Soaring the World: 10+ Middle School Geography Resources for Homeschool

Geography can be so much more exciting than we give it credit for. These 10+ resources for middle school kiddos to soar around the world.

Geography is a subject that is often overlooked. If it’s included in a purposeful way, we often view it as a get-it-done program. But there are SO many interesting resources & curricula. Why go for boring when you can enjoy it?

Teaching my kids to understand their place in this world is one reason we incorporate current events into our homeschool. Geography can help do that, too. I want them to know who they are now but also who they are in the scope of history and in this beautiful, huge world.

Middle School Geography Curriculum

A Visit to… — We used this curriculum, from Simply Charlotte Mason, when my oldest was in middle school. Using books like Material World & Hungry Planet, she ‘visited’ various continents via the daily lives of the inhabitants. It was well-done & interesting but heavy in reading & writing.

If you want a middle school geography program that goes beyond an isolated geography subject, check out Build Your Library 7. History, geography, and literature are globally focused. An elective on world religions keeps that focus on world geography.

Journey through the USA & Journey the World — This year, we were going to do another year of Maps, Charts, and Graphs + Geograph Now (below)….until I came across Journey Through the USA. I am excited to use this one! Cooking, books, and “road tripping”??! Yes, yes, yes!

Geography Add-on Resources

BBC Travel — BBC’s travel section has a plethora of articles that are super engaging. No, these aren’t the “Here’s a 5-day itinerary for $699” type of article.

Collections like Customs That Bind Us, Lost in Translation, and Islands of Imagination help put is in the shoes of another. Culinary Roots & Frozen Flavors help us to learn about countries through their food.

Their articles are approachable, and the engagement level is perfect for middle school kiddos.

3D Geography — This is a new-to-me site out of England, and I’m so glad I stumbled upon it! Created by a group of geography-loving teachers, you’ll find projects, worksheets & more. Ideas are grouped by country and/or geographical feature; it’s easy to sort and navigate to find the perfect add-on for your curriculum.

Rick Steves Classroom Europe — We love Rick Steves’ show on PBS, but I don’t always want a full episode. Last spring, he posted about his Classroom Europe collection of video clips. Perfect! You can search by country, topic, time period. You can create your own playlists or use one that someone else created. With his style of teaching about countries through their culture & history, these would make a great addition to your history studies, too.

Geography Now — If you haven’t stumbled upon this channel, you are MISSING OUT! In each video, you’ll learn about the language, customs, food, and history of a country. (The host has been working through the world in alphabetical order.) He presents the information in a fun, engaging way.

How the States Got Their Shapes — If you’ve ever looked at Oklahoma & wondered why it has a handle, wondered why Wisconsin juts into Minnesota, or wondered why Colorado’s borders are so neat & straight, this series is for you.

Geography Games

Wordle spurred a craze of similar games across a variety of genres. In the world of geography, check out daily games like Worldle, Where Taken, and Globle.

In GeoGuessr, you’re dropped somewhere in the world using a street view map. Your job? Collect clues to discover where in the world you were dropped.

Trekking the World — We purchased a different game, Trekking the National Parks, from the same company a few years ago. It’s on a regular rotation in our homeschool, so, when I had the opportunity to try out Trekking the World, I quickly took it. This one didn’t disappoint! There are so many destinations I’ve never even heard of on this game. The cards include descriptions of each one. A little strategy, a little geography, a lot of fun.

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