWorld so you can trust the information you are accessing is up to date and correct. (You can watch a one minute overview on YouTube here.)


Did you know...
  • Curiosity increases your brain function and leads to more engaged learning and better memory retention?
  • Pre-school children ask an average of 26 questions an hour.

MWorld is constantly growing and being developed.  They are currently developing mini missions which will be available later this year.   These missions are there to equip parents to support their children's learning and encourage enquiring minds to learn more.


How Does MWorld Work?
There are a few different options available to use MWorld. (PC, Android app and Apple app).
We have been given MWorld to use for a full year and have access to the complete platform.

IF you sign up via the Home Education option the team at MWorld set up your account and send you an access code (MCode) and password.  You use this to log in and set up your account.

Once you log in, you have the option of either customizing your avatar or exploring the world we live in. As you explore the world through one of the apps you will collect points which allow you to purchase clothing for your Avatar.


You also collect experience points. These points show you where you are on the leader board.

The leader board is private unless you add your friends to it. Experience points also build your badge level.  You can see how many points are needed in order to graduate to the next level.

Points are awarded for: each screen you read, each game played (these reinforce learning) and each quiz which is answered.


By clicking on Explore the World you are taken to the app home screen. Here you will find the main ten learning areas. Each of these areas are divided into five apps each. After selecting the subject you are then taken to the app area.


 For example in the Natural World you will find: Deep Blue Sea, Volcanoes, Deserts, Extreme Weather and Protected Areas. Next you select your area of interest.  The app then downloads to the device and loads.  Each app is fairly large due to the beautiful rich graphics, text to speech,  videos and interactive pages.



Each module has an introductory video  (See all available module introductory clips on YouTube).

The center of the page is a list of questions to whet your appetite on the topic.   On the left and right margins you will find graphics which are links to learning areas.

Along the bottom of the page there are five buttons: back, home (takes you to the first screen), map, points page and text to speech. The text to speech function is a handy tool for younger students or students who are auditory learners.

 The map shows you where you are in the module and the total number of learning areas for the module.  As you can see each module is fairly extensive.

MWorld can be used off line. To access offline studies each of the 50+ apps can be found on the app store. You use your MCode to unlock the app which is then downloaded independently onto your device.


On the home screen you will find a credits button beneath the sign out button.  In this area you will find a complete list of the titles on MWorld linked to an information card.  Here you can meet the scientist who contributed to the production of the topic, a full list of the production team, a list of reference materials used in the unit and the names of the production team responsible for the unit app production.

Titles Available on MWorld
At present there are over 50 areas of learning on MWorld and it will be growing so be sure to check back to see what is new.
MWorld have supplied a summary, YouTube introduction and a free downloadable teacher guide for each title on the MWorld Title finder page.
  1. Animals
    • Adapting to new Worlds
    • Fangs - How do animals eat ?
    • How do animals behave?
    • Long-distance Travellers
    • Sharks and Rays
  2. Art&Music
    • Art Today
    • How to write a Song
    • Jammin'
    • Secrets of art: Drawing
    • World Beats
  3. Early Civilizations
    • Ancient Greece
    • Angkor
    • Early Australians
    • Early China
    • Rome: The Early Days
  4. The Human Body
    • Build Your Own Skeleton
    • Germs
    • The making of me
    • Peak performance
    • Sleep and Dreams
  5. Language and Culture
    • Dragon boat festival
    • Fairy Tales - The untold story
    • Lost languages
    • Manga
    • Spain: Food, Football & Fiesta?
  6. The Modern World
    • Challenges of our time
    • The digital age
    • Money
    • Super-fast Trains
    • Mega-cities
  7. The Natural World
    • Deep Blue Sea
    • Deserts
    • Extreme Weather
    • Protected Areas
    • Volcanoes
  8. People and Places
    • Asia Today
    • Changing Places
    • Designing Places
    • Europe Today
    • The Rises of Cities
  9. Space
    • Black Holes
    • Comets, Asteroids and Meteors
    • Galaxies
    • Mission to Mars
    • Planets
  10. The Wonders of Science
    • Chemistry:Let's Get Started
    • How does Life Work?
    • How to become a Scientist
    • Invisible World - Inside the Atom
    • Light
What platform is MWorld available on
  • iPad (iPad 3 and later, All iPad Air and Mini models)
  • Android (Android 4.4 and later)
  • PC (Windows 7 and later)
Due to the size of each of the individual topics covered, (the beautiful photographs and interactive content of MWorld) you will need access to quality internet connectivity in order to download and use your chosen area of learning. The main MWorld app needs connectivity to run.

