10 Ways to Make Homeschool Geography Memorable
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Want your kids to explore the world without having to leave home? Want to make homeschool geography activities engaging and something the kids will actually look forward to? Need these lessons to require minimal effort on your part, too? There are many ways to make homeschool geography lessons memorable for kids and stress-free for the parents! Say “good-bye” to boring geography lessons because today, I’m happy to share 10 ways to make homeschool geography meaningful, memorable, and fun.
Spoiler alert: I can’t keep it to myself much longer! We’re totally going to be chatting about The Landmark Kids in this article because it’s one way to include a bunch of engaging activities into one lesson! Stay tuned you don’t want to miss it!
Why Geography Matters
When it comes to educating my own kids, there are my reasons my husband and I decided to make the change from public school to homeschool. One reason we decided to homeschool was so we could give our kids a completely customized education.
We wanted to have the option of filling in the “holes” that could come with learning in the public school setting. We wanted our kids to have hands-on, meaningful learning experiences filled not just with learning about other parts of the world, but also with immersive opportunities to experience (and appreciate!) what makes the world so beautiful & unique.
Homeschooling has given us the ability to do just that!
Geography matters, and should be considered an important of your own homeschool plans, for several reasons such as:
- increasing cultural awareness: Geography teaches us about the diverse cultures and societies in our world! It helps us to develop empathy and respect.
- understanding historical context: Geography can teach us the “why” and “how” behind historical events.
- understanding navigation and orientation: Geography can help us learn to read maps and navigate the world! From looking at a shopping center map for a favorite store to planning a cross-country road trip (and beyond), such a skill can be useful in everyday life!
We could go on and on about why geography matters, but I’d say it’s more fun to chat about ways to make homeschool geography memorable, right? Let’s get to it!
Making Homeschool Geography Memorable
Who wants homeschooling to be boring? Not me! I mean, we’ve got so many resources available to us, why not take advantage of them when teaching the kids?
To help make homeschool geography fun & engaging for your kids, here are 10 ways to make your geography lessons meaningful and memorable:
- Go on Virtual Tours and Field Trips: Explore the world without even leaving your sofa! The Google Arts & Culture website is one way to check out museums, landmarks, and such all over the world. This is also one of my go-to activities for the boys when I’m not feeling well.
- Play Geography Games & Apps: Check out the Google Play Store or App store to find some games and apps for the kids! I’m all for screen time when it’s in moderation and it’s educational!
- Try out some New Recipes: Try a recipe from your heritage or pick a country and cook a traditional meal together with the kids!
- Write to a PenPal: Set up a letter writing station for the kids and send some letters through snail mail! Every so often, I see posts in the various homeschool groups on social media with people looking for penpals for their kids. Ask around and get writing!
- Put Together a Map Puzzle: Putting together map puzzles can help kids learn about continents, countries, and states!
- Have a Themed Movie Night…with Closed Captioning: Watch an age-appropriate film set in a different country with actors speaking a different language! Not only will the kids strengthen their reading skills, but they’ll get to see and hear about various other cultures.
- Read Themed Books: There are so many ways to get access to books, you should have no problem finding books that introduce new places and cultures.
- Listen to Music: Turn up the volume and listen to songs and artists from other parts of the world! You may also consider looking up song lyrics and translations while experiencing the rhythms and sounds of lands far (and not so) away.
- Create a Travel Journal: Just like I have my kids fill out this journal when we cruise, get a notebook and have the kids start their own travel journal. Whether it’s used for actual travel or through virtual field trips, it’ll serve as a great way to record and look back on their cultural adventures.
- Explore the Globe: Dust off the old globe you bought when you first started homeschooling (just a guess) to explore the locations and topography of places all around the world.
You know what would be easier than piecing together experiences to make a memorable homeschool geography lesson, though? The Landmark Kids!
Homeschool Geography with The Landmark Kids
You guys, the boys and I just to to be international super spies. There was a theft at the Louvre in Paris (a stolen sculpture…can you believe it?!) and we were needed to help return the sculpture and catch the bad guys. We, thank goodness, were super successful and were able to return home in time for dinner.
Ha. Kinda sorta.
The Landmark Subscription Kit, from The Landmark Kids, is a monthly country-themed geography kit that transforms kids (and their parents!) into secret agents. Each month, there’s a new mystery to be solved through cracking codes, solving puzzles, and completing brain games. This can all be done without the use of a screen, too!
And homeschool parents all around the world cheer in unison!
Created for ages 7-12, my family and I all put together our Landmark Subscription Kit within a few hours on a weekend afternoon. The boys took turns reading the dialogue and stories in the included booklet and then took turns “leading” each brain game. After each brain game was solved, they’d get a clue to learn about a specific area of France, the history, language (each card provided pronunciation for the content), and more.
After the boys finished the booklet and collectively brought justice to the bad guy that stole the sculpture (the nerve!), we had two more activities to complete our homeschool geography lesson: we got to make crepes and make our very own light-up souvenir!
@thathomeschoolfamily It's been a busy week, y'all, being international super spies and everything. #ad @The Landmark Kids #homeschoolgeography #subscriptionbox #kidssubscriptionbox #homeschoolfun #thathomeschoolfamily #homeschoolmom ♬ original sound – Liz | That Homeschool Family
With the one kit, the kids got to explore a map of France, learn a bit of it’s history and culture, learn a bit about Greece (the “stolen sculpture” was The Winged Victory of Samothrace which is a sculpture of the Greek Goddess of Victory, Nike), use their brain power to solve a variety of puzzles, make and taste delicious crepes, and follow directions to create their souvenir. So cool, right?!
Just imagine getting to do that every month!
Try a Kit with your Kids
When you check out The Landmark Kids website, you’ll notice that they have a variety of subscription options to choose from starting at monthly through yearly. Each box gets free shipping (yay!) and includes the following contents:
- puzzles to solve
- tasty recipes
- collectible trading cards
- fun guides
- exclusive souvenirs
Since you made it all the way to the end of the article (another yay!), you get the benefit of having access to a super special coupon code! Valid until August 31, 2024, use the code “Elizabeth” to score 15% off your Landmark Kids subscription!
My family and I enjoyed the time we spent learning and “traveling” through our Landmark Kids Subscription Kit and I have a feeling you will as well!
As always, if you have any questions about this product, incorporating exciting adventures into your homeschool, or…really…anything else, leave a comment and I’ll be happy to help out!
Until next time, stay safe and enjoy quality time with your family,
Elizabeth Dukart is a proud Florida based born and raised Jersey Girl, wife, and mom of 2 human boys & 1 canine boy.
Created in 2021, Elizabeth owns and publishes That Homeschool Family: a free resource for homeschooling parents and beyond! A seasoned blogger, Elizabeth previously published a popular location-specific family resource blog, but decided to “Pivot!” her blogging focus after she started homeschooling her two boys in 2020. In addition to this blog, you can follow Elizabeth’s homeschooling and family adventures on Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Pinterest. She can also be found in her Facebook Group: That Homeschool Family Hangout.
When she’s not busy taking over the world or homeschooling, Elizabeth can be found listening to music (especially The Beatles & Harry Styles!), being silly with her boys, watching movies with family, shopping, or traveling!
Have a question or want to work with Elizabeth? Send her an email!
