Search Results for: blog a few of my favorite things geography

Curriculum Favorites and Disappointments: History

As the school year comes to a close it is time to reassess what is working and what needs to be expelled from my homeschool. I will be taking the time to list curriculum that I loved and curriculum which led to disappointment. Some of the curriculum was sent to me for review and some I purchased. Nothing I reviewed has been given favor nor was I required to review it for this site. I will start off by giving you my assessments of History programs I have become familiar with over the past few years. I apologize if anything … Continue reading →

All You Need to Teach Your Child about US Geography

I just ran across a cool site that teaches kids about US Geography. I it called 50states.com. before you go look at the sight, I will warn you, it does not look like much, but looks can be deceiving. Once you navigate to the website, you will find a listing of all the states as well as several United States Maps. Clicking on any state will give you a plethora of information on that state. If we visit Alabama, for example, you will find the following information: Capital City, including city guides, and global position County information, which includes county … Continue reading →

2006 in Review: Homeschooling Blog at a Glance

As a new homeschooling blogger at Families.com, I wanted to know everything that has been discussed to date. In response to my own curiosity, and in an effort to make perusing our articles easier for you, our readers, I have compiled all of the blogs for the year 2006. Deciding to Homeschool Why homeschool Am I qualified for this? Reasons that Homeschooling Works! My Most Important Advice for Homeschoolers. The Cost of Homeschooling Instead of standing up for their own kids, why not stand up for all kids? Disclaimer: I am hardly an expert in education. Did You Know? ‘Empirical … Continue reading →

A Few of My Favorite Things: Geography

Geography is one area where we hit the ground running. When I taught 5th grade, NO ONE in my class knew that Canada was the country that bordered North of the United States and Mexico bordered south of the United States. Not a single student. Furthermore, when we went to study current events several of my students identified the “middle east” as places like Ohio–you know, kind of in the middle, but eastern part of the United States. A good knowledge of geography is essential to understanding politics, government and current events. With that said, here is a list of … Continue reading →

Election Night Party

Why not throw together an election-day party for your family? If you have extended family or friends who can join you, so much the better. (Use judgment in selecting guests who can watch and discuss election results with each other in a civil manner.) Invitations: Have these ready when your crew comes home from work or school: Folded cardstock: on front, paste a clip art image of Uncle Sam and write“I WANT YOU…” On the inside write “… to join me for an election party.” Then lower on the page put the headline: “Proposition One” and following that this text: … Continue reading →

The 50 States Game

Here’s a fun way for the whole family to learn about United States Geography. Go to the 50 States game at Addicting Games. You will see an outline of the U.S. with outlines for Alaska and Hawaii below. One state shape is at the top, along with its name. . Each time you play, it’s a little different because the states are offered in random order. Click on the state and drag it, placing it on the map as close as possible to where you think it goes. If you are correct the shapes stays where you dropped it. If … Continue reading →

Biking from Alaska to Argentina: A Homeschooling Road Trip

If it wasn’t for a comment Nancy Sathre-Vogel left on one of my Pets articles I never would have known about the extraordinary undertaking she and her husband plan to make with their two boys and dog: a bicycle trip from Alaska to Argentina. (I for sure had to interview her about that!) Along the way she and her husband will be homeschooling their boys. I thought it would make an intriguing interview to post here. Courtney Mroch: On your website, you have a box encouraging teachers and homeschoolers to contact you for a “unique, dynamic way to help [their] … Continue reading →

First Grade Homeschool Basics

Some time back, Valorie wrote What Your First Grader Should Know: Language Arts. If you follow this guide, you will be able to map out a first grade reading curriculum for your child. She also wrote: What Your First Grader Should Know Math. This guide will easily take you through the first grade with little more than a workbook from the dime store and the knowledge in your head. What Your First Grader Should Know Science: teaches first grade basics like animals, pets, plants, habitats, and more. You can follow the lessons outlined in this guide with the help of … Continue reading →

Multi-Aged Tips: First Day of the Month

Now that I’m officially homeschooling two and have three more that are sort of ‘tagging’ along, I’ve been making major revisions and evaluating my previous schedule to try and include more of my children in more of the activities. Mind you, it’s not that I feel my younger three need to homeschool. . .but they really want to do something more formal than what we’ve been doing and so a compromise of sorts has been born. One aspect of this new ‘compromised’ schedule is the first day of the month. The first day of every month, I’ve decided to set … Continue reading →

Draw a Map With Your Kids

Here’s a fun thing to do with your children, which also encourages some good thinking skills. Draw a map of their world. All you need is some crayons or markers, and some large paper. I like to use poster board, but in a pinch you can always tape small sheets of paper together. I’ve also used paper grocery sacks for this. If you cut off the bottom, and up one side you end up with a large sheet. The drawback is that grocery sacks are brown, and your pictures won’t show up as well. If you want to pull out … Continue reading →