MWorld can be used off line on your chosen device. You will need to download your chosen topic as an independent app via the app store.
The Cost*
  • Single topic apps for MWorld are available to purchase at $5.99 each.
  • Home Education bundle is currently available for $59 for 54 apps (That is a saving of $317.47!). To access this special please email your request to team@discovermworld.com and they will do the rest.
  • MWorld is available for school class use in student bundles. 
  • FREE trial is available.  You will receive two credits to unlock two titles of your choice along with three units: Jammin, Planets and Volcanoes.
*Prices quoted are current as of July 2016 and subject to change at any time.  Please check the MWorld website for up to date pricing information.  
Connect with MWorld on Social Media


I am very impressed with this app. The graphics are beautiful, the information is twaddle free and presented using excellent multimedia platforms.  The variety of topics covered is both broad and deep, we have  over a year of learning at our finger tips.

We are looking forward to learning more about the world around us using MWorld. Nathaniel enjoys following whatever path of curiosity he chooses, personally I like being able to use a professionally presented supplement to reinforce our current learning areas. 

Blessings
Chareen
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Wednesday, 21 October 2015

Drawing Around the World: Europe {Review}

Over the last few years I have grown an interest in the Charlotte Mason pedagogy of education. The longer I am on this journey the more I want to remove the mundane and twaddle from our Homeschool.

Recently I learned about the curriculum publisher called Brookdale House.  Their passion is "to design curricula that teaches more with less."  I discovered that Ms Mason wrote a couple of Geography books. This new found knowledge has inspired me to search for something to help Nathaniel with his map skills / knowledge.

Brookdale House have a Geography Drawing Series which covers the continent of Europe (Drawing Around the World: Europe) and the USA. The purpose of the curriculum is to help students draw maps from memory.

What we received
Contents

  • How to use the program
  • Learning objectives
  • Suggested weekly schedule
  • Memorization Techniques
  • Maps
  • Drawing Directions 
  • Online Resource links
  • 50 Countries to learn (spread over a 24 week cycle):

Albania Germany Norway
Andorra Greece Poland
Armenia Hungry Portugal
Austria Iceland Romania
Azerbaijan Ireland Russia
Belarus Italy  San Marino
Belgium Kosovo Serbia
Bosnia Latvia Slovakia
Bulgaria Liechtenstein Slovenia
Croatia Lithuania Spain
Cyprus Luxembourg Sweden
Czech Republic Macedonia Switzerland
Denmark Malta Turkey
Estonia Moldavia Ukraine
Finland Monaco United Kingdom
France Montenegro Vatican City
Georgia Netherlands


 How we used it
I printed off the first 14 pages which contained the introduction, instructions and a few sample and reference maps in order to familiarize myself with how the program works.  From here I chose the country we are learning about and printed off the pages for the week.

Learning to draw the country for the week
 Each week follows the same rhythm
  • Day 1 - Learn about the country by completing a fact table of the country, locate and label the country on a map, trace the country and draw the country.
  • Day 2 - Locate and label the country on a dashed, black and white dashed map. Draw and label the country on a blank map.
  • Day 3 - a repeat of day 2
  • Day 4 - List from memory all the countries studied so far. Draw the countries on a blank map.
Locating, colouring and labeling the country on a dotted map


Drawing the country on a blank map


If the student would like to practice tracing the country before free hand drawing you can add the maps to a sheet protector and use a dry erase marker. Some students struggle with the slippery writing surface. For these students I recommend using backing paper and a pencil for practice.

