Homeschooling From the Heart

Geography Curriculum and Resources
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NEW! World Physical Geography by Brenda Runkle

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World Physical Geography by Brenda Runkle We are so excited to bring you this wonderful curriculum for 6th grade - high school! This award-winning one-year curriculum focuses on physical geography, and provides the basis for learning the fundamentals of geography. The hardcover textbook includes interactive daily lessons, incremental review, hands-on activities, and critical thinking problems. The course requires no teacher preparation. The teacher’s guide contains, answers to the review questions, vocabulary definitions, answers for all student activities, and reproducible tests and answers. The student activity workbook contains teaching notes for each of the lessons, as well as activities and pages designed for mapping and memorization of every country and its capital. This is my favorite resource for middle school geography! Textbook set includes Textbook & Teacher's Guide
Retail:78.00	Your Cost: $67.95
Student Activity Book	Your Cost: $18.00
The Scrambled States of America by Laurie Keller At the first annual "states party," Virginia and Idaho hatch a plan to swap spots so each can see another part of the country. Before the party is over, all the states decide to switch places. In the beginning, every state is happy in its new location. But soon things start to go wrong. Florida, who switches spots with Minnesota, is freezing in the frosty northern climate, and Minnesota hasn't brought sunscreen and is getting an awful sunburn. Will the states ever unscramble themselves and return to their proper places? Packed with madcap humor and whimsical illustrations, this quirky story--starring all fifty states--is chock-full of introductory facts and silly antics that will make learning geography as much fun as taking a vacation. This is a fun way to learn about the states. After reading the book, try your hand at one of the games below!
Retail:6.95	Your Cost: $5.95
The Scrambled States of America -- The Whimsical Mad-Dashing Geography Game Quick! Find a state that ends with the letter A. Now find one that borders Tennessee. Have fun learning about the United States in this madcap game of observation and quick reflexes. Collect cards by matching states to a Scramble card. Or "Go the Distance" and find a state's closest neighbor. Whoever scrambles to match and collect the most state cards wins. Ages 8 and up - 2 to 4 Players
Retail:14.00	Your Cost: $12.00
The Scrambled States of America 2 Now younger kids can get in on the fun and games! Get ready to Scramble! Sharpen your reflexes and observation skills in this fast action card game about the 50 States. Roll the die, flip a card and race to find two states that match in color, size or border. Slap the match and win a card. The player with the most cards is the head of States! Ages 6 and up 2 - 5 players
Retail:6.00	Your Cost: $5.25
Galloping the Globe - A Geography-based Unit Study for Grades 1 - 4 This is the 2006 REVISED Edition! Word searches, mazes, maps and more…clues, puzzles, and animals galore! What an enchanting way to learn geography - a unit study/discovery learning resource entitled Galloping The Globe. This geography based curriculum is geared towards the K - 4th grade children. It can be used from 1 - 3 years and covers all 7 continents. Incorporating the student notebook approach, Galloping The Globe lessons are designed to engage the children's hearts and minds through variety and interaction. Keeping the notebook will only serve to encourage creativity as they become accustomed to producing a lasting product while experiencing hands- on learning. Most of the literature will be found at your local library, but a few resources are recommended for purchase if you plan to complete most of the suggested activities. (Considering God's Creation is the core of the science lessons- we offer it in our science section.)
Retail:24.95	Your Cost: $19.95
Eat Your Way Around the World by Jamie Aramini Get out the sombrero for your Mexican fiesta! Chinese egg rolls! Corn pancakes from Venezuela! Fried plantains form Nigeria! All this and more is yours when you take your family on a whirlwind tour of over thirty countries in this unique international cookbook. Jam-packed with delicious dinners, divine drinks, and delectable desserts, this book is sure to please. The entire family will be fascinated with tidbits of culture provided for each country including: • Etiquette hints • Food Profiles • Culture a la Carté For more zest, add an activity and violá, you will create a memorable learning experience that will last for years to come. Some activities include: • Food Journal • Passport • World Travel Night Open your eyes and tastebuds and have great fun on this edible adventure. Recipes are easy to follow and, though they aren’t written at a child’s level, you should feel free to include your children in the preparation of these dishes. This provides life skills and is a source of bonding and pride for your children. Recommended resource for: Galloping the Globe or any World Geography Study! Bon Appétit!
