When I was very young, my grandmother gave me a wonderful book called It’s Fun Finding Out About People and Places. Boy, is that title true! I still have this book and my family treasures it.
Little ones are naturally attracted to maps and globes and places all around the world, so it’s a shame that more attention isn’t given to the study of geography, especially in the early grades. As a longtime homeschooling mother, I can attest that geography workbooks are something my young learners always look forward to.
After trying different versions over the years, we were given a chance to review Skill Sharpeners Geography by our friends at Timberdoodle homeschooling.
Teaches the Basics + Bonuses!
With this series, your child explores the world while learning key map skills and geography concepts. First grade starts out close to home, with maps of rooms and parks and neighborhoods. It branches out towards the end to US state and country snapshots. There are also lessons which cover basic map skills like symbols, terms and demographics.
There are lots of hands-on activities, too, if your child likes working with crayons and scissors and glue. There’s a removable answer key in the back which you or your child can use to check work.
I love that Skill Sharpeners includes both lessons and activities, all in a compact and colorful workbook. There are teaching pages that you can read and study together and then one or two work pages after that to reinforce the concepts.
Example of lesson pages:
Example of activity pages:
The scope of Skill Sharpeners Grade 1 covers:
- Map skills
- Places and regions
- Continents and oceans
- Habitats
Book details:
- Softcover, 144 pages
- Available separately for $8.99 or included in Timberdoodle’s First-Grade Curriculum Kit
- Available in grades Pre-K through 6
Speaking of fostering a love of geography, I always recommend that every homeschooling family invest early on in a good atlas of the world. If your children are at different grade levels, you can purchase one for young children and a more advanced version for teens and adults to reference. And don’t forget an attractive tabletop globe (Juvale has a classic one for under $20)!
