Housing – every house tells a story! Each culture has its own type of housing. By studying the housing we can learn so much about a peoples’ lifestyle, their climate, beliefs, standard of living, even their politics. As you are working your way through history, take the time to discover more about the houses of the times. Use what you know about geography as you consider their lifestyle.

Hands-on: Build a model of the home of your studies. This can be quite simplistic (sugar cubes, pretzel rods, building blocks, or more in-depth. Either way, it’s great fun and a good way to generate enthusiasm for learning more about a culture or a nation. Here are a few suggestions to get you started, along with a list of other housing types to explore.

·      Igloo –  sleeping platforms and tables are made of snow. Heat & light are provided by burning embers and frozen blubber for the whale oil lamps. Skins of seals and caribou provide warmth. Igloos were temporary shelters during the winter seal hunts. Perfect for nomads traveling over arctic house.  Make one out of sugar cubes.

·      Roman Houses – often had small shrines dedicated to household gods. Stone, marble and concrete were used to build the homes. Rooms are built around the perimeter and they open to a central courtyard or patio. Surrounded by columned arcades, the open rooms and courtyards were filled with paintings and ornaments. Living quarters tended to be less ornamental and smaller. Villas were made more to impress than for comfort. Modest houses belonging to the lower classes (peasant farmers and craftsmen) would have been constructed of sun-dried or kiln-fired mud bricks. Stone and dirt floors and beams packed of earth and branches. We made our out of Legos.

·      Zulu Huts – furnishings limited to grass sleeping mats with carved wooden head rests – warm with a fire place but smoky. Woven saplings covered with grass thatch arranged in a circle around a pen for cattle. This would be fun to make outside with twigs and such.

·      Long House – late 16^th century appeared in NYC. Iroquis. Another outside activity.

·      Viking House – Sturdy farmhouses – stone, wood or turf. (To withstand heavy coastal weather.) Like longhouses, these were simply halls. Everything was accomplished in one big room, sleeping, eating and cooking. Lincoln Logs, anybody?

·      Norman Manor House

·      Cliff Dwellings

·      London Town house

·      Palaces

·      19^th Century Frontier Log Cabin

·      Traditional Japanese houses

·      Houseboats

·      Wigwams

·      Lake Dwellings

·      European Stone Houses

·      Celtic Halls

·      Greek City House

·      European peasant hut – Middle Ages

Spend more time with Maggie Hogan on her blog:

www.homeschoolblogger.com/maggiehogan

Check out her great homeschool resources (including the award winning geography curriculums she *co-authored) at her business site:

www.BrightIdeasPress.com

info@BrightIdeasPress.com

Read more about The Ultimate Geography & Timeline Guide here -  http://brightideaspress.com/UGTG.htm

And Hands-On Geography here:

http://brightideaspress.com/HOG.htm

 Related Tags: hands, geography, build, house, story, culture, lifestyle, climate, beliefs, politics, model, studies, sugar cubes, pretzel sticks, blocks, igloo, Roman, Zulu, huts, long house, viking, manor house, cliff dwelling, London, frontier, log cabin, Japanese, houseboats, wigwams, lake, European, Celtic, Greek, middle ages 

One of my readers shared this great geography idea with me that I wanted to pass on to you now that fall is in the air. She wrote:

“My son was working on a nature badge for scouts, and we asked via several homeschool email loops for people to volunteer to exchange either their state leaf, or their favorite leaf that is typical of their area, with our son. He in turn sent them a buckeye leaf and a buckeye. We would then find the location on the map and pinpoint it exactly. We actually got the state leaf from every single state, as well as many other neat ones.

What fun! Lots of the people sent pictures of where they lived, or of the tree they had gotten the leaf from. So we added those to the portfolio, too. Since my son is junior high, I had him pinpoint longitude and latitude of the various locations, as well as finding the towns on a map, and mapping out a way to drive there from our home via both the quickest route and the scenic route. Also I had him calculate mileage and the cost of gasoline required to make the trip. It really helped give him a sense of how far apart things are in this big ol' country of ours . . . and also  helped earn that badge for scouts.”

