A Net in Time

Curriculum and book reviews, faith, homeschooling and more!

Homeschooling

Survivor Diaries: Lost!

By Leave a Comment

Do you recall I reviewed Survivor Diaries: Overboard last year I think?   How I thought it was an interesting, well-written book?  Today I have a chance to review another in the series called Lost!  Isn’t that great?   These books are not only intriguing but they offer good advice to individuals caught in these situations.   Good stuff eh?  In my experience these are books 7-10 year old devour and then ask for more!  🙂

survivor diaries Lost

What would you do if you were lost?   That’s the question behind this story.  Carter and Emma are consumed with curiousity about the monkey witch legend. Could licking the statue make them strong? and then…monkeys happened….

From there we are walked through a story with black and white images scattered throughout the book, following the adventures of Carter and Emma as they deal with being lost in a jungle.  We get to learn important survivor skills.  Keeping a calm head, thinking through what you need to do and so forth.   There is even a section at the close of the book giving great advice about what to do when lost in the jungle and some links to follow. 

survivor diaries Lost

My Thoughts:

I found it an intriguing take on being lost.  I expected the standard stay where you are, find a way to make yourself visible type of thing.  But that’s not what it was!  It was finding a way to help yourself survive in a hostile environment.  Realizing the size is meaningless when it comes to what can kill you.  Figuring out how to keep moving forward without panicking and so forth.  It’s good to be surprised eh?  🙂   It’s all about finding a way to survive, and the key is to remain calm and be smart about what you are doing.   Good book, recommend it.

survivor diaries Lost , book cover

 

 

Survivor Diaries: Lost!
Terry Lynn Johnson
Jani Orban (illustrator)
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books
softcover, ages 7-10,
Series: Survivor Diaries
Elementary, Mystery, Adventure, Survivor

Reviewed for Raincoast Books.

disclosure

Review: Code for Teens

By Leave a Comment

Coding is such an important part of the world today. My 13 year old son has a keen interest in learning to code.  Last year he took an engineering course, and through that learned how vital knowing how to use electronics and how to code really is in today’s world.  He’s been learning some coding with Minecraft but is just itching to take his knowledge farther, enter in Code for Teens: The Awesome Beginner’s Guide to Programming (Volume 1).  This program is brought to us by Moritz team at Code for Teens. 

code for teens

What do you get?

Originally we were supposed to get a physical book to use, but since we live in Canada we ended up with a PDF.  This makes it very travelable as we can put it on any device and read as we go. 

This File is 116 pages, with 10 chapters, along with a glossary, answer key, a section for parents, and introduction.  Each chapter includes a quiz, key concepts list, drills and a review of the chapter preceeding it. 

In case you are curious, you can see a sample chapter here. 

code for teens

Chapters include the following:
 1: Hello World! 
 2: Time to Operate
 3: Comment on the String Section: 
 4: Have Some Functions
 5: Shall I Compare?  
 6: Logically Operational
 7: Projects Galore
 8; Hip Hip Array!
 9: Loop a Round
 10: Make a Hangman Game

I loved how in the introduction the authors take the time to talk about how important learning to code is. Software engineering (computer coding) is “one of the fastest growing industries in the world. ….Perhaps it
should be mentioned that programmers are in extremely high demand, and this leads to excellent pay, comfortable work environments, flexible hours, greater job satisfaction, long-term career security,” etc. But really…the answer is simple: Superpowers.

And so we learn how coding well is a superpower that leads to better jobs in the future.  Learning JavaScript is important because “it is the most common programming language of them all and is used in over 90% of all websites! JavaScript makes websites move and respond to what a user touches and types. And it’s also a useful tool for games and mobile apps! With more and more businesses going online and people browsing on their phones, JavaScript is becoming more valuable every year.”  With these words my lad felt even more inspired!

code for teens

How did we use it?

