Geography for Homeschoolers

We like to incorporate geography into our children's curriculum every opportunity we get, so I'm always printing maps, breaking out the globe, referring to our world atlas, or referencing our United States wall map. And the World Wide Web makes it easier than ever to get a picturesque glance at the variety of cultures and lands around the globe.

Did you know...geography is more than just the study of our world's physical features. It's also the study of our world's people. When our children are studying physical geography, they are learning about places, landforms, waterways and climate. When they are studying human geography, they are learning about cultures, social and environmental interactions, and political and economic issues and developments.

Making Geography Fun

If your kids are in the process of learning geographical locations, here are a few hands-on ideas to make it fun.

Make a paper mache globe or relief map. We found some great how-tos on Kaboose and Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers.

Toss an inflatable globe. Each time the ball is caught, have your child name the country (or continent) under his or her right thumb! Need one? Look here!

Put puzzles together, together! There is nothing like a little quite time piecing together puzzles. You will find a great selection of puzzles on Amazon.

Play a few fun geography-based card games and board games.

Free Online Resources

Need help? Here are a few helpful comprehensive geography websites.

Smithsonian Education - Geographic Resources: Resources and information, lesson plans, and fun interactive activities for parents and students. http://smithsonianeducation.org/mywonderfulworld/

National Geographic Education: Learn about the world and the people in it with real-world examples and National Geographic's rich media. http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/

The National Atlas of the United States of America: This is a fantastic resource if you're looking for printable US maps. You can print prepared maps or make your own! http://nationalatlas.gov/printable.html

Don't forget to see our free geography resources section for more online resources and curriculum ideas!