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In my co op geography class, I spend a few weeks on US Geography. I use a few periods to play board and card games that teach the states and capitals. I find playing games helps most kids absorb information far more effectively than trying to do it by rote learning.

A game that works well for the whole class to be involved at once:

This US Bingo has enough sheets for 36 students. Instead of just calling out names of states, the caller chooses from 3 sets of clues of varying difficulty. For example, you may call out “Albany is the capital of” and the students with New York on their cards put a counter on that square. Other clues contain landmarks, dates of admission and other state trivia.

As this game is based on luck as much as on knowledge, the smartest kids don’t always win. This gives the other kids a fighting chance!

I also have periods when I divide the class into groups of 4 and let them play board or card games. The following 3 games work well as a single game, last 30 minutes or less, and are easy to learn. All of them are lots of fun, but also require the students to concentrate on US geography as they play.

10 Days in the USA is for 4 people. You have to plot a course across the US by foot, car or plane using exactly 10 cards. You start by each taking 10 cards and then each turn you take new cards and discard ones you don’t want in order to create a perfect journey (ie moving legally from one state to another).

Kids are constantly looking at the map on the board to plot their course – which helps them learn the map without even realizing it!

Scrambled States of America game is based on the fun book and DVD by the same name. I play the DVD in class at the beginning of our studies of US Geography and the students all enjoy it despite the fact that its target audience is slightly younger kids. As one of them remarked: “It is so silly, it is funny”.

The board game is for 4 people and is very easy to learn. Players receive 5 State Cards which they must send home by matching them to criteria on the Scramble Cards.

Scrambled States Card Game is for up to 5 people. One person lays 15 cards in a circle with the draw pile in the middle. Then, a player throws the dice and reads the characteristic the dice shows. After that, other players have to match the card on the top of the pile with another card in play that has the same characteristics.

Quick reactions, as well as a knowledge of geography, are helpful here (ie, don’t try to play against your children if you don’t like losing!)

I used all these US geography games in a classroom setting, but of course, they would work just as well at home played during a family games night or as part of a homeschool lesson.

And for online US Geography fun, take a look at our web-based North America Unit Study.

The post Playing Your Way Around the USA: US Geography Games for Kids appeared first on FundaFunda Academy.

As our world becomes more and more connected through the internet and the ability to travel easily, it is more and more important for students to understand the world they are part of. Fundafunda’s online high school Geography Class aims to help homeschoolers do just that.

Many jobs have people all over the world working together on projects, many involve travel, and many require interaction with other cultures.

All this means Geography is a very exciting and relevant subject to study – but all the excitement can so easily be destroyed by a dull textbook and worksheets.

But you won’t find any of those in our online class! This course is intended for high school homeschoolers and after the completion of both semesters, they will have earned one full credit. Younger students may take it – but bear in mind the course load is high school level. And of course, non-homeschoolers can enroll too. Any students are welcome – but there will be about 4-5 hours of work each week.

What teaching methods are used?

The content will be delivered through video, interactive websites, and games and through student research.

1. Video

Video allows students to actually “see” the place they are studying. They can hear the sounds and watch the people.

2. Research

Students will be assigned various topics to research – and their research will then be shared with their classmates in creative ways. They definitely won’t be completing worksheets! It is important that students are “active” learners. Benjamin Franklin said

Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.

3. Websites

The websites won’t be ones that are just “textbook clones”. They might be games, or scavenger hunts, or Google earth! There are so many really engaging websites that take “experiencing” Geography to a whole new level. Webcams and 3D technology can help students feel like they are really there!

How will the students’ understanding of the work be assessed?

Our aim is to achieve a broad knowledge of world geography, and that students will retain much of this knowledge well after the class has ended. We are not huge fans of tests as a means of assessment but will rather use fun quizzes, online games, and projects.

* Quizzes – these will be short and taken during or straight after instruction to check students are paying attention They will be able to re-take them if they realized they had been daydreaming.

* Online games are a great way for students to learn where countries are, their capitals, etc. Some of these have dashboards for teachers, but in other cases, we will require a screenshot as proof of mastery

* Game creation – students will need to research and create games. And then, of course, they will play each other’s games.

* Presentation of their research – this will take different forms but will include short paragraphs, videos, posters, websites, and itinerary planning.

The work takes students about 4 – 5 hours each week. They will be able to work anytime they want to – but there are deadlines and they have to keep up. On occasion, they will work with classmates collaboratively and they do peer assessments and interact with each other in the virtual classroom. So it is like a regular classroom – just online!

WARNING: Your children may enjoy this so much that they will be begging you to travel. Or maybe FundaFunda should just plan a round-the-world field trip for us all at the end of the course!

In fact, one of our students did manage to convince her parents to take her on a trip she planned as part of a class assignment. You can read about it here.

Ready to sign up? Visit us at FundaFunda Academy.

FundaFunda’s Online High School Geography Class for homeschoolers (FAQ)

Feel free to leave questions in the comments.

The post FundaFunda’s Online High School Geography Class for homeschoolers appeared first on FundaFunda Academy.

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If you like having a Christmas theme to what you cover in your homeschool at this time of the year, don’t forget to include Christmas Geography Studies in your plans.

As Christmas is a festival that almost every country celebrates to some or other degree, December is the perfect time to take a peek into other cultures.

It is fun for students to see what is the same and what is different in the way people celebrate. For instance, I come from South Africa and our traditional Christmas dinner is very different from what Americans will enjoy on December 25th. It is very hot in South Africa at that time of year and so many enjoy a ‘braai’ (barbeque) and salads. As a family we did have ham and chicken – but not turkey. Turkey in South Africa is expensive and not nearly as good as American turkey.

I have also spent Christmas in both Germany and Switzerland – and that was completely different too. When I was in Germany I loved visiting all the Christmas markets. In Switzerland, church bells ringing (for a LONG time) make sure everyone is awake.

If you have younger children they may enjoy this video.

Older children may be intrigued by this Buzzfeed article about Christmas dinners around the world

And try this fun quiz where you select the correct name for Santa Claus for a given country.

Ready to dive into more Christmas themed geography studies?

Check out my post on Christmas Around the World: Projects and Activities for a number of free DIY ideas to do with your children.

Or you can buy an online unit study from Techie Homeschool Mom.

Have you found any great sites to use, or done any fun Christmas geography activities this month? Leave a comment if you have!

The post Christmas Geography Studies appeared first on FundaFunda Academy.