Code for Teens is designed to be a self-paced course.  The alternating reading and text gives students an immediate chance to practice what they are learning.  The repetition helps them with areas they struggle in, and the practicum helps them retain that knowledge well. The lad loved to hear that there would be more than one way to answer any problem given, as it gave him the confidence to experiment. 

The lad worked through one lesson per week.  Opening up the PDF file in a browser tab, working through the learning portion, then doing the quizzes and drills on a separate days.   We aren’t in a rush to get through the book as it’s summer and other learning comes first.. like learning how to paint, spackle, cut down trees, ministry work (like VBS, foodbank), visiting friends etc. The lad doesn’t fight sitting down to do work through his lessons three days per week.  He has repeatedly told me how much he enjoys going through this book and all the things he likes about it. 

It’s good you know?  

code for teens - chapter highlights

Our Thoughts:

My son predominately used this on his own.  I only helped when he was getting set up, and for grading his tests.  Other than initially struggling with the NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION over every page, this JavaScript computer training program is working really well for the lad. 

Since he was the one using it, I will let him make his own comments

Likes: 

I like how he walks through everything and repeats it several times.  That way if I didn’t understand it the first time, the next time I will and everything else just becomes review so I understand it better and remember.

I like the DIY bits where you need to figure out your own how to do something using what you’ve been taught. 

Wants:

Challenges to take the code you have been taught and figure out how to make it shorter or easier to write.  I did this!  See this example.

Let number = 0;
number ++;
Number %3;
Up arrow, enter

Rather than writing it out like 4 % 3; enter. 5 % 3; enter etc.

Dislikes:

The parent section was really boring.

His recommendation:

If you want to learn JavaScript, buy this book, as it has worked really well for me so far.

code for teens, glossary

code for teens book cover

 

Code For Teens: The Awesome Beginner’s Guide to Programming (Volume 1)
Code for Teens.
Coding, JavaScript, teens,
Code For Teens, programming, computer programming,

Geared for teens.  Great for adults as well.  
Pricing information found here

 

Code for Teens has been reviewed by 65 members of the crew of a variety of ages. Please click below to read what their comments are.

code for teens click banner

Code for teens can also be found on facebook. 

 

Adding In Music

By Leave a Comment

A change is coming to our homeschool this coming year.  My lad will be attending the public school to take one class.  The class?  Music!  Music is one of those things I think is important in the life of a child, it gives an added dimension to learning that I think is invaluable. 

We worked on a variety of musical things over the years.  Working on the recorder and playing keyboard.  I can’t say that either adventure was highly successful, but we’ve at least worked at it.  🙂  The most successful part of music that I’ve been able to add to my son’s life is learning some of the hymns we sing in church and doing some vocal things. I’m not a great singer, but I do love to sing and the lad and I have had some fun discussing the history behind the songs we sing, and the joy of camp songs.   It’s good you know?  I just want more, hence the taking a grade 8 music class at the local public school.   Give him exposure that I just can’t otherwise provide.

adding music to your life, picture playing piano with light

So why is music important?

Well, it helps develop language and reasoning.  Singing simple rhymes, practicing moving to a beat, it makes memorization easier, and works for kinetic, visual, and hearing based learning.  The sheer amount of bible verses I have learned over the years by putting them to a simple beat… it’s immeasurable.  Learning music early helps our brains develop these necessary skills.   Here are Five ways to help add music to your children’s lives.

As you learn music you learn to be exact and to work toward creating good work.  Good music will stir the heart and mind, practicing this craft transfers well to other areas of study.  It takes consistency to build competency and greatness in the musical work and these are great skills to encourage. Lit Mama tells us of a program where you can even get a free musical instrument, how cool is that?   As you increase your skills the student develops pride in a job well done.

Starting a music education early is good for your children eh?   Check out Musik at Home’s post with Anita Collins. The facts are Kathryn has so much on her site, you just need to go check it out for yourself.

music and the brain infogram

What else is music good for?