Spend more time with Maggie Hogan on her blog:

www.homeschoolblogger.com/maggiehogan

Check out her great homeschool resources (including the award winning geography curriculums she *co-authored) at her business site:

www.BrightIdeasPress.com

info@BrightIdeasPress.com

Read more about The Ultimate Geography & Timeline Guide here -  http://brightideaspress.com/UGTG.htm

And Hands-On Geography here:

http://brightideaspress.com/HOG.htm

Related Tags: geography, hands-on, nature, Scouts, homeschool, leaf, leaves, fall, map, state, longitude, latitude

Biography

Maggie and Bob Hogan live in a formerly Amish farmhouse in Dover, DE where they began homeschooling their two (now grown) sons in 1991. She is a regular contributor for homeschooling internet sites as well as print magazines like The Old Schoolhouse.  She’s a nationally known speaker and co-author of The Ultimate Geography and Timeline Guide, Gifted Children at Home, Hands-on Geography and other resource books. Involved in local, state, and national homeschooling issues, they both serve on boards of home education organizations in Delaware. They’re also owners of Bright Ideas Press, a home school company dedicated to bringing the best practical, fun, and affordable materials to the homeschool market.

Related Tags: geography, maps, puzzle

National Geographic Bee  www.nationalgeographic.com/geographybee. 

Have your kids participated in the National Geography Bee? If not, why not get involved this year? This is an awesome way to incorporate geography into your curriculum. As stated on their website, they are a nationwide geography competition for U.S. schools with any grades four through eight, designed to encourage the teaching and study of geography. We participated in this bee for a number of years. I can attest to the motivating factor of studying for it, the excitement generated by participation in it, and the amount of interesting material learned in the process. All you need are 6 students between grades 4 and 8 to organize a bee.

Here are the registration rules right off of their website:

“Bee registration is open to schools and homeschool associations with students in grades four through eight who are not over the age of 15 by the time of the national level. A student must be enrolled in a school or homeschool association that is registered with the Bee. Also, students of the eligible grade levels must be following a school schedule and academic course load comparable to the majority of the student's grade-mates and age-mates. A student may not be enrolled in more than two academic courses at the high school and/or college level during each school year of the competition. We reserve the right to disqualify a student if we believe the rules have not been followed.

Schools from all 50 U.S. states, the U.S. territories, and the U.S. Department of Defense schools participate in the National Geographic Bee. Students enrolled in public or private schools may not compete as part of a homeschool association's Bee and, conversely, students who are homeschooled must participate through a registered homeschool association.”

Registration for a group is just 60.00. The Deadline is Oct. 15^th so get your homeschool group registered today! This will be a great way to kick off a new year filled with an exciting geographic study.

Spend more time with Maggie Hogan on her blog:

www.homeschoolblogger.com/maggiehogan

Check out her great homeschool resources (including the award winning geography curriculums she *co-authored) at her business site:

www.BrightIdeasPress.com

info@BrightIdeasPress.com

Read more about The Ultimate Geography & Timeline Guide here -  http://brightideaspress.com/UGTG.htm

And Hands-On Geography here:

http://brightideaspress.com/HOG.htm

Biography

Maggie and Bob Hogan live in a formerly Amish farmhouse in Dover, DE where they began homeschooling their two (now grown) sons in 1991. She is a regular contributor for homeschooling internet sites as well as print magazines like The Old Schoolhouse.  She’s a nationally known speaker and co-author of The Ultimate Geography and Timeline Guide, Gifted Children at Home, Hands-on Geography and other resource books. Involved in local, state, and national homeschooling issues, they both serve on boards of home education organizations in Delaware. They’re also owners of Bright Ideas Press, a home school company dedicated to bringing the best practical, fun, and affordable materials to the homeschool market.

Part Two: Using Outline Maps

Of course, outline maps are great for labeling all sorts of political and physical features: bodies of water, rivers, mountain ranges, cities, states, capitals, countries, continents, longitude, latitude, etc. But they can be used in many other creative ways. Here are great ideas to get you started:

