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Geography
With the Charlotte Mason Method of homeschooling, geography is all about real people and real places. Geography is an opportunity to learn more about our neighbors around the world.
How to Teach Geography
Charlotte Mason said that a geography lesson should be so alive to the children that it would “take them there” in their imaginations (A Philosophy of Education, p. 40). You can do this with a combination of living books, narration, and map work.
Living Books and Narration
A living book brings a region of the world to life by telling you the story of real people who live in that place. It’s a book that fires your imagination and touches your emotions. Narration is the act of telling back what was heard or read, making it your own.
Two of our favorite living books for geography are Material World and Hungry Planet, both by photographer Peter Menzel. These books provide a fascinating glimpse into the daily lives of people around the world.
Another great way to learn about regions of the world is through interesting, well-written picture books. The illustrations give children a visual of that place, and the stories help them form connections with the people who live there. Check the free CM Bookfinder for great books that correspond to regions around the world.
Map Work
To help students understand the geography of the world—to discover which countries are next to each other, which are near an ocean, or where the coldest countries are collected, for example—a Charlotte Mason approach also includes map work.
Map work is a simple once-a-week activity that helps your child become familiar with the bigger picture. Give each child a blank outline map of the region you are studying and ask him to label any countries he already knows. When he has labeled all he knows, give him a labeled map of the region. Tell him to check that he has recorded correct spellings and locations, then to copy one or two more countries onto his map. The next week, give him a new blank outline map of the same region and repeat the instructions.
As he sees the same region each week, he will become familiar with it and, little by little, put together the pieces in his mind. When coupled with living books, map work will help round out your geography studies.
Lesson Plans
Ready-to-go lesson plans that follow the wonderful Charlotte Mason approach are available with the Visits to… series. Each book in this series focuses on one region of the world and features readings from Material World and Hungry Planet, narration prompts, map work, and additional reading from living books that take place in that region.