Well, it takes coordination to play a musical instrument, and if you are part of a band, to march in unison.  As you further develop your coordination you are about enable to work as part of a larger whole, perhaps joining an orchestra, a band or a small ensemble.  This leads toward making an income off a learned skill, perhaps outside of your regular employment.   As I often tell my lad, the more skills you have the more versatile you can be, giving you more options for ministry and service in the community around you.

If you have children wanting to know more about the orchestra and the instruments in it, you may find these resources helpful.  Interactive program to learn the orchestra. Khan Academy walks you through the instruments.   You could even hit up youtube to learn more.

Music is a large part of our society, if you look at the success of shows such as America Has Talent, and American Idol you see can how much music plays a role in society.  You see people of all stripes of life enjoying music, even the deaf can enjoy music. I recall watching a show once where the fellow helped a class of deaf students enjoy a musical show using lights and something (I can’t recall what) that added vibration to the floor. The effect was amazing.  THIS was fascinating to me… watching this ASL person transform music for the deaf community.

Did you know that music can help people learn pattern recognition?  That music and math are closely related? For instance, Mozart’s music was one of symmetry. One can use music to help learn mathematical concepts, and some pieces of music have been written strictly using a mathematical scale?  Amazing eh?    Here’s a music based sorting puzzle your youngsters might like.   Learn about a couple of composers as well Bach and Beethoven.

The more you play and practice your music, the more you develop your auditory attention, being able to pick out predictable patterns, here an off note, tell when a machine isn’t working right, all based on the sounds that you here.  Paying attention to sound (which a musician needs to do) is a skill transferrable to many other life events (even raising a child).  

Photo by Nainoa Shizuru on Unsplash

Listening to music isn’t just an auditory event.  This past year my son and I attended an event where the conductor pointed out how music makes you feel or helps you to imagine something going on.   Like with the Peter and the Wolf song, can’t you just feel action and the emotion in the music?  Stirring up our emotional and intellectual curiousity is something that music often does, demanding a reaction from us.  Big band music gets my feet wanting to move, praise and worship music often will get me flowing around the room, and listening to hubby’s rock and roll in the car has the unfortunate habit of helping me speed.  🙂 And country well.. that has me thumping my heels on the ground.  Music evokes a response.  Use it!

We reviewed an art program once that called for us to listen to classical music before we started our art program.  I can’t say that worked effectively with my lad, putting him into the wrong frame of mind.   We liked the program, just not the musical aspect of it.  But you may find the music works to settle frazzeled nerves and calms the spirit so you can get on with whatever else needs doing.

Photo by Valentino Funghi on Unsplash

Want Music Lessons?

Now that you know the benefits of adding music into your life, you want to learn something.

Well, you can learn guitar with Justin Guitar, over 1000 free lessons.

You can engage in classical music with Classics for kids (Free) or working with Maestro Classics (dvds paid)

Carnegie Hall has a music educator’s Toolbox with lesson plans and activities, summative and formative assessments, video examples, and documented best practices.

Did you know the Royal Conservatory of Music has a national directory so you can easily find a teacher?

You can listen to the complete works of Bach.

Explore Music Theory for free.   Or use Teoria.

Take in some free percussion lessons.

Learn to play the recorder.

You could learn about the xylophone, and even learn to play it.

In grade eight I learned to play the ukelele, and admittedly I’ve forgotten much it.  Kym’s daughter is great at it and who knew there were so many types?   Free lessons can be found here and here.

Photo by Jordan Mixson on Unsplash

Learn to play drums, trumpet, clarinet, voice, or whatever you want.  I found free lessons on line for most instruments, just pick the one that resonates and go with it.  Take some free lessons to see if you like it, listen to a lot of music and know, if you will for it, and practice it, it will come.  🙂  Then if you need to, find a teacher in the real world who can take you further.

Perhaps music will lead you to complete a fine arts component of your highschool diploma. Or you might find another way to complete a music credit.

Almost every year our family takes in the folk music festival in London (home county), or you may just want to find three ways to add folk music to your homeschool life.  One year when we went they had a booth set up with different musical instruments.  My son was quite intrigued by the hammered dulcimer. We never took it up as I couldn’t find anyone local who taught it.

