Skip to main content

Virtual Curriculum Fair - Learning about our World


Week 3 of the Curriculum Fair is here already. This week the theme is :
Exploring Our World: Social Studies and more Science
This theme can include history, geography, world cultures, worldview, biology, botany, geology, etc., etc., etc.
Last week I already touched on the subject of science while talking about logic and Math, so this week I will focus on History, Geography and Civics.

History is my oldest son's favourite subject. He is literaly a history buff who loves learning about battles, wants to know the dates of everything, and loves studying maps (we have at least 4 big maps in the house).


I did not really create that in him, I just started History when he was in grade 2 using Tapestry of Grace because I believed in the importance of teaching the humanities to our kids. We are people who live in History and in time; we need to know what has happened before us and learn from it.

When we first started he got hooked right awa,y and his love for the subject just grew. My youngest on the other hand is not fond of it but He does tolerate listening to Story of the World's CDs which my oldest inflicts on him every night. I believe they know Volume 1, 2 and 3 almost by heart.

Why do I believe the study of History and the study of the Humanities are important? Well, a few weeks ago I stumbled upon this article (on Classical Education) and I think this portion explains my point better than I would (it's sort of out of context but makes my point - the study of the great books, which Tapestry includes, is part of the study of the humanities, of which History is part of - it's just one big subject):
"We live in the continuum of western history. In order to evaluate this stream of which we are part, we must step back from it and discern the ideas that have shaped it. To attempt to ignore the ideas that have shaped our cultural history is to guarantee ourselves not only cultural irrelevance but also entrenchment in the Christian ghetto. This position will not only lead to our own intellectual poverty but will also disgrace the Sovereign God who needs not be mocked by the cowardice of His children. The King's children do not hide in the alleys but walk confidently knowing that the sun that shines belongs to their Father."
When it comes to Geography, I do it through Tapestry of Grace which incorporates within its curriculum, not only History but Geography, Literature, Government and Bible survey or biblical history. Logically this is done because they all cross each other at some point. They are all interconnected.

This was from our 3-week study of South America's revolution in the 1800s'

Both the boys have learned so much, between the reading suggested in TOG and the writings of Susan Wise Bauer in Story of The Wold. To hear more about what I have to say about Tapestry of Grace check my post from last year's fair.

Because Zach loves the subject matter so much, he has taught himself a lot just by staring at maps for hours, searching through encyclopedias and atlases, watching History videos such as the ones from the History Channel,  and also from imagining domination stories, battles and the likes.

The latest in his love for History has been the computer game we gave him for His birthday last November: Civilization IV. It has served him as a great way to review the main actors and events of History and locations of empires and colonies.

For Civics I have not done any formal teaching in this area, but Zach has picked up a lot as well through his studies through TOG and his own research, as he gets quite curious about how things work in different places and why.

For more on Social Studies in different homeschool, make sure to visit the participants in this year's fair:














Virtual Curriculum Fair ~ Exploring Our World:












Virtual Curriculum Fair: Learning about our
World  by Joelle @ Homeschooling for His Glory



















Labels:





































Comments
















Anonymous said…




I love love LOVE TOG!  We had to take a year off this year, because we moved a lot and simply couldn't carry it with us, so we focused on SOTW.  All of my kids are SO excited to get back to TOG next year.  I never thought of having them listen to the SOTW CDs at bedtime, that's a wonderful idea! 






January 21, 2013 at 11:31 PM
























Susan said…




Isn't it wonderful to see them striving to obtain as much knowledge as they possibly can?  I love being able to help my kids discover their passions, something that was definitely missing from my own education.

Thank you for sharing with the Virtual Curriculum Fair!






January 23, 2013 at 10:05 PM




















Post a Comment
























Popular posts from this blog





















Reformation Day Giveaway




























We are approaching October 31, which is an important date for all protestants. This date commemorates Martin Luther’s nailing of his ninety-five theses to a church door on October 31, 1517 in Wittenburg, Germany, which in turn provoked a debate that resulted in what we now call the Protestant Reformation.    As the “Father of the Reformation”, Martin Luther is a vital figure in Church History. His sacrifice and willingness to wage battle against the spiritual, religious, and political powers of his medieval world allowed Christians throughout time to embrace the following truths: salvation by grace alone , through faith alone,   and in Christ alone,  along with the supremacy of Scripture, referred to as  Scripture alone, and all of it for God's Glory Alone. These being commonly called  the Five Solas of the Reformation.    Danika Cooley, author and creator of the Bible curriculum Bible Road Trip ,   has recently written a book for young people recounting Luther's sto...




















4 comments









Read more






























Our Current Homeschool Routine - Virtual Homeschool Fair - Week 2




























For week 2 of the Virtual Homeschool Fair, which is hosted by Homeschooling Hearts and Minds , we are talking method of homeschooling.   When it comes to the how of homeschooling, and the method that we all follow, with the 20 plus blogger participating I can guarantee you, no method will be the same. Homeschooling is a lifestyle and a path unto a goal or toward a direction that each family sets for itself. For us, this encompasses academic rigor, as well as Christian values and depth of understanding of how to live in this world as Christians. To that end, earlier on we had settled on a classical education.      10 years into it, I cannot say we have been very good classical homeshooler. We did not follow the method and philosophy to a T but instead adapted it to our family's routine and rhythm. We became more relaxed classical homeschooler. I had good intentions with the Latin and Greek, but not enough discipline and it did not appeal to the boys; my oldest son did two years, the...




















5 comments









Read more






























When Lightning Struck - A Book review




























Are you studying the Reformation? Do you love Historical Fictions? Do you love reading about the heros of the faith? Then read on...   As a homeschooler I always encourage my fellow homeschoolers to include Historical fictions in their study of History as it helps students really enter the time period that they are studying and get a better picture of how people lived and what they felt.      I recently had the privilege of reading a historical fiction titled When Lightning Struck: The Story of Martin Luther . If you have never heard of Martin Luther or read anything about him, you are missing out and here is your chance to learn who he was and what he did in an enjoyable way.   When Lightning Struck is written for Middle and High schooler, but I could not put it down. If you love reading you will devourer this book. It would also work really well as a read-aloud for upper-elementary kids. It contains 23 chapters of average length that will keep you wanting to know more.   When Lightni...




















1 comment









Read more