• Where do the trees grow?  Note the native areas of Ponderosa pines, palm trees, eucalyptus, mahogany, ebony, bamboo etc.
• Plot as many dormant and active volcanoes as you can.
• Go on a scavenger hunt around your house.  How many geographical locations can you place on your maps?  Check the record companies on your CDs, the publishers of your books.  Read the labels on the back of your toothpaste, shampoo, etc.  Where was your lunch made?  The peanut butter, the jelly, the bakery, the chips, the banana, the dairy, and the plate you are using.
• Paste stickers or pictures of different dog breeds and their country of origin. 
• Pick your favorite Olympic event.  From what countries are the athletes?
• Make a climate or weather map.
• Topographical maps: what areas are above the mile mark? How many people live below sea level?
• Where are the rain forests?  The deserts?
• Section your US or North American maps by Native American Tribes.
• Do a demographic study map.
• Current events.
• The 10/40 window.  Pray, pray, pray.
• Make a cool National Parks map.
• Trace your summer vacation. Make your own road atlas.  If you flew on an airplane, mark all the places you missed.
• Voyages of discovery.  Chart the course of the explorers.
• How did Lewis and Clark get to the Pacific?
• Where was the Oregon Trail?
• Trace Route 66.
• Where were/are the mining towns? The Gold rush?
• Label Jesus' ministry and Paul's journeys.
• Draw in famous landmarks – the Eiffel Tower, Statue of Liberty, Hanging Gardens of Babylon, etc.
• Can you think of more?

Spend more time with Maggie Hogan on her blog:

www.homeschoolblogger.com/maggiehogan

Check out her great homeschool resources (including the award winning geography curriculums she *co-authored) at her business site:

www.BrightIdeasPress.com

info@BrightIdeasPress.com

Read more about The Ultimate Geography & Timeline Guide here -  http://brightideaspress.com/UGTG.htm

And Hands-On Geography here:

http://brightideaspress.com/HOG.htm

Biography

Maggie and Bob Hogan live in a formerly Amish farmhouse in Dover, DE where they began homeschooling their two (now grown) sons in 1991. She is a regular contributor for homeschooling internet sites as well as print magazines like The Old Schoolhouse.  She’s a nationally known speaker and co-author of The Ultimate Geography and Timeline Guide, Gifted Children at Home, Hands-on Geography and other resource books. Involved in local, state, and national homeschooling issues, they both serve on boards of home education organizations in Delaware. They’re also owners of Bright Ideas Press, a home school company dedicated to bringing the best practical, fun, and affordable materials to the homeschool market.

Of course, outline maps are great for labeling all sorts of political and physical features: bodies of water, rivers, mountain ranges, cities, states, capitals, countries, continents, longitude, latitude, etc. But they can be used in many other creative ways. Here are great ideas to get you started:

• Birthplace of US Presidents
• Inventors and inventions
• Famous composers
• Famous or favorite authors
• Famous artists
• Use your maps as a book list.  Plot the story’s location.
• Where are your missionaries?  Pray for them.
• Imports and exports.  Where did your pajamas come from?  How about your tea? Sneakers?
• How many US military bases can you find?
• What countries forbid Christianity? Plot the persecuted church.  Pray for them.
• Use different colors to show the three major world religions. (Christianity, Judaism, Islam)
• Match the flag with the country.
• Write in as many foreign greetings as you can discover (Aloha! Ciao! Bon Jour!)
• Follow the concert tour of your favorite band.
• Trace your ancestors’ trek to the "New World".
• International cuisine.  What's Babka?  Where did the hamburger come from?  Bruschetta?  Tiramisu?
• Where do all your cousins live?
• Visit the zoo (or your favorite zoo book). Where do all the animals live?  Cut out or draw pictures and stick on map.
• Follow the migratory patterns of bees, butterflies, birds or waterfowl.
• How many songs can you think of that mention cities, states, or countries?  Do you know the way to San Jose? I left my heart … My kind of town, Chicago is….
• Follow the schedule of your favorite sports team.
• Note the location of natural disasters.  Floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, forest fires.

Check back next week for more great outline ideas!

Spend more time with Maggie Hogan on her blog:

www.homeschoolblogger.com/maggiehogan

Check out her great homeschool resources (including the award winning geography curriculums she *co-authored) at her business site:

www.BrightIdeasPress.com

info@BrightIdeasPress.com

Read more about The Ultimate Geography & Timeline Guide here -  http://brightideaspress.com/UGTG.htm

And Hands-On Geography here:

http://brightideaspress.com/HOG.htm

Biography

Maggie and Bob Hogan live in a formerly Amish farmhouse in Dover, DE where they began homeschooling their two (now grown) sons in 1991. She is a regular contributor for homeschooling internet sites as well as print magazines like The Old Schoolhouse.  She’s a nationally known speaker and co-author of The Ultimate Geography and Timeline Guide, Gifted Children at Home, Hands-on Geography and other resource books. Involved in local, state, and national homeschooling issues, they both serve on boards of home education organizations in Delaware. They’re also owners of Bright Ideas Press, a home school company dedicated to bringing the best practical, fun, and affordable materials to the homeschool market.