Did you know that there are museums dedicated to music?  Check out the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame!

So go on, find a way, anyway at all, add music to your life.  Have you done so?  Tell me about it.

Others in this series:

Coding.
Foreign Language.
Physical Education.
Math.
Financial Literacy.
Geography.

Don’t forget to check out schoolhouseteachers.com.  They have a good variety of music classes as well.  One yearly price that serves the whole family.

schoolhouse teachers.com music selections

 

Seeking After Truth : Blaise Pascal

By Leave a Comment

Blaise Pascal lived from 1623-1662, he grew up the child of a government functionary who was fascinated be the sciences and math.  He was homeschooled.   Pascal grew up fascinated by maths, writing his first paper at age 16. In mathematics, he was an early pioneer in the fields of game theory and probability theory (in fact he invented the first digital calculator called the Pascaline). In philosophy he was an early pioneer in existentialism. He became of a Christian  which lead him to abandon his maths and devote himself to religious writings.  His book Pensees comes out of those writings.  He died in poor health.  You can learn more about his inventions here. 

His goal in the Pensees was to bring the nonbeliever to such despair they would turn in faith to God.   This book was finished post-humously. It was written with ex-Catholics in mind (libertins), those who had left the church due the influences of skeptics.

Pascal believed that one’s imagination was a powerful force, one that shaped our thinking and was very prone to error.  Despite that, he thought that imagination often overrode their sense of reason.  For instance, imagination often causes us to trust people we have no business trusting. Our imagination can lead us to discovering beauty, justice, truth or happiness on occasion, but ultimately what it generally shows us doesn’t really exist, ergo Imagination leads us astray. So what imagination shows us is actually, for the most part, false. 

His goal in all this was to show libertins that the life of pleasure they had chosen was false.  It wasn’t founded on fact.   They have been misled by the power of imagination. 

quote from Blaise Pascal on background of water

Pascal’s Wager

As so we introduced to Pascal’s Wager (learn more here).  We have a choice.  We can bet that God doesn’t exist and risk losing everything we have. OR we can bet that God does exist, and potentially gain everything.  It’s not rational to risk losing everything, ergo belief in God is the most rational choice we can make. 

blaise pascal, seeking after truth series

Seeking After truth?

I think about Pascal and how he believes that our imagination lies to us more often than not.  Think of how often we judge people based on their outward appearance, we imagine things about them…. things like the sloppy dresser doesn’t care about their appearance, that angry face means a bitter heart, that a sharp dresser has it all together or whatever.  We make judgement calls all the time.   BUT we shouldn’t be, should we?

God tells us not to judge a person by their outward appearance but instead to try to see their heart. After all, we are to seek after God’s own heart right?   He looks to the heart, he doesn’t let outside appearances influence his call on their heart, or his ability to love them.  

Are the judgements we make sometimes correct?  For sure.  BUT more oft than not, are they really?  That’s what we are called to consider here isn’t it?  Is what our imagination feeds us accurate?  Do we need to look deeper and really think on it?  To consider the truth (or lack there of) of our judgement call?

Free Printable!

To look into Pascal’s thoughts more, here’s a handy worksheet for you. 

Others in this series:

Thomas Hobbes.
Francis Bacon.
Rene Descartes.

Getting Published or Not

By Leave a Comment

In the book On Being a Writer, I recently read a chapter on getting published.   Seeing as it was a goal of mine at the end of last year to get published SOMEHOW by the end of the year, it got me thinking.  I got to thinking about how life gets in the way sometimes of dreams, and that sometimes you have to be reminded of dreams.  I think I needed that reminder.

I found this to be an interesting chapter….showing two (well okay I don’t know if it’s two) It just kinda seemed like two.  The question is Should one work toward getting published or not?  The two halves:

The first being … don’t worry so much about being published, work at improving your skills.