Using coloured pencils helps the countries stand out from the rest during practice and review.

**Cost of Drawing Around the World: Europe
  • eBook - $22.95
  • Printed Book - $25.95
** All prices are current as at October 2015. Price is subject to increase at the discretion of the vendor. Please check the website for current pricing structures.
Recommended Age Range
  • There is no recommended minimum age.  As soon as your student is capable of tracing, free hand drawing from memory and writing the country names you can start using Drawing Around the World: Europe.
Connect with Brookdale House

Facebook Google+ RSS Feed Blog Pinterest Twitter YouTube

Over All I thought ...
I like the simplicity of this system and the flexibility I have as a home educator to choose which country to learn next. This enables me to line up the country we are studying with our history or our current read aloud.

The system is the same each week which means that for me I don't need to do any new prep work and for Nathaniel it allows him to know what to do without me having to explain it from scratch each time.

Beautifully presented and excellent quality make for a great geography product.

Blessings
Chareen


Click to read Crew Reviews
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Monday, 9 February 2015

Year 4 Curriculum {NBTS}


It's week 2 of the Not Back to School blog hop being hosted here and at Our Worldwide Classroom.  This week we are sharing our proposed curriculum for 2015.  Don't forget to meet some of our amazing homeschool blogging families in Australia.

Our plan is to take 12 - 18 months with the following books.

Sonlight Core B

This year my aim with Nathaniel is to add in some more Charlotte Mason educational principles.  This is a learning journey for both of us as in the past I have followed Sonlight and the Well Trained Mind.  I really enjoy teaching / learning history chronologically so my aim is to complete Sonlight Core B this year and flow into Core C.


Readers
Read Alouds
Last year we did not get to most of our read alouds due to taking the scenic route and reading aloud a whole raft of other books so this year we plan on doing two read aloud periods a day.  In the morning doing Core B and afternoon Core C


 Fine Arts
  • We will continue using The World's Greatest Composers by Confessions of a Homeschooler.
  • The Classical Kids Collection Vol 1 & 2. These are produced by The Children's Group and cover the lives of eight famous composers.
  • Classical Composers Monthly as a supplement to whichever composer we are studying.
  • We will continue with The World's Greatest Artists Vol 1.  We have already studied Claude Monet {FREE Resource List} and will continue and learn about the other seven artists in the unit.
  • We did Shipwrecked earlier in the year and really enjoyed it so we will work our way through Bible Stories by See the Light
  • In an ideal world I would love to do some Hymn study too.  I have not settled on anything.  I think we might alternate Composer Study with Hymn Study.
  • We will be meeting up with a family each week where we will continue to learn to play the recorder as well as work our way through drawing lessons from the Drawing Textbook.
  • I am also in the process of reseaching the Charlotte Mason philosophy on the Fine Arts.
  • This year we also intend on attending a few MSO concerts and a ballet concert.
Sonlight Core C

History
This year we will continue reading Story of The World Volume One and using the Activity Guide which goes alongside it.  Core B and C also do History chronologically so I will be consulting my manuals and using the recommended read alouds and spines from Sonlight.

Geography
 I haven't decided yet upon a resource to use.  Here are a few I'm contemplating using

 I think we may continue using Expedition Earth: A Journey through God's World.

I would like to also complete  Trail Guide to World Geography  This particular package is my all time favourite.

I saw a review on Wonder Maps and really like the look of this program.  Have any of you used it or seen it ?

Math


Logic

Science

For science we will choose books from our very well stocked home library this year and will be working through Exploring Creation with Astronomy from Apologia.  We will be using the Astronomy Junior Notebooking Journal.  Once we have completed this we will begin Exploring Creation with Botany.

For hands on Science we shall continue with Science Activities, Vol. 1 
Language Arts
Composition
We will be continuing with WriteShop Primary this year.  This program is an excellent way to introduce composition to reluctant writers and primary school aged students.



