I always wanted to do the two books from A Child’s Geography – Explore His Earth and Explore the Holy Land – written by Ann Voskamp. But it never happened. But when the third volume in the series – Explore the Classical World – this time written by Terri Johnson from Knowledge Quest became available for review, I jumped on the opportunity both curious about it and eager to discover something new for our geography.
“The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.” Saint Augustine
This book will allow you to travel to far-off lands with your children as you discover the lands of Greece, Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Slovenia, Italy, San Marino, the Vatican and Malta – countries all situated around the Mediterranean Sea. In all, this gem of a book contains twelve countries to explore as a family and experience as well.
This series is geared toward grades one to six but it is also attractive to middle school students as well. I know because my oldest son, who is in grade seven this year, is always eager to learn more about the countries where we travel – so far we have explore Greece and enjoyed it. Terri is keeping the lively style introduced by Ann Voskamp in the previous two volumes – which by the way is making me wanting to get these titles as soon as we have finished this one because the style is engaging, fun, and allows you to interact with the writer.
This specific volume – Explore the Classical World – will allow you to use your imagination in order to to walk in the footsteps of Socrates, Alexander the Great, the Apostle Paul... You will experience and understand ancient civilizations as well as great empires from what has been left behind and carefully preserved. You will hear stories that were passed down from generation to generation, before the advent of paper and printing presses. You can even do hands-on activities in order to allow you to taste and explore more the classic world. Taste? Yes, the book also includes fun recipes from the countries you will be visiting in order for you and your family to taste some of their delicacies.
Fifteen chapters will provide engagin text,amazing photos, narration prompts which will allow your kids to cement the things learned, notebooking/timeline/mapping activities, helpful pronunciations for the mom as well as a glossary at the end of the book. A CD is also included at the end of the book which is packed with activities on art, music, poetry and delicious food from each countries. You can also pray for these countries with prayers provided for you.
As homeschoolers, I am always hoping to find books that will attract the attention of my kids. So far while exploring Greece together, I am impressed with the interaction of the kids when I read the text. They are eager to look at the photos, to find specific places on the map and to answer the comprehension questions after I finish reading a section. We also had the opportunity to discover a submersible bridge, see an Olympic vaulter in action which allowed us to imagine how the Minoans youth would jump over charging bulls (not to try at home!), and watched windmills running. For chapter tree, I know that I want to try out a specific recipe – making homemade baklava. I look forward to try something new in my kitchen! Also included with this curriculum is a list of extra reading selections that you can used on top of reading this book. My only small disappointment is that there isn’t more videos suggested in this section – like for example the Drive Thru History video on Greece which would be a great supplemental video to watch. This specific video often comes in our discussions because we had watched it last spring and the kids remember some part of it like the Oracle of Delphi and the Diolkos road. Reviewing these places with this book is fabulous because they know exactly what the author is talking about.
Are you intrigued by this new title in the series A Child’s Geography? You can download the first 3 chapters to read and try for yourself! I am encouraging you to do so and discover on your own what this great book has in store for you and your kids. I am very impressed with the way it is written to the point that I am putting the previous two titles on my curriculum to buy list. (hint hint for whoever reading this that desire to bless our family!)
A Child’s Geography Explore the Classical World is available for purchase at Knowledge Quest for the price of 34.95$ US for the soft cover or 24.95$ US for the ebook version. It is also available at amazon.com.
GIVEAWAY
I am authorized to give away one digital copy of A Child's Geography: Explore the Classical World! Follow the instructions below!
But wait, it’s not enough – if you live in the USA, you can win a mega giveaway as well. Check out the information below!
MEGA-GIVEAWAY
Here is the final Prize LIST: A Child's Geography Volume 3 with Wonders of Old Timeline Book ($34.95 + $24.95), Writeshop Primary Level (winners choice of A, B, or C) $29.95 + 4.95 + $16.95, NotebookingPages.com Treasury Membership ($99.95), Philosophy Adventure Physical set ($89.95), Raising Real Men prize package ($50), See The Light (2 DVDs) ($30), King Alfred's English and Baktar (Laurie White) ($13.89 + $10.95), A Journey Through Learning $50 Gift Certificate, Romans, Reformers, Revolutionaries Intro Pack from Diana Waring ($64.95), Lilla Rose (2 Flexi Clips) ($32.00), and 3 Months A+ Tutorsoft ($49.95).
Disclaimer: Thanks to Knowledge Quest for sending me the above mentioned product for review purposes as part of the Bow of Bronze Launch Team. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.
