I shared a few weeks ago that I was selected to be a part of the 2010 TOS Homeschool Crew, and today I’m doing a practice review as we gear up for the start of the year! I received the e-book unit study, Travel the World, the June 2010 Module supplement to the 2009 Schoolhouse Planner for this review.

The e-book starts off with an overview of geography from a Christian perspective. I loved the way scriptures are used to highlight God’s creation of the earth, reminding the students that He is the author of the world’s story.

In this overview, students have the opportunity to study each continent, learning vocabulary and gaining understanding of the globe. Links to maps, games and learning activities provide important additional resources. Activities such as coloring pages, copywork pages (for both manuscript and cursive), a word scramble, crossword puzzle, beginning lapbooking components, and question sheets can be used for students of different ages. There is even a high school expansion section, leading to further geography study for older students.

This module is definitely a starting point for more extensive study of the world. It is an effective overview, encouraging students to further explore different continents and nations. The information is balanced with colorful maps and images, and my girls enjoyed looking at the maps and trying to follow along as I read to them.

The e-book is designed to be used with a variety of ages, and it can definitely be adapted to fit whatever grade levels you are teaching. My daughters are 6.5 and 4.5, and they found the information very interesting. My 6.5 year old said the best part was learning that the earth is tilted (on its axis), not straight. My four year old liked the coloring pages.

In many ways, I feel that children as young as mine were not able to take full advantage of the information and resources presented in the module. For them, it was a great first introduction to geography and a reminder that there is much to learn about the world! With that in mind, my opinion is that older students (approximately ages 8 and up) would be better suited for this study. For parents with children of multiple ages, this is definitely a study that all the children in a family can do together, with each age (including the little ones) doing the activities that apply best to them. I plan to reuse this e-book in a few years when my girls can take better advantage of all it has to offer.

The Travel the World E-Book is available for download from The Old Schoolhouse Store for $7.95. There are also other modules available to supplement the Schoolhouse Planner. It is not necessary to have the Schoolhouse Planner to use these modules.

This post is linked to the TOS Homeschool Crew blog. For more reviews of this product by other TOS Crew members, visit the main post!

Disclosure: I received the Travel the World E-Book free of charge for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was received. The opinions stated in this review are my own and were not influenced in any way by the publisher.

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