Retail:14.95	Your Cost: $11.95
Cantering the Country - A U.S. Geography-based Unit Study for Grades 1 - 6 Saddle up your horses and strap on your thinking caps! Learning geography is an adventure! And it's not just about memorizing facts. Geography ties together all disciplines of learning in one fascinating package. From the authors who brought you Galloping the Globe, we are pleased to offer its U.S. counterpart, Cantering the Country. This unit study course teaches a wide range of academic and spiritual disciplines using the geography of the U.S.A. as a starting point. Learn about each state-its geographic features, its history, and its interesting characters-and tie in language arts, Bible, science and civics at the same time. With this course, you won't have to put aside one subject to make time for another. They're all connected! This comprehensive unit study, which can be used for all children grades 1-6, takes three years to complete and includes all subjects except math and spelling. Learn science by studying the state flowers, trees, animals and birds. Cover language arts as you read literature set in each state. Build character by learning to apply the principles of the preamble to the constitution of each state. Bring history alive with the stories of famous people, founding fathers, and Native American groups from around the country. At the end of the course, your child will have a head full of knowledge and a notebook that he or she has created, full of wonderful information and fun memories. One of the greatest features is the excellent book list provided for each state. This valuable information can be used for years to come for any study of U.S. geography or history. Many recommended books are available from the library. A few are used repeatedly throughout the year, and we try to keep them stocked. Check out our website or call for more information. In addition to the 250+ page book, you will receive a CD-ROM packed full of reproducible outline maps and activities. Two to four activities per state include word searches, crossword puzzles, find the twin, state maps, and other fun puzzles dealing with subjects relevant to each state.
Retail:39.95	Your Cost: $31.95
Eat Your Way Across the U.S.A. by L. Pettit (Author of Cantering the Country!) What is the best part of any vacation? The food, of course! The highlight of a trip to Maryland is soft shell crab cakes. A visit to Idaho is not complete without a variety of potato dishes and vacationers plan whole trips around the Cajun delicacies of Louisiana. A trip to the south means a mess of fried catfish and black eyed peas. Every state in this great country has its own culinary specialties. Now you can taste your way across the country without leaving your own dining room table! Eat Your Way Through the U.S.A. is more than just a cookbook. It is a taste buds-on approach to geography. Each state has its unique geographical features and agricultural products. These influence both the ingredients that go into a recipe and the way food is prepared. This unique addition to your U.S. Geography program will allow you to experience a different meal from each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Eat Your Way Through the U.S.A. includes a full meal of recipes from each state. In some cases, there is a salad, main dish and dessert. In other cases, main dish, vegetable and bread. Some states include bonus recipes for breakfast foods and snacks. Recipes are easy to follow and, though they aren’t written at a child’s level, you should feel free to include your children in the preparation of these dishes. This provides life skills and is a source of bonding and pride for your children. Recommended resource for: Cantering the Country or any US Geography Study! Bon Appétit!
