Our homeschool geography projects are due this week for co-op, and we are excited. Our planning started about three weeks ago so that when the actual project day happened we were ready. I read all of the rules and researched many ideas on Pinterest.
After that, I sat down with each kid and reviewed what was needed, who wanted to do a state or country, and found out all of the details. This is always my first step so that I can start visualizing a design. One chose California, one chose Las Vegas, and the third child chose the country of Georgia. Over the summer I had purchased the poster boards of different lengths and widths. Finally the day has come for us to make our projects!
Research Project Ideas
I had my oldest son research what he wanted to place on his California project, but first, for each child they had to use an encyclopedia to research. Once they found their information it was important for them to find ten facts they found interesting about the location. As hard as it was to narrow down the facts to ten they were able to get it done.
When researching homeschool geography projects I like for them to use books as the information is more factual. Some of the information may be found online, but then cross checked for accuracy. Many years’ ago a nice lady from our church gifted us a set of encyclopedia books and they have been a treasure.
Plan the Homeschool Geography Project Design
Following the homeschool geography project guidelines of course the next step would be the design. So, each child sat down and that is where my Pinterest research came in. Previously I located several interesting ideas and pinned them. Not long after we sat down they all had their design’s in mind and were ready to get started.
My one request was that they do all of their own work. For me it is important for it to look like a kid did the project, not an adult. After giving a few suggestions for each type of design we began the next step.
Laying out the project idea is a very important step before everything is permanently attached. Taking this step is important for the overall presentation of the board. Neatness is important so that is one area that I stress to take their time. It can look like a kid did the project, but still be neat.
Gather All Supplies and Materials Needed
Once the homeschool geography planning is done, then it is time to grab all of the supplies for each project. My oldest son wanted to do a design of the state he chose which was California. So he needed two pasteboards. One to cut the design of the state and label all of the highlights he found interesting, and the second to hold the information. After that he was set with a marker, glue, construction paper and a black sharpie. His project turned out great.
My middle son did Las Vegas, so we made that plan. he wanted his to be more of a pop up type of project. As we researched pictures and ideas he came up with some great design templates. His idea was more of a diorama and he needed a cardboard box. Well, since we are avid Amazon shoppers there was no shortage there. Aside from a little ink from the printer we spent no money on any project other than $2.00 on poster board.
My youngest son wanted to do his like a travel case so we designed a suitcase from a cardboard lid. That worked wonderfully. Likewise for his I spent no money and we printed off coloring pictures he could color and cut out. As for his facts, I wrote them out on scrap and he copied what I wrote in his own handwriting on his paper. All of the projects turned out better than I imagined.
Review, Reflect, and Rehearse the Presentation and Display
Upon finishing the projects for homeschool geography we review what we did, reflect on the facts and learning, then look up current events. Since they will be doing a presentation it is important they can carry on a conversation that includes more than facts. My youngest son learned that in the country of Georgia they are currently protesting. That led us into another discussion. So much to learn and many rabbit holes from his curiosity.
Not all learning comes from a book, and most of it can be done in a cost efficient manner. We could have went out and bought a lot of fancy products to make them “pop”, but we chose not too. Our goal as a homeschool family is to live happily in our frugal home in the suburbs.
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