The second being… if you want to be published, suss out opportunities and work toward them.

graysacale image two people fighting with sword
Photo from free stock

It’s like writing is a two-edged sword right?  You want to be published, but if you write only with the end goal of being published you are not doing yourself any favours, you need to focus on improving your skill set. On the other-hand if you only write without having the end goal of being published, then you aren’t pushing yourself to be the best you can be. 

Improving your Skill Set

The deal if you wait to be published is this:

You get to focus on what you need to focus on.  Could be a career you are building, raising your littles, getting a degree or whatever.   AND as you have time, and a chance to work on building your skills, you build your skills, and test the waters, without the pressure being there that you MUST GET PUBLISHED.   Who needs that pressure when you have other things you need to focus on. 

This gives you the time you need to form a writing community, hone your skills, test out different waters, see what passions mesh with your writing skills and styles, Learn and grow and live out your passions and research your loves as you work through what you also need to focus on. 

Wanting to get Published.

If you want to get published, you need to take steps to that end.

  1. Research opportunities for paid work.. magazines, papers, websites and more.
  2. Finding your passions: what do you like to write about?  What do people like learning from you?
  3. Honing your skills, ask yourself “Would I publish me?”  Get friends or a group of readers to help you fine tune your work, to see your blind spots to make your work better. 
  4. Write for where you want to be published, consider what the publication is like and what style they use.  Do you have a favourite magazine?  Why not consider submitting a piece to it?
  5. Learning how to make a pitch, or how to submit an article, or a book proposal.  It’s all research and work eh?  
  6. Be prepared, rejection will happen, acceptance will come.  Roll with it as it comes. 

 

Something Rotten

By Leave a Comment

Imagine, you are driving down the road, and like any other day you see a piece of roadkill lying there.  But today is different than any other day, today you think.. oh.. I wonder, I wonder why that animal died, I wonder just how a snakes fangs work, so you pull off the road, pick up that dead snake and take it home with you. And thus a love of roadkill and all it can teach you is born. Learn of this fascination in Something Rotten, my latest review from Raincoast books.  

Something Rotten, my review

Heather Montgomery walks us through the intriguing world that is roadkill, taking us through learning about parasites released Burmese pythons are giving to the native snake population (not a good thing), we learned about how red wolves might not actually be wolves but be a combination of coyote and wolf genetics, and how the Tasmanian devil is helping people.

Roadkill has never entered my radar of being a fascinating study until I read this book and then it was a like a whole new world opened up for me.  The things to learn, the use that scientists can put them, and how they benefit the living, not only of their own species but in the lives of other living beings as well.   It is simply amazing.Something Rotten

When you add up the amount of animals killed on the road it’s a staggering amount, then think of all the people involved in those kills and how some of them will be injured or lose their lives.  Roadkill becomes a serious matter.  It’s no small wonder that more and more animals bridges and underpasses are being built.

So what do you get?

Eleven chapters, 176 pages, text written with the middle schooler in mind, black and white images, and a fascinating look into the world of dead animals and scientists from around the world.   She includes a section on steps people can take to save lives as well, which includes projects that people of all ages can take part in. 

Something Rotten

What did I think?

When I got the book I thought I would be bored out of my mind.  🙂   Like seriously ROAD KILL?????  What in the world could be remotely interesting about roadkill? Then something good happened, I got hooked.  Somewhere between learning how snakes fangs fold and coyotes I got hooked.   I wanted to know what new and amazing thing she would discover next. Every time she turned a new corner I wanted to know more. Something Rotten

I was occasionally surprised like learning that throwing food out the window is a REALLY bad idea.  It teaches animals to come to the road for food and while there, what do you think happens?   Death to the animal and potential injury to other people.  Do you want to be responsible for that?  I don’t.   I’ll save that apple core to toss at home eh?  Won’t you?    Another surprise was learning about a contagious cancer!   Who would have thought!?!?!?!   Totally surprised me.

