Let's Go Geography works perfectly as a Homeschool Co-op curriculum.
Why? Because that's what it was originally created to be!!
Of course, that's the short version of the story. Here's how it all happened.
[If you want to skip the story and just get to the nitty-gritty of how to use Let's Go Geography in your co-op, scroll down to the video at the bottom of the page! ]
[There's also a FREE LESSON at the bottom of this page!]
But back to the co-op story . . .
The Homeschool Co-op Curriculum Search
When I started teaching in our co-op, I quickly learned that finding Homeschool Co-op Curriculum was a challenge. A major challenge.
Actually, really frustrating.
Why so hard?
Because co-op curriculum is totally different than school, or even homeschool, curriculum.
Oh, the frustration of finding the perfect homeschool co-op curriculum!!
What You Need in a Homeschool Co-op Curriculum
For starters, you need WEEKLY lessons. As in 1 per week. And enough activities to fill about 1 hour. And “regular” curriculum doesn’t do that.
At. All.
So when I started teaching co-op History many years ago, I had to create my own schedule & activities. Kind of a curriculum, but I didn’t write the content. I picked out a textbook, created a schedule for reading it, and plotted out weekly class activities and homework for the entire year, pulling ideas out of lots of different places.
OK, not too bad.
Then a year or two later I added an elementary Spanish class. Same scenario, only harder! This time I chose a curriculum, but revised and re-scheduled the thing to fit my once-a-week class. And wrote my own homework. And grabbed games and activities from everywhere else. Whew…that was work!
When my 3rd (and final) class came along, at least I was prepared to be creative all over again. But I was stumped. What would I do with geography???
A Homeschool Co-op Curriculum for Geography
It soon became painfully clear that there wasn’t anything out there that would work.
Geography Co-op Curriculum: Problem #1
First, everyone seemed to focus on the the same 10-20 countries. The “popular” countries. Countries everyone has heard of, lots of people visit, and that have lots of resources floating around the internet.
Problem. The world has more than those 10-20 countries!
LOTS more!
Geography Co-op Curriculum: Problem #2
Another problem. I needed a 3-year rotation. So the same kids could take the class for 3 years in a row and always have something new.
Yep, we were going to have to do many more than 20 countries!
Geography Co-op Curriculum: More Problems
And, obviously, if the same kids would be taking the same class over 3 years, the curriculum would have to be multi-age. In other words, kids from a span of grades could be in the same class at the same time.
And I wanted fantastic activities. And then crafts. And of course, engaging content. Oh, and the list just grew.
Nothing out there would do.
Geography Co-op Curriculum: Solution!
I had no choice but to create my own curriculum. A schedule. All the Activities. And even the CONTENT!!
It was truly a brand new curriculum. And that’s how Let’s Go Geography was born.
And it has all of those things that I couldn’t find anywhere else.
Which means, 3 Years of Weekly Lessons! That right there is a show-stopper.
And each lesson has a wide variety of activities to adapt to all different ages.
We color maps. We color and glue flags. Kids learn from books &/or video. We make a craft to remind us of our new country. Coloring pages are optional. Writing is an activity for older kids.
Oh, so much fun. Kids learn by seeing & doing. The activities involve them in the learning process from start to finish!
And I’ve already done all the work so you don’t have to. Just open and go!
Geography Co-op Curriculum: How It Works
So you've read all about it, but you'd love to see how it works in a typical classroom setting. I've got that covered for you!
AND you can download a FREE LESSON to see what you think firsthand! [Legal nitty-gritty--With the lesson, you will also be on our newsletter list...that means a firsthand look at our teacher tips, new products, discounts, etc. Of course, you can unsubscribe at any time, but we don't think you'll want to!]. Grab your free lesson by entering your name & email below!
After you sign up, your free lesson will be delivered via email! Thank you!
Watch this video to see all the elements involved in a 1-hour, small classroom setting. I show you how I use everything, both in the K-2nd grade setting and with grades 3-5.
The video doesn't mention Junior High because it was made before those resources were published.
Want to know more?
Read about the curriculum here, and then
CLICK HERE to learn how Let's Go can meet your homeschool co-op needs.