Assigning students to label maps or to do some other mapping project is a great

hands-on way to instill map skills. But don’t jump in too soon! Before making assignments, it’s vital to: Instruct students in the use of geography reference tools!

Choose appropriate reference material. Consider the following:

Atlases:

• Typeface. Look carefully at the font style and size. If it’s too small for the student to read clearly, it will cause frustration. Younger students need bigger, clearer fonts.

• Lay-out and design. Busy and detailed maps that may appeal to a high school student may easily frustrate a fifth grader.
• Content. Look for atlases containing material complimentary to your lesson plans. While studying American history, you’ll be pleased to have a USA atlas on hand. (These too, come in a variety of levels.) Some atlases are almost strictly maps, while others include a wealth of other information: flags, planet and earth statistics, and cultural information.
• Atlas age. Is your only household atlas a ponderous volume from college days? It may be useful for some projects, but its political maps will be hopelessly out of date.
• Variety. No single atlas is going to answer every question asked. One atlas may be strong in political maps, while another is a great atlas for thematic maps, and another has exciting, eye-catching cartography.

 Wall Maps:

1. Africa in the center so that Asia isn’t split. (Many American made maps use a projection with the USA centered on the world map. These projections makes the USA look bigger than it really is and have the added disadvantage of splitting Asia in two. It’s hard to explain to younger students why one continent appears on opposite sides of a map!!)
2. Politically up-to-date.
3. Pleasing to look at and read.
4. Enough labeling to be helpful, but not cluttered.

Teach students which reference to use when:

• Road Map - for specific driving directions.
• Wall Map - countries and continents at a glance. Excellent for current events and the “big picture.” Not well suited for detailed map work.
• Globe - countries and continents in relationship with one another. Excellent for physical geography/science topics such as: latitude, longitude, hemisphere, rotation, eclipses, seasons, day and night, time zones, etc. Not well suited for most “find this place” type activities.
• Atlas - for finding specific places, political and physical features, and thematic information such as climate maps, population maps, etc. Not well suited for the “big picture” of physical relationship of continents/countries around the world.
• Almanac - concise information in one easy source on a huge variety of topics. Typically updated yearly. (Think of it as the “highlights” of an encyclopedia.) Not well suited for in-depth studies.
• Encyclopedia - in-depth information on countries, peoples, places, events, etc. Not well suited to current events - only as current as its publishing date.
• Dictionary - concise definition, pronunciation, and spelling of geographic terms. What is a “butte” and how do you say that?!

Don’t let this overwhelm you! The important thing to remember is to teach the use of reference tools, over time, so that students are comfortable using and know which ones to use when.

Spend more time with Maggie Hogan on her blog:

www.homeschoolblogger.com/maggiehogan

Check out her great homeschool resources (including the award winning geography curriculums she *co-authored) at her business site:

www.BrightIdeasPress.com

info@BrightIdeasPress.com

Read more about The Ultimate Geography & Timeline Guide here -  http://brightideaspress.com/UGTG.htm

And Hands-On Geography here:

http://brightideaspress.com/HOG.htm

Biography

Maggie and Bob Hogan live in a formerly Amish farmhouse in Dover, DE where they began homeschooling their two (now grown) sons in 1991. She is a regular contributor for homeschooling internet sites as well as print magazines like The Old Schoolhouse.  She’s a nationally known speaker and co-author of The Ultimate Geography and Timeline Guide, Gifted Children at Home, Hands-on Geography and other resource books. Involved in local, state, and national homeschooling issues, they both serve on boards of home education organizations in Delaware. They’re also owners of Bright Ideas Press, a home school company dedicated to bringing the best practical, fun, and affordable materials to the homeschool market.

We can learn much about a people group by studying the type housing they used. What determines the style of housing? (Location, available resources, weather, culture, etc.) What can you deduce from their housing? How did housing affect their social customs, trade, travel, safety, etc.? Compare and contrast housing from different geographic locations and/or different time periods. What type of housing would you prefer and why? Build a model of several of the houses listed below.

