World Geography

 
It is my daughter's senior year.  I have been planning her lessons, debating between books and programs. Geography has been my most time consuming class to plan this year.

When I thought about what I wanted a World Geography class to contain, I asked myself what I wanted my daughter to know about the world.  Most high schoolers take World Geography in their first year of high school.  Since I placed my daughter in the same classes as her older sister when she began high school, she is actually taking this class in her senior year.

Geography is about so much more than finding countries on a map. It's about people.  It's about cultures.  It's about learning about the great beauty and variety that God created.  

I took a long time to pick what I wanted this year to contain. I liked some selections other Geography programs held, and dismissed things that I thought were not valuable or were busy work.  That meant that the workbooks were out the door.  Instead, I scheduled in a computer-based program with a lot of pictures and videos of the countries being studied.

Adding in my own special touches was important to me.  I choose a selection of books, both physical and digital, to supplement the computer learning.  I wanted a mix of books, from biographies to spiritually encouraging works. 

One area that has come to mean a lot to me was the book, Material World.  With rampant materialism the norm in so much of society, I want my daughter to see that many people in the world live very differently. The glorification of "stuff" is not a value I want imparted in my children.  Material World is an older book, built it shows that so many in the world have few possessions.

A few years ago I had purchased the Jesus Freaks' Martyrs book. I was touched by the stories from around the world and throughout time of those that have loved Jesus and died for serving Him.  Then, last month, I found the book Sister Chicks.  Following a similar pattern of the Jesus Freaks' books, Sister Chicks follows Christians around the world at different times.  These aren't Christians that were martyred for their faith, but ones that lived for Him.  

I chose these books and some of the biographies, such as Kisses from Katie and Basher Five-Two because I wanted to show the work of God around the world, in hard times and good, in different eras.  I also included books like A Long Walk to Water because so many struggles in this world are ones that we don't hear about until years later. Like Material World, I hope to touch my daughter's heart to the world.

Geography should not be boring.  The world is a fascinating place.  Different cultures and landforms, languages and religions, landmarks and foods...  it's a world of wondrous variety.  I want my daughter to learn about this world, to be informed.  She is also reading the book But Don't All Religions Lead to God.   I want her to understand other religions, and to have a firm foundation in her own. 

This year is my last year with my daughter in our homeschool.  She is a young woman that is learning about the world.  She is working and driving and maturing.  I am praying for her to be the woman God wants her to be, to follow the path He wants her to follow.