Supplementing Fifth Grade with a Geography Workbook

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We added an additional workbook into our homeschool routine to supplement our fifth grader's lessons. We used Skill Sharpeners Geography - Grade 5, courtesy of Timberdoodle, to study the world in spatial terms, places and regions, physical systems, and human systems. 

Concepts and Lessons 

Unlike the second-grade workbook, I didn't assign all the lessons to our son out of the fifth-grade workbook. Some lessons didn't fit into our studies or our worldview. And we also skipped several hands-on activities. 

There were quite a few lessons that were great supplements to our regular social studies and history lessons. For example, both hands-on activities from The World in Spatial Terms allowed our son to work on real-world skills. He had to map a route and plan a vacation in Europe using trains. These were great activities that focused on skills he may someday need. We don't just rely upon GPS or Google maps for directions. Physical maps are key to getting where you need to go. 

Another lesson in the Human Sytems unit allowed us to talk about farming, crops, and ingredients. From reading about terrace farming to examining food in our pantry for wheat, corn, or rice, our son explored food and farms.

We still have three experiments or hands-on activities saved to supplement our science and geography lessons. We will be making a rain gauge, making mountains with graham crackers, and an igloo. 

Units We Skipped 

There were more than a few pages, lessons, and units we skipped. Some were a little too complicated to do at this time (dinosaur dig hands-on activity using bones of a whole chicken) and the solar oven. Others discussed ideas we don't necessarily agree with, while many of the application activities did not supplement our lessons. But that is the great thing about homeschooling. You can pick and choose what to use and teach.  

My Final Thoughts 

Skill Sharpeners Geography – Grade 5 provided many supplemental lessons for our fifth grader. While I don't think I would purchase the grade 6 workbook, I am very happy we were able to review grade 5. If you are looking to add additional geography lessons to your homeschool day, check out the Evan-Moor series of Skills Sharpeners at Timberdoodle. 

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