As I was creating the exhausting but complete and current homeschool curriculum glossary, it dawned on me that, people might want to search by subject matter, and might be interested in what I recommend. Having spent all of that time researching curriculums, I also wanted more mileage out of that well spent time and knowledge gained. Therefore, I will spend some time presenting my top curriculum picks in each subject. Geography is my nemesis. I never learned it effectively in a way that stuck with me, so when I see a program that helps my piece the world together, I know it is good. Some of these picks can be found on my curriculum glossary, others are new finds or free online resources.
Around the World in 180 days: This book leads the reader through geography and history continent by continent. You are taught all about the continents, the major countries on each continent, as well as the history, geography, and culture of each country. This book is a research guide, not a textbook. It is filled with questions that force the student to research and find the answer. For me, this is the best way to learn.
Galloping the Globe: This is another book based geography curriculum. It prompts the student to explore the different cultures of the world, which is a great way for children to learn. By sharing experiences, they can relate and remember geography better.
Geographyzone.com: This is a website that has been created to “spread geographical awareness and an understanding of the places and cultures across our world in an exciting and dynamic atmosphere.” On this website, you can find The Geography Challenge, which is the world’s largest online geography contest, and also lots of geography facts and tools. I feel this is an excellent way to learn geography because competition takes away the struggle of memorization while making memorizing more effective. There is nothing like the reward of winning a game. When you can combine this with geography, you have a winner.
World Geography by Leapfrog: This program accompanies the LeapPad Learning system, the Quantum Pad Players, or the LeapPad writing Learning System. I have mentioned before how much I love Leapfrog educational games. I highly recommend taking these on vacation for the air and car trips. This program teaches names, capital, area, population, population density and national anthem of every country in the world. It also teaches latitude, longitude, country flags, and much more.
Riverdeep Carmen Sandiego Geography Learning System 2007 (Formerly called Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego: I am glad an updated version of this game/learning system was created. Using this program children (and adults) completely forget that they are learning and will “play” their way to geography knowledge for hours on end. A student using this program can be expected to learn World Geography, US Geography, Culture, and problem solving.
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