This year we are officially homeschooling high school!

As we venture into this new chapter, we require curriculum which will both engage our children as well as helping them succeed in earning credits towards their high school diploma.

Where we live there is a Social Studies requirement for the high school diploma, which covers both History and Geography.

My research for a great Geography curriculum has lead me to Bright Ideas Press and North Star Geography written by Tyler Hogan.

North Star Geography covers:

Geography Skills (maps, navigation, etc.)

Physical Geography (lithosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, atomosphere, etc.)

Human Geography (social structure, heritage, culture, interacting with environment, etc.)

 It is written from a Christian perspective and counts towards high school credits!

What Helped Me Decide to Use North Star Geography?

• Watching this Bright Ideas Press Hangout called All About Atlases for Homeschool  helped me to get to know more about Bright Ideas Press president and North Star Geography author Tyler Hogan.  It is evident that Tyler really loves Geography and Atlases!
• On the Bright Ideas Press website under the Geography tab, you will find North Star Geography. They have sample lessons available to download.  I took advantage of that and had my junior high and high school kids work through that sample lesson with me. We also watched the intro video where Tyler explains about North Star Geography.  While you are there be sure to check out other materials to accompany your geography curriculum like the North Star Geography Audiobook!
• The icing on the cake was this fun video called “Got Geography”.  Yes, we all should learn geography!

The Day North Star Geography Arrived

My first impression was how beautiful the book is! Yes, it is a text book, but it really is a beautiful, well laid out book.  It is obvious this curriculum was written by someone who truly loves and appreciates the importance of learning geography.

I promptly made a cup of tea, called my kids and we began reading! As I read I became excited because not only did I realize I made the right choice for our high school years, I am also excited to teach it! Although I have always loved maps, I didn’t particularly think I liked geography.

I was wrong.

After reading through and planning out our year with North Star Geography I realized I do, in fact, enjoy geography. As a homeschooling parent you look back at your own school experiences and my experience learning geography left a dry, apathetic taste in my mouth. 

Now, I am motivated to have fun bringing geography alive for my kids!  Only one lesson in and they have already realized how easily geography crosses into other subject areas; and they enjoy the atlas building exercises too!

North Star Geography is a win for us and for our high school goals!

The post Homeschool Geography Curriculum for Your High School Needs appeared first on Home School Innovation.

All too often I see or hear of homeschool families divided.

The Unschoolers v.s. the Classical; the Charlotte Mason v.s. the Textbook Style, Christian Homeschoolers v.s. the Secular Homeschoolers, etc.

But, what if we stuck together, despite what style, method or philosophy we adhere to?

What if we celebrated what we have in common instead of separating ourselves by our differences?

What could we accomplish?

For one thing, we could give homeschooling a stronger more unified voice. When it comes time to defend our rights and freedoms as parents to choose how our children will be educated, we need to build upon our similarities.

We could also willingly lend each other a helping hand. Encouraging one another in this vocation we have taken on is so important. While homeschooling is great, I don’t think anyone of you would disagree when I say days of challenge or even doubt do arise; and in those times we need someone to listen.

We can improve everyday if we keep the lines of communication open to one another.  Not for the sake of evangelizing our ways to sway a family into our methods, but to learn from one another and our experiences.  I have learned many bits of wisdom from those who follow a different faith or method of homeschool, which I then adapt to fit my family. Some of my greatest supporters don’t even homeschool!

So, with the theme of standing together, here is a start to a list of similarities you and I have.

What All Homeschoolers Have in Common

1. We all love our children.

2. Our hearts fill with joy when our kids hit a milestone and break through a previous barrier.

3. All of us have children in our family unit who will learn differently than their siblings.

4. We all have books/curriculum on the shelf we thought would be awesome and have yet to crack open.

5. We all need quiet time to replenish and nourish our souls (Time for Mom (or Dad)).

6. Everyone has had a day (or many in my case) where we don’t get one thing done on our looming ‘To Do’ list.

7. We’ve all stepped on Lego or hotwheels in the night and have had to hold our tongues as not to wake a sleeping child. (Why, oh why does that Lego hurt so much??)

8. There are days when we overhear our kids ‘expertly’ conversing with someone over a topic we know nothing about.

9. We’ve all answered the socialization question 2,348 times (or more).

10. Those days as 5 pm approaches, your husband is due home and you realize you are all still in your p.j.’s because it’s been ‘one of those days’.

11. Once your husband arrives home, to find you in your p.j.’s as stated above, you just roll with it and enthusiastically declare “It was fun p.j. day!!” pretending it was planned long ago.

12. We’ve all struggled with what or how a child learns v.s. what or how we, as parents, like to learn or teach.

13. Someone’s science experiment has ended up mistakenly in the garbage because we thought the kids just forgot to clean the kitchen. (Or worse yet … we’ve eaten it!)

14. Bugs and critters have been brought in the house only to escape. (Ask me about Stacey the ladybug, or our painted lady butterfly fiasco.)

15. We have all learned something (or many things) from our kids. (check out this link up from iHomeschool Network bloggers: What My Child Has Taught Me)

16. We have all witnessed how big, loving and forgiving our children’s hearts are.

17. The wisdom and innocence our kids possess has helped us appreciate homeschooling and family time.

18. There are days when we raise a white flag, days when we need support and a cheerleader to keep going.

19. We’ve all wished for a laundry fairy and are truly disappointed that she never show up for duty. (Seriously…where is she??)

20. The internet and researching have sucked a whole day out of us at one point or another.

21. We’ve all wondered if we are doing enough for our children.

The grass isn’t greener on the other side, it is just different grass. So please, don’t fall for the comparison game which can lead to division and feeling too proud, it’s a trap.

We need to humble ourselves,  be welcoming and soften our hearts.  We all come from different backgrounds and beliefs which can build us up rather than divide and tear us down.

Today, make an effort to reach out, in real life or via social media, to encourage another homeschooler!  Share your experience; but also take time to learn what works well for others so you can improve your homeschool day too.

Be Stronger – Stand Together

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