Now this book is not for the faint of heart.  If you are easily grossed out or can’t handle anatomical descriptions, it’s not the book for you.  But if you have an inquiring mind and are fascinated by all things animal and don’t mind a bit of messiness (which by the by isn’t over the top but it is factual) this is an extremely interesting book.   I’ll be adding it to the pile of books my lad will be reading, and guessing it won’t take him long to go through. 

Something Rotten

 

Something Rotten: A Fresh Look at Roadkill
Heather L. Montgomery
Kevin O’Malley (illustrator)
Bloomsbury Kids
176 pages, 10-14 years old, softcover, non-fiction
Roadkill, science, scientists, research, biology
Reviewed for Raincoast books.
Where to find Amazon

disclosure

11 Ways to Study Geography

By Leave a Comment

One of the things my guys and I like to do is go camping.  We tend to like camping in places where there are new things to discover like lakes, rocks and paths we haven’t previously taken.   We have some favourite places to go like Half-Way Lake, Cypress Lake and Grundy Lake. Ways to explore geography, nature, swim, kayak and just have fun.  Going up to the north gives us a chance to explore a very rocky terrain, so different from where we live, and there are small lakes everywhere it seems.  It is so much fun.  

Other than getting out there and seeing things, because honestly I can’t afford to fly around the world and see all the different things I want to see and to show my lad, how do I help him have a well-rounded sense of the world we live in?   To delight with him over the wonders of creation and all the different ways the world has been shaped?  To that end, let us learn all the ways you can study geography.

image of lake with trees, caption 11 ways to study geography

Country studies as a whole unit or by provinces or cities

Studying geography can take in you in many different directions.

You can do unit studies like these:     Or focus on the food, the dolls, the bread, dances, music, or any aspect of their culture.  You can even do a study focusing on the animals of different counties (like snakes, dogs or cattle from around the world).

One of the things we did was study countries for a week and then follow it up with a meal.  So much fun to pull it all together that way. Here’s one we did on Azerbaijan and Finland. I did others, I just can’t find them all right now. 🙂

You might want to check out these Island studies and all that was incorporated.  Looks like they had so much fun!

learning about azerbaijan

Historical byproduct

Geography often happens as by-product of history.  It helps to see where history happens, and you can often understand why battles happen if you understand the lay of the land and the importance of it.  For instance, if you don’t understand the inundation of the Nile you would never understand why the bulk of Egyptian life happened around the Nile River. 

Next year my lad wants to study Canada and the wars, I am imaging that we will be making salt dough maps of countries, or making puzzles showing the lay of the land so we can understand why some battles were so fierce in the battles due to the advantageous positions they gave.

 

Maps

I’ve heard of several families that put a map on their kitchen table or some place where family regularly sits to social or do school work.  “Pass the salt.. It’s sitting near Uraguay” type of things can be said.  Another put a world map on the wall in front of the toilet, in a nice frame, but it’s another way to learn while otherwise occupied.

One homeschool mom even made a map of her town. Isn’t that a great way to learn some mapping skills?

Or you could take a road trip to a far off place and have your children follow along with their own maps.  Putting together this global puzzle might be fun today.  MegaMaps might suit you well. 

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Youtube Channels

Youtube has often come to my rescue when I’ve wanted something about a place or country.  What you learn in one video can send you on a rabbit trail after idea and before you know it, you’ve filled up your day with learning. 

Geography Now. along with National Geographic. are the channels I am most familiar with. There is also Geography focus and Darron Gedge. 

Involving Others:

Involving others as you learn geography can be a fun way to engage multiple skills.  You could get penpals, invite international students into your home, arrange a postcard swap, send Christmas cards and more.  You can visit people from other countries and learn about where they are from.  We live in such a multi-cultural society, isn’t it a good thing to learn from them?  When my sister moved out west she mentioned how much she missed having thunderstorms.  Apparently in British Columbia you don’t get a good thunderstorm. I would never have known that if I had asked her one day what was bugging her. Connections eh?

We went caving two years ago in Pennsylvania (just a couple of guided tours).  It sparked an interest in my lad and we’ve watched a few videos since then. 

