Product Review: Travel the World! (June, 2010, module of Schoolhouse Planner)

Travel the World! was one of the modules for The Schoolhouse Planner, school year 2009-2010. It can be purchased in e-book form from the TOS Magazine's Schoolhouse Store here, for $7.95.

This e-book is a great introduction to geography in general, and the continents and oceans of the world in particular. It is written to be used by all grade levels, including high school! That is one of my favorite types of home school products!

This e-book starts with a section explaining what geography is, as well as describing the globe, maps, longitude and latitude. Also discussed are the five different interconnected oceans, and the seven continents. There are hyperlinks throughout, taking the student to websites with further information as well as fun activities related to each topic.

This is followed by pages of various activities, such as a fill-in-the-blanks quiz, a word scramble, word search, crossword puzzle, rebus puzzles, and even a form for an acrostic poem.

Following these are several pages of elements for lapbooking, black line maps to print and the student to color and label, and several pages to use for copywork, both in manuscript and cursive.

I was very delighted to find the high school expansion section. This contains much more indepth information suitable for the high schooler, explaining the branches of geography, and giving suggestions for deeper assignments. There is a more difficult word search puzzle, followed by a couple recipes.

There are two pages full of links for further resources, and pages of answers to the various quizzes/puzzles.

I find it a very useful resource, and look forward to using it with my children. This year I have three children I will be home schooling: a first grader, a fourth/fifth grader, and an upper high schooler.

My mother, who is a retired teacher, has told of several times in various locations in which she taught, of classrooms full of children who knew nearly nothing about geography, their inability to find even the state in which they lived on the map....or even knowing that the city in which they lived was the capital of that state!! I certainly do not want that happening to my children!! ;) We already know fair amount about map skills, anyway, since these are covered throughout the core curriculum we have used for many years now.

I plan to start our year out, probably before we even "officially" start our school year, going through this study with all three of my students. I look forward to this. I imagine my 10 year old will enjoy it the most, because he has always enjoyed looking at maps and looking through our atlas. ;)

****************
As a review blogger, I am provided a free copy of the book, curriculum or product to test and use in order to write an honest review. I receive no other compensation and the opinions I share are my own and not influenced by the company in question. Pin It Now!