Here are examples of housing with a few notes to get you started on your research.

Igloos – sleeping platforms and tables are made of snow. Heat & light are provided by burning embers and frozen blubber for the whale oil lamps. Skins of seals and caribou provide warmth. Igloos were temporary shelters during the winter seal hunts. Perfect for nomads traveling over arctic house. Perfect ecological structure – made from water (snow and ice.) Other information found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Igloo

Roman Houses – often had small shrines dedicated to household gods. Stone, marble and concrete were used to build the homes. Rooms are built around the perimeter and they open to a central courtyard or patio. Surrounded by columned arcades, the open rooms and courtyards were filled with paintings and ornaments. Living quarters tended to be less ornamental and smaller. Villas were made more to impress than for comfort. Modest houses belonging to the lower classes (peasant farmers and craftsmen) would have been constructed of sun-dried or kiln-fired mud bricks. Stone and dirt floors and beams packed of earth and branches.

Zulu Huts – furnishings limited to grass sleeping mats with carved wooden head rests – warm with a fire place but smoky. Woven saplings covered with grass thatch arranged in a circle around a pen for cattle.

Viking House – Sturdy farmhouses – stone, wood or turf - to withstand heavy coastal weather. Like longhouses, these were simply halls. Everything was accomplished in one big room: sleeping, eating and cooking.

Other interesting housing option to research:

Spend more time with Maggie Hogan on her blog:

www.homeschoolblogger.com/maggiehogan

Check out her great homeschool resources (including the award winning geography curriculums she *co-authored) at her business site:

www.BrightIdeasPress.com

info@BrightIdeasPress.com

Read more about The Ultimate Geography & Timeline Guide here - http://brightideaspress.com/UGTG.htm

And Hands-On Geography here:

http://brightideaspress.com/HOG.htm

Biography

Maggie and Bob Hogan live in a formerly Amish farmhouse in Dover, DE where they began homeschooling their two (now grown) sons in 1991. She is a regular contributor for homeschooling internet sites as well as print magazines like The Old Schoolhouse. She’s a nationally known speaker and co-author of The Ultimate Geography and Timeline Guide, Gifted Children at Home, Hands-on Geography and other resource books. Involved in local, state, and national homeschooling issues, they both serve on boards of home education organizations in Delaware. They’re also owners of Bright Ideas Press, a home school company dedicated to bringing the best practical, fun, and affordable materials to the homeschool market.

Flat Stanley

In the book Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown, Stanley is squashed flat by a falling bulletin board. One of the many advantages for Flat Stanley is that he can now see the world by way of the U.S. Postal Service. His escapades inspired the “Flat Stanley Project.” There is an official website, www.flatstanley.com, and there are numerous Yahoo groups dedicated to helping children send their own flat travelers around the country and even the world. In exchange for sending your traveler somewhere else, typically you volunteer to host another family’s traveler yourself. We belonged to a Yahoo group consisting primarily of homeschooling families. Our flat travelers went to New Zealand and Canada, as well as to a number of states. We also hosted travelers here in Delaware and even took a dozen with us once to Williamsburg! (Hint: Hosting 12 at a time is way too many!) Currently there are about 47 countries taking part in the FSP. This is an exciting and painless way to learn about the world.

• http://groups.yahoo.com/group/flat_travelers_homeschool 

• http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FlatTravelers/

• www.flatstanleyproject.com

This is waaaaay too much fun! Happy Trails!

Spend more time with Maggie Hogan on her blog:

www.homeschoolblogger.com/maggiehogan

Check out her great homeschool resources (including the award winning geography curriculums she *co-authored) at her business site:

www.BrightIdeasPress.com

info@BrightIdeasPress.com

Read more about The Ultimate Geography & Timeline Guide here - http://brightideaspress.com/UGTG.htm

And Hands-On Geography here:

http://brightideaspress.com/HOG.htm

Biography

Maggie and Bob Hogan live in a formerly Amish farmhouse in Dover, DE where they began homeschooling their two (now grown) sons in 1991. She is a regular contributor for homeschooling internet sites as well as print magazines like The Old Schoolhouse. She’s a nationally known speaker and co-author of The Ultimate Geography and Timeline Guide, Gifted Children at Home, Hands-on Geography and other resource books. Involved in local, state, and national homeschooling issues, they both serve on boards of home education organizations in Delaware. They’re also owners of Bright Ideas Press, a home school company dedicated to bringing the best practical, fun, and affordable materials to the homeschool market.