Books:

Oh, the geography you can learn from books!  From learning about cities around the world like Rome or Tokyo, learning different ways you can travel (terrain matters), natural places, and so much more. You can also use a book like Penny’s World to teach map making skills. The geography book might be a useful additon.  If you need some help choosing good books, some good advice.   Visiting Europe might be just what you are looking for, I know it intrigues me for my lad’s studies next year.

Games

Lizard Point Quizzes are fun, free, interactive map quizzes to help you learn about the world around you. Hundreds of map-based quizzes to help you learn countries, states, cities, physical features and more. It’s rather fun and certainly taught me how much I don’t know about where countries are!  WOW I was surprised.  Three chances you get followed by an opportunity to see the correct answer.

Seterra is another one with lots of quizzes to help you learn your countries, flags, and more. Suggested to me by Sheila. 

Board Games are often a great way to enhance geograhy skills.  One of our favourites is called Take Off and another called Risk.

image of playing the game risk

Some geography-based board games (just click on image to learn more)

Art

You can use art as you learn.  Making salt dough countries, volcanic eruptions, as well as flags.  You could simply for a term, focus on doing an art project from around the world.  Adding art just makes for a fun, hands-on way to learn about geography.

You could study how erosion changes the path of rivers (a science experiment that could also be an art project).   Or using pastels as you learn about Nova Scotia.  You never know what you might find that inspires you to dig deeper into the world we live on. 

Hands-On Geography: Australia Awesome and Deadly Animal Art.  

australian dot art project

Subscription boxes.

You could use a number of different subscription boxes to easily introduce food, art  and culture from different countries around the world.  There is little Passports (see a review), or        (see a review).  Other boxes that you might not know of: National Geographic, The Atlas Crate from KiwiCo., Mysteries in Time, and Junior Explorers.

Other Geography learning ideas.

Somtimes you just need something quick, here are 35 Hands-on Geography Activities to do in 15 Minutes or Less.

5 Ways to Raise a Natural Geography-Lover.   Isn’t this what we want to do?

Geoscavenge – A Rock and Mineral Hunt.   I thought this was an interesting way to make hunters think!

Three no fuss ways to explore with littles. 

Geography Curriculum Ideas. 

Free Worksheets

Want some worksheets to go along with all the learning you are doing?

Education.com, TLSBooks, 3D Geography, Student Handouts, and Help Teaching. There are oodles of places on-line to look, so suss out what you need and go looking for it. Chances are high you will find it.  If you want to use NotebookingPages they have a large number of pages that will be useful for any geography project you have.  This is a paid site though, just so you know. 🙂  Though as you can see, some of it is free. 🙂

notebooking pages

And of course Schoolhouseteachers.com has an amazing geography section you might want to check out.   Geography of the bible, living geography, everyday explorers (I’ve used this and found it thorough) and more. 

schoolhouse teachers geography units

Just so you know it’s currently on sale (until July 6).   “The AMERICA sale is nearly over! Purchase a 1-year Ultimate membership for only $99 (reg. $179) and score over $130 worth of FREE bonuses. Plus, you’ll have a chance to win a laptop and patriotic jellybeans. Your whole family will have access to over 380 courses (PreK-12) in a variety of subjects as well as tons of homeschool resources and tools to help you stay organized and plan your child’s curriculum. USA Bonuses include a free tote, the 2018 TOS summer print magazine, a bundle of 16 e-books, and 4 TOS print magazine back issues. This is such a special sale that we added more. Every 100th subscriber WINS a laptop and every 10th subscriber receives patriotic jellybeans, made in the USA! At Checkout, Use Code AMERICA. Hurry this huge opportunity ends Friday, 7/6!”

Coupon Code: AMERICA.   What is sold: SchoolhouseTeachers.com Annual Membership.  Price: $99/year, locked-in pricing (normally $179/year)

Others in this series:

Coding.
Foreign Language.
Physical Education.
Math.
Financial Literacy.
 

Your turn

What geography resources have I missed?  What are your favourites?