Retail:14.95	Your Cost: $11.95
Hands-On Geography by Maggie Hogan This long-time favorite introduction to geography has an easy-to-use layout and loads of ideas and activities! . There are enough ideas and projects in this source book to last a family several years! Written from a Christian perspective, Hands-On Geography will get you excited about teaching an oft-forgotten subject. Includes specific instructions for many activities, games, and projects designed to be appealing to kids and easy for parents. An easy, yet thorough, introduction to a very important subject. Grades K - 5
Retail:14.95	Your Cost: $11.95
Trail Guide to U.S. Geography by Cindy Wiggers The Trail Guide to U.S. Geography is divided into three distinct sections: Geography Trails, Points of Interest and a Geography Through Literature unit. The neat thing about this program is that you can use all three parts or just choose to utilize one or two of them. This curriculum utilizes student notebooks, which are a great way for kids keep a record of what they're learning. On the Geography Trail students use an atlas or almanac to answer two geography drill questions each day. There are three different "trail markers" each signifying the difficulty level based on your student's age, grade or skill level. Younger students will take the first trail and may need moms help to research and answer the questions. Each day students take 5 - 10 minutes to find the answers to their Geography Trail questions and record them in their Geography notebook. The author recommends using the Children's Millennium Atlas of the United States, but also states that any good U.S. atlas should be sufficient. Older students will also need to have access to a good current almanac like The World Almanac and Book of Facts. Of course, all the answers to the daily drills are found in the back of the manual. For a more indepth study of U.S. Geography, step off the trail and visit some Points of Interest. This section is divided into two categories, Mapping and Trail Blazing. Each week there are two lessons each focusing on a different state. In each lesson Cindy provides instructions for labeling specific points and drawing/ shading different landforms, on an outline map. Students continue to build their geography notebooks by adding their maps and other projects, including an illustrated geography dictionary that the student creates! Trail Blazing provides more opportunity for students to sharpen their research skills while learning about each state. Instead of learning the states in the order they were admitted to the Union or alphabetically, the Trail Guide to U.S. Geography groups them into regions. This makes it easier for children to get a better mental picture of not only where a state is located, but also the entire group of states that make up a region of the country. For each state the author provides an interesting fact that the student adds to their "Matter of Fact" form in their notebook and they are encouraged to record other interesting facts on this form as well. There are lots of project ideas provided in each lesson and I found the variety of options to be very helpful when dealing with two children who each learn in their own unique "style"! The third and final section of the Trail Guide to U.S. Geography is the Geography Through Literature unit. In this fun unit, your family can go on an adventure with the Lewis and Clark Expedition by reading The Captain's Dog, My Journey with the Lewis and Clark Tribe. This six-week unit can be used to wrap up your study of U.S. geography or it can stand on its own and be used anytime during the school year. The weekly lessons incorporate vocabulary, mapping, and a variety of activity suggestions.
Retail:18.95	Your Cost: $14.95
Trail Guide to U.S. Geography Notebook CD At the request of many of their customers, the publisher has created this nifty CD which contains all the pages you could possibly need when creating your U.S. Geography Notebook. There are pages for each level's notebook with templates for filling in written summaries, pictures, and drawings, along with more than 30 reproducible outline maps, and all of the daily Geography Trail Questions with space to place the answers. This is really helpful, so students in different grade levels are all trying to share the book at the same time AND it allows them to write their answer right on the same page as the questions. Complete notebook pages- for each of the three levels are included on this one CD - each notebook has 177 pages! The CD is not required for you to effectively use the Trail Guides! It is simply a convenient tool that some may prefer using. The CD does not replace the book! The book contains all of the answers, instructions, lesson guidance and the complete literature unit.
Retail:30.00	Your Cost: $26.95
Trail Guide to World Geography by Cindy Wiggers Organized in a similar fashion to the Trail Guide to US Geography listed above, this book is a "week one, day one" kind of teacher's manual with daily geography drills (answers included) and numerous weekly assignment choices. Assign as much or as little as YOU decide. Daily drills are offered at 3 different levels for versatility and multi-year usage. With this easy-to-use course students will learn to recognize important characteristics and traits of each continent, read and create maps, identify key geographical terms and more. Like her other Trail Guide, the author has selected a piece of literature to study at the end of the book, but which can be used at any time. Students will spend several weeks reinforcing geography concepts while reading Jules Verne's classic work, Around the World In 80 Days
Retail:18.95	Your Cost: $14.95
Notebook CD-- see above. Retail:30.00	Your Cost: $26.95
Ancient China - To the Great Wall...and Beyond by Judy Wilcox Ancient China is a detailed unit study of eleven key dynasties in Chinese history. Daily lessons plans listing project supplies, recommended resources, writing assignments and timeline suggestions, as well as extensive teaching notes, are provided for each dynasty. Reproducible maps, timeline figures, an end-of-study quiz, review activities, and an expansive bibliography are also supplied. This 12-week unit study includes: history, geography, science, Bible, health, language arts, arts & crafts, research skills, and critical thinking. Ancient China was written for students in K-6, but extensive teaching notes and supplemental project ideas for students in junior and senior high. For over 5,000 years the people of China have impacted the world. Ancient China: To the Great Wall...and Beyond introduces students to the beauty, uniqueness, and significance of this ancient country's history. Softcover
Retail:13.95	Your Cost: $11.95