Missionary Geography

Learning about missionaries, where they live, who they are witnessing to, and how God is using them is a worthwhile activity for all ages. If you or your church support specific missionaries, start with them. Your family might enjoy reading stories of missionaries as well. www.ywam.org publishes many missionary biographies, including the very readable “Christian Heroes: Then and Now” series. Another useful tool is the excellent children’s resource: You Can Change the World. This A-Z guide to countries and people groups that need to hear the gospel include stories, charts, maps, facts, color illustrations, and prayer ideas. [Go to the Bookstore Link].

Hands-On Ideas for Missionary Studies

• Draw a map of the country

• Make a model village based on the people group being studied

• Write a letter to encourage a missionary

• Send a shoebox filled with goodies for them

• Fix a meal typical of the people group being studied

Spend more time with Maggie Hogan on her blog:

www.homeschoolblogger.com/maggiehogan

Check out her great homeschool resources (including the award winning geography curriculums she *co-authored) at her business site:

www.BrightIdeasPress.com

info@BrightIdeasPress.com

Read more about The Ultimate Geography & Timeline Guide here - http://brightideaspress.com/UGTG.htm

And Hands-On Geography here:

http://brightideaspress.com/HOG.htm

Biography

Maggie and Bob Hogan live in a formerly Amish farmhouse in Dover, DE where they began homeschooling their two (now grown) sons in 1991. She is a regular contributor for homeschooling internet sites as well as print magazines like The Old Schoolhouse. She’s a nationally known speaker and co-author of The Ultimate Geography and Timeline Guide, Gifted Children at Home, Hands-on Geography and other resource books. Involved in local, state, and national homeschooling issues, they both serve on boards of home education organizations in Delaware. They’re also owners of Bright Ideas Press, a home school company dedicated to bringing the best practical, fun, and affordable materials to the homeschool market.

Peanut Butter & Jelly Project

This is a quick and easy lunch time project!

Object: eat your sandwich into the shape of the state you chose.

• Make your kids a nice big sandwich each

• Pull out a map of the USA.

• Let them each pick a state to “eat”

Bonus points: eat the sandwich progressively into more and more shapes (i.e. start with Colorado, then bite it into PA, then perhaps TN or DE). A great game for mom and dad to play as well!

Spend more time with Maggie Hogan on her blog:

www.homeschoolblogger.com/maggiehogan

Check out her great homeschool resources (including the award winning geography curriculums she *co-authored) at her business site:

www.BrightIdeasPress.com

info@BrightIdeasPress.com

Read more about The Ultimate Geography & Timeline Guide here - http://brightideaspress.com/UGTG.htm

And Hands-On Geography here:

http://brightideaspress.com/HOG.htm

Biography

Maggie and Bob Hogan live in a formerly Amish farmhouse in Dover, DE where they began homeschooling their two (now grown) sons in 1991. She is a regular contributor for homeschooling internet sites as well as print magazines like The Old Schoolhouse. She’s a nationally known speaker and co-author of The Ultimate Geography and Timeline Guide, Gifted Children at Home, Hands-on Geography and other resource books. Involved in local, state, and national homeschooling issues, they both serve on boards of home education organizations in Delaware. They’re also owners of Bright Ideas Press, a home school company dedicated to bringing the best practical, fun, and affordable materials to the homeschool market.

There are lots of geo games around, many of them we’ve played and enjoyed. But the best possible games are the ones you & your kids make yourselves. Game making is a valuable activity for many reasons:

• Higher-level thinking skills. What’s the purpose, what are the rules, what will the board look like, and what are the strategies?

• It sets the stage for kids having to think through an entire series of events in order to figure out the rules and the play. Logic!

• Set the parameters: require research or the practice of vocabulary or other facts you want them to retain.

• They are put into the position of not just coming up with answers but with the actual questions.

• It’s loads of fun and they don’t realize how educational it is!

TIP: Pick up old games at yard sales that have interesting pieces, a great board or useful timer. Save these games to “cannibalize” for new games.

