Geography

IMG_20150625_091339Since the Geography program for the year looked so amazing, namely Mapping the World by Heart, it seemed rather selfish to not share it with Ria and Brandon’s friends.  Ria and Brandon thoroughly enjoyed having classmates other than themselves and it was wonderful to watch the children soak in so much information.

What a beautiful world is our earth, so varied and vivid and large!  We covered the North American continent and Central America. ( We hope to gradually traverse the world)! That children can immerse themselves in an atlas and actually find it interesting, that they can hear the name of a foreign country, a river, a mountain range, a city, and immediately place it correctly on a map, not just on paper but in their minds, has been fascinating.  Understanding physical features, building play dough look-a likes and drawing real bays and gulfs from maps, gave us a hands-on feel instead of distant-black-and-white(may I add, boring) text-book geographical diagrams.

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At the end of the class, the children formed teams and each presented one area we had studied.  The presentations were clear and articulate. It was obvious that they were eager to share what they had learned. They compiled their presentations by themselves, showing a lot of creativity and intelligence.  I only helped tweak their presentations ever so slightly.  To watch them present so confidently, so competently, the knowledge they had gained was incredibly rewarding.  The teeny, tiny glitches and omissions only made their presentations that much more endearing!  ( Thanks to Ria for splicing and editing the videos, and thanks to Lii, for uploading them since my internet couldn’t handle the job!!) Next time we hope the video quality will be better and clearer!

Pereira Team – Canada

Shew Team- USA

Bundela Team – Mexico and Central America

Down the road I hope to have a more in depth, concentrated, Indian geography class, but a world view and a sense of , “Yes, I live in India but the earth at large is my home” seemed to come to all of us so naturally.

I must say they have been a patient class, putting up with their teacher when she would spontaneously beak into song at irresistible geographical trigger points.  ‘Way down yonder on the Chattahoochee’  just had to drawled out when we looked closely at Florida; and Harry Belafonte’s ‘Day-O’ simply HAD to be sung when we got to Jamaica!  You can only imagine the range they had to put up with in New Orleans and Nashville! Poor things!

IMG-20150716-WA0004Ages ranged from 9 -13 but everyone did the best to their ability.  They worked congenially with a sense of camaraderie rather than competition.  I thoroughly enjoyed the class dynamic and I think so did they.  It was refreshing to learn all together.  I’m grateful to the parents and their beautiful children for letting this class happen. I am sending them all a big thank-you with this post! Last but by no means least, my Ambleside Schools International mentors, whose guidance made this class an actuality and  one of ease and enjoyment, I extend my deepest thanks.

About Probhita

Quite ordinary, really. Where I do consider myself extraordinary is in that I have been tremendously blessed with the sweetest family and the best of friends. It is nothing short of the richest luxury to be loved as I am! Being challenged to think and break away from status quo is a personal priority. I believe that the Creator of the universe has a plan for my life and random chance is not the way of my existence. I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. I deeply uphold tolerance - I may not concede to a thought being right - but will always respect its view. The privilege of having the best parents in the world and growing with caring sisters in a rather unique setting is an aspect closely cherished. My youngest sister, despite being oceans away, always remains my closest friend and my biggest encourager! I have a wonderful husband who loves me and two gorgeous children. I presently live in India. This blog is the embarking of a journey with Charlotte Mason's philosophy of education as I continue to homeschool my children. I hope their childhood will be as fulfilling and memorable, if not, more, than mine.
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4 Responses to Geography

  1. Renu Bundela says:

    Hey Pope,
    What an awesome post!
    You are now officially my childrens favourite teacher!
    I saw the videos all over again and am in awe and wonder. How much they have learnt in such a short time. Thank so much for all your efforts and love toward all the kids and for sharing this amazing geography programme with us. I so wish that I could sit in on your classes too. I’m so grateful you found the Ambleside school too!
    Lots of love and gratitude,
    Renu.

    • Probhita says:

      Thanks so much, Ren! If you ever try to alter your children’s obvious bias, I’m not going to talk to you again!! Your kids did an awesome job and went the extra mile of even making their own map! I loved it! I’m looking forward to the class starting up again. Hopefully at the end of the month.

  2. Lii says:

    Hey you,

    I wish I could sit in on your classes. How many times have wished that I could’ve been one of your home school students from the start. I get a tad jealous thinking what all my teachers in school didn’t teach me, especially, when I hear your kids rattle of stuff as if it was common knowledge. I remember one time when Brandon was tiny, we went to a store where there was a Roman pillar. Little Brandon looked at it and told me exactly what kind of a Roman pillar it was. And since you started the Ambleside curriculum, it has been even more interesting and exciting.

    I am sure the kids really love you and your teaching. You have a way of making things that could be mundane and boring very exciting.

    Lii

    • Probhita says:

      Thanks, Lii! I sometimes suspect that I secretly home school to re-educate myself! (Oops, hope that wasn’t a Freudian slip!) But it is true, many of us moms will testify that we learn so much in the bargain, it really is most gratifying!!

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