http://www.hulu.com/watch/91849 We're looking a lot at Eastern Europe. This is the episode of Rick Steves' Europe in which he shows us Budapest, Hungary. His half-hour program is such a Great way to bring geography alive!
My kids' first reaction to Rick was to say his voice was funny and squeaky (kids are so critical...), but they are liking him now that he is more familiar, and he really draws them into the places he is sharing. His pacing is fast enough that it never drags, but steady enough that he never leaves even the eight-year-old behind (though, of course, the youngest kids don't always pick up on the subtle details). He brings out interesting historical tidbits and connects us to the language and culture in little ways that really leave us with the flavor of a place. This episode (and the ones in Poland and the Czech Republic) can raise difficult topics, because his trips to this part of the world necessarily and appropriately include visits to Holocaust memorials and museums dedicated to the memory of people lost and human rights abused under the Nazi and then Communist regimes. I am going to go ahead and have the kids watch these all the way through. The issues are addressed as delicately as honesty will allow and are a respectful and natural way to bring up these hard topics. I did warn the kids after we watched the Hungary video that we will see these things brought up again in the other shows. Poland, naturally, is the most difficult.
We looked at Great Britain at the beginning of the year. The kids enjoyed this game along with their geography.
It is for elementary age kids, takes some time, and you do have to create an account with a username and password, so with multiple kids you will want to create multiple accounts or have them play as a group. Things go more smoothly if you create the accounts before you sit down with the kids to play, but it can be nice to do it with them if you want to help them gain some internet savvy (but, then again, maybe you don't want that!). http://www.portcities.org.uk/london/server.php?show=ConPackage.20
We're looking at Eastern Europe and Russia these last few weeks. This is a three-minute video we watched while the kids colored a map of Russia and the countries that used to be part of the U.S.S.R.
I do a lot of prep work for each week of learning, as does any teacher. Some of the things I find around the internet add a lot to our learning journey, and it occurred to me that someone else might enjoy the resources we use, too. Most of what I use is videos of places around the world that we are studying, or that appear in a book we are reading. There are a few online games, but mostly websites where information is interesting, enjoyable and accessible in whatever way. I hope someone else is able to use these things, too, if only for your own enjoyment and learning.
*look at that picture! one mom, one kid...it would be so EASY!!* ;o)
