When children are in the grammar stage (elementary years) they are ripe for memorizing facts and yearn for more.
Geography is the perfect subject to let them sink their teeth into. There is just SO MUCH they can learn.
Being a part of Classical Conversations brought to light the importance of geography. It equipped me to organize facts about geography and assist my children in memorizing them.
As is so often the case, I am merely facilitating their learning - and learning right along with them. One resource I have recently discovered is Prisoners of Geography - fabulous for us to understand the WHY behind a lot of geography and to share that with our children - particularly our Challenge age children! I also highly recommend reading the section about geography in The Core.
* This post contains affiliate links.
As a part of Cycle 3, my Foundations student learn 24 geography facts - all of these related to the United States of America. He learned all of the state capitals, mountain ranges, rivers, lakes, features, etc...
Our last time through Cycle 3 I wanted to facilitate an even deeper understanding of geography. I created a very simple geography table. (As you will see in the video at the end of the post, I simply repurposed a coffee table and put it in a sunny spot in our home.)
If I learned anything that year, it is that the memory work in CC is ENOUGH. First and foremost, I wanted my children to memorize the grammar of geography. My go to resource was ALWAYS the Foundations guide.
*These resources are geared towards a study of US geography.
Supplies for a Geography Table
{These supplies are highlighted in the video below.}
Globe and/or Atlas
DK Atlas (recommended by Classical Conversations)
Notebook with LOTS of sheet protectors (I made the cover for the notebook in my word processing program.)
Continental Blob Mapping Packet (LOVE this!)
Traceable Maps (various maps I choose from CC Connected)
Notebooking Pages (My membership to Notebooking Pages comes in handy for so many things... particularly geography!)
Daily Geography Routine
This was always an independent activity for my son. I need this time at the beginning of the day to meet with my daughter and get her moving with her schoolwork. Usually 30 minutes was spent at the geography table.
My son did the following EACH DAY:
- Copy the continental blob map on the white board
- Draw the blob map from memory on the white board (Doing this is SO beneficial -- I cannot stress this enough!)
- Trace that week's map from the folder
- Work on a state coloring page or notebooking page corresponding to the memory work
- Review previous maps (this way we will be more well prepared for Memory Master at the end of the year!)
- Free reading/reference: Use Smart About the 50 States.
Here's a video to explain about the geography table in more details. Enjoy!
Geography Resources
Is geography a subject in your homeschool?
Do you study it on its own, or do you incorporate it into your history curriculum?
I'd love to hear how everyone approaches geography!