Spelling
Last year I began using Logic of English with Sir N and was really impressed with his progress.  This year we will continue our lessons with the goal of completing the program.


Vocabulary
This is not synonymous with spelling. We will continue to work though Spelling Workout starting with book B this year. I am also compiling a list of classical books we will be using as read alouds throughout the year ahead.

Grammar
I haven't yet settled on a grammar program.  I have two books I'm considering.  The first being English for The Thoughtful Child by Mary Hyde OR Karen Andreola's Simply Grammar: An Illustrated Primer.

Narration
This is something I want to focus more on this year with Sir N.  There are so many incredible benefits to the student in developing this skill.

Second Language
This year we will begin studying two other languages: Latin and French
For Latin I will be using two programs Prima Latina and  Getting Started with Latin
For French we will begin using  Rosetta Stone

No doubt due to our eclectic tendencies and as I learn more about applying a Charlotte Mason approach to our home education this will change.  I will update this list as I make changes to suit our learning.

Blessings
Chareen
This list is current as of 9 February 2015


It's your turn.
Looking forward to reading your plans for the year ahead.
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Monday, 19 January 2015

History, Geography Science for 2015

This week's Virtual Curriculum Fair hosts are
  1. Susan @ Homeschooling Hearts & Minds
  2. Stacie @ Super Mommy to the Rescue
Our topic of the week is Exploring Our World: Social Studies and more Science---includes history, geography, world cultures, worldview, biology, botany, geology, etc., etc., etc.

In last weeks post I shared our Science plans for 2015 so this week I shall share about History and Geography.
History.
"In history, a great volume is unrolled for our instruction,
drawing the materials of future wisdom 
from the past errors and infirmities of mankind."
Edmund Burke
 
This year we will continue reading Story of The World Volume One and using the Activity Guide which goes alongside it.

I will  also be consulting Home's Cool and choosing books from the Sonlight curriculum to read out loud from this list Sonlight Books arranged by the well trained mind 4 year cycles

 "But living history books — even historical fiction — capture the imagination while informing the mind. The reader soaks in the the facts of history in a natural and enjoyable way that forms a much stronger base of understanding than rote memorization."- Jimmie Lanely
Geography
We will continue with incidental geography.  This will happen during our history lessons.  As we read about historical happenings I shall point to the areas on the map to encourage familiarity.

I haven't decided yet upon a resource to use.  Here are a few I'm contemplating using
 I think we may continue using Expedition Earth: A Journey through God's World.

I would like to also complete  Trail Guide to World Geography  This particular package is my all time favourite.

I saw a review on Wonder Maps and really like the look of this program.  Have any of you used it or seen it ?

This year I want to learn more about a Charlotte Mason approach and enjoyed reading Jimmey's post: Teaching Geography Without Buying a Curriculum

On this Blog




 What others are saying
Please visit my fellow homeschool bloggers as they share how they explore their world with social studies and science:

It's your turn

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Monday, 7 April 2014

FREE Geography Resources for Homeschool

Welcome to Day 1 of the 5 Days of ... Blog Hop brought to you by the 2014 Schoolhouse Review Crew. Last year I shared with you my Homeschool for FREE list and then updated it in January this year.  I have been feeling a little frustrated with it's length and it's been difficult to find the information I want in it so this week I will be sharing shorter lists divided into subject areas.

With the advent of the internet and the generosity of many homeschool mothers there are some amazing resources available for us today.

Unit Studies on this blog
As we travel the globe on our discovery of Geography I will be adding more geography unit studies to this blog.
Mapping 

Books we love
(Libraries are an excellent resource to teach for FREE)

Homeschool Creations
 On Pinterest 
Flags

On the WWW

    What are some of your favourite FREE resources for teaching Geography ?  Leave a link in the comments and I will add them to the list

    Blessings
    Chareen

    April Blog HopPlease take some time to read the posts by my fellow crew mates this week who are sharing on their chosen topics.  Here are a few to get you started.

    This post was featured on Top 100 posts for 2016
    FREE Stamp graphic courtesy: Stuart Miles
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