Spend more time with Maggie Hogan on her blog:

www.homeschoolblogger.com/maggiehogan

Check out her great homeschool resources (including the award winning geography curriculums she *co-authored) at her business site:

www.BrightIdeasPress.com

info@BrightIdeasPress.com

Read more about The Ultimate Geography & Timeline Guide here - http://brightideaspress.com/UGTG.htm

And Hands-On Geography here:

http://brightideaspress.com/HOG.htm

Biography

Maggie and Bob Hogan live in a formerly Amish farmhouse in Dover, DE where they began homeschooling their two (now grown) sons in 1991. She is a regular contributor for homeschooling internet sites as well as print magazines like The Old Schoolhouse. She’s a nationally known speaker and co-author of The Ultimate Geography and Timeline Guide, Gifted Children at Home, Hands-on Geography and other resource books. Involved in local, state, and national homeschooling issues, they both serve on boards of home education organizations in Delaware. They’re also owners of Bright Ideas Press, a home school company dedicated to bringing the best practical, fun, and affordable materials to the homeschool market.

This is a blast! Letterboxing is an appealing mix of treasure hunting, art, navigation, and exploring. Originating in England, it become popular in the US after an article describing it appeared in Smithsonian Magazine, April, 1998. The premise is simple: take a small, waterproof container, inside it put a journal and a stamp that in some way represents the area, and then hide it in a place that is legally accessible to the public. Write clues about how to find it and post these clues on www.letterboxing.org. Or go letterboxing yourself. The website has clues available for most states and a number of countries. Bring along a family journal and stamp it when you find each box. Before setting out on a trip, check to see if there are any boxes hidden along your route and make time to hunt for them. This makes a great diversion for long car rides and for many families this has developed into a hobby everyone enjoys.

Spend more time with Maggie Hogan on her blog:

www.homeschoolblogger.com/maggiehogan

Check out her great homeschool resources (including the award winning geography curriculums she *co-authored) at her business site:

www.BrightIdeasPress.com

info@BrightIdeasPress.com

Read more about The Ultimate Geography & Timeline Guide here -  http://brightideaspress.com/UGTG.htm

And Hands-On Geography here:

http://brightideaspress.com/HOG.htm

Join Maggie's discussion group for hands-on geo ideas: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Whole_HOG/

Maggie and Bob Hogan live in a formerly Amish farmhouse in Dover, DE where they began homeschooling their two (now grown) sons in 1991. She is a regular contributor for homeschooling internet sites as well as print magazines like The Old Schoolhouse.  She’s a nationally known speaker and co-author of The Ultimate Geography and Timeline Guide, Gifted Children at Home, Hands-on Geography and other resource books. Involved in local, state, and national homeschooling issues, they both serve on boards of home education organizations in Delaware. They’re also owners of Bright Ideas Press, a home school company dedicated to bringing the best practical, fun, and affordable materials to the homeschool market.

The earliest known jigsaw puzzle was made in England in the 1760s by mapmaker John Spilsbury. He designed his “dissected” maps as a tool to teach children geography! Homemade jigsaw maps are an easy way to learn info in bite-sized chunks. You could do one for any country or continent. Cut out the pieces either larger or smaller, depending on the age and ability of the student. 

• Trace a map

• Color code by region/state/country

• Cover with contact paper

• Cut out

• Store in small resalable bags.

Spend more time with Maggie Hogan on her blog:

www.homeschoolblogger.com/maggiehogan

Check out her great homeschool resources (including the award winning geography curriculums she *co-authored) at her business site:

www.BrightIdeasPress.com

info@BrightIdeasPress.com

Read more about The Ultimate Geography & Timeline Guide here -  http://brightideaspress.com/UGTG.htm

And Hands-On Geography here:

http://brightideaspress.com/HOG.htm

Join Maggie's discussion group for hands-on geo ideas: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Whole_HOG/

Maggie and Bob Hogan live in a formerly Amish farmhouse in Dover, DE where they began homeschooling their two (now grown) sons in 1991. She is a regular contributor for homeschooling internet sites as well as print magazines like The Old Schoolhouse.  She’s a nationally known speaker and co-author of The Ultimate Geography and Timeline Guide, Gifted Children at Home, Hands-on Geography and other resource books. Involved in local, state, and national homeschooling issues, they both serve on boards of home education organizations in Delaware. They’re also owners of Bright Ideas Press, a home school company dedicated to bringing the best practical, fun, and affordable materials to the homeschool market.