Geography/Mapping Help Needed

This is our first year with mapping exercises (dc 9/special needs, 7, 4, 2).  I was looking for a gentle introduction to mapping so I chose to combine 2 programs to pull from: 50 States and Where to Find Them by Kathy Jo DeVore and Beautiful Feet Books: Geography through Literature.  Both programs use Paddle to the Sea.

I thought the 50 States program mapped the states along with Paddle’s trek but that’s not the case so it’s rather confusing to me.  In the first exercise, she has you mapping Maine (for the states lesson) and Lake Superior (to follow Paddle).  I don’t think that’s what I want for my kids.

We are also doing AHYS I from TQ and I thought mapping the states would mesh nicely with the discovery of America.  Should we just follow Paddle to the Sea?  We only read 1 chapter but my kids love the idea of Paddle.  Or should we use a SCM visits to- geography guide?  I was going to use the SCM guides in a few years.

This was the original plan: Paddle to the Sea, Minn of the Miss., Tree in the Trail, Seabird and when finished we would move onto the SCM visits to series.  Does that sound like a good plan?