Around The World Blog Around The World In Homeschool Days

Leo Migdal

-Dec 14, 2025, 3:38 AM

around the world blog around the world in homeschool days

Homeschool Geography Curriculum: Country Studies made easy for the homeschool parent We did it! We studied every country from 2020 to 2024! What’s next? I’ll be updating the blog and continuing to write country studies. In 2020, we threw out the textbooks and started on a quest to study every country of the world by reading diverse, living stories written by people who have grown up or lived in...

Letting the content of the book lead the way, we followed up with art projects, STEM learning, music activities, animal science connections, cooking the food of the country, map work, and so on. Now THIS is the geography curriculum that works for us. After I figured out our process, I started compiling our favorite activities into elementary homeschool geography curriculum units to share with you. More about me. A land of extremes, Finland has topped the charts as the happiest country in the world for the past five years! Is it their concept of sisu, or resilience?

It is due to the practice of taking a sauna, alternated with an icy cold water dip? Is it because of a reformed educational system that places emphasis on a student’s overall quality of well being? I think it’s a combination of all these, and more! Nature is so important to the Finns that there is a law that permits people to respectfully forage on all land, public and private. Finland is the most heavily forested nation in Europe and nicknamed “the land of a thousand lakes.” This emphasis on nature has influenced writers, composers, and artists. We decided to study Lapland along with our study of Finland because the language of the Sámi people is closer to the Finno-Ugric languages than it is to the Scandinavian languages.

The first week of this cultural study is focused on learning about the history of Finland through stories. The second explores Finnish Lapland, a few amazing phenomena that occur in the Arctic, and the connection between the Sámi people and reindeer. Ten out of eleven book recommendations are free to read online at archive.org. I recorded a youtube video of the eleventh, with permission from the authors. This means all of the books are easily accessible from the comfort of your own home! A new feature of my cultural studies is the addition of daily short blurbs of background information to enhance the stories.

Together with carefully chosen videos, this study will make Finland come alive in your home as it has in ours. Designed for early elementary aged students, this free literature-based homeschool Around the World unit study explores 16 different countries through colorful picture books, engaging read-aloud stories, videos, recipes, and hands-on activities. The following content may contain affiliate links. If you purchase something from the links, we may receive a commission. Welcome to The Family Years – Around the World Homeschool Unit Study! This FREE literature-based unit study combines Geography, Language Arts, Social Studies, and Art to introduce students to 16 different countries and cultures around the world.

Designed for early elementary aged students from 1st grade through 3rd grade, students will be enthralled with the colorful diversity of each country explored through books, videos, recipes, and activities. The unit study is designed to delve into one country per week for an entire semester. At this pace, it will take approximately 18 weeks to complete. As with the other free homeschooling unit studies offered on our site, you are encouraged to go at your own pace, but a 4-day curriculum example is included with each section. The Around the World Homeschool Unit Study uses two world atlases, the National Geographic Kids Beginner’s World Atlas and the Lonely Planet Kids Amazing World Atlas. Let’s explore how boundaries and belonging work together to create safety, connection, and authenticity in our families.

Especially for those of us parenting and home educating neurodivergent and PDA children who need spaciousness, autonomy, and felt-safety to thrive and learn. The conclusion of the “Start Where You Are” series Conventional interventions often offer “helpful harm,” leading to poorer outcomes than self-directed educational approaches for dyslexic and other neurodivergent learners. Brave writers learn naturally—through relationship, conversation, play, perspective, and partnership. Julie Bogart shows parents how to grow fearless, confident writers. Happy Summer! Our school year is complete and we had such a great year!

This year we did Around the World studies to cover many different subjects: geography, science, history, and art. Combining all these subjects together made our year so simple, laid back, and fun! We learned so much and made many memories together. We were able to study 17 different countries! For each country we studied, I have put together a blog post of ALL our favorite books we read, crafts and art projects, experiments, science & history topics, and more! I know many of you are hoping to do similar Around the World studies next school year or in the future.

So todays blog post is a round up or “master list” of all the country blog posts we did, resources we used, as well as science biomes we added, so you have everything easily... Bookmark this blog post for easy future use! First I want to start with my blog posts on all the resources, books, and curriculum we used, plus a review of our year. Around the World with Picture Books & Extra Resources My mission is to provide my four children a Charlotte Mason home education that is rich in the liberal arts without compromising diverse living stories. With a heart for the Great Commission and world studies, I started Around the World in Homeschool Days to share my ideas and help others incorporate diverse voices, art, music, cooking, and folklore into...

I grew up in an atmosphere of diversity in the DC area, meeting missionaries and hearing their stories through my Christian & Missionary Alliance church. While filling out a what-do-you-want-to-be-someday worksheet, I have a distinct memory of my young self asking, “How do you spell missionary?” I caught the travel bug early…whenever they could, my first-generation immigrant parents brought us back to visit their homeland of Taiwan and on side trips to other countries. During my college years, I made friends from all over the world and had an amazing semester abroad, experiencing God’s worldwide church firsthand. Charlotte Mason’s emphasis on the Holy Spirit as Guide speaks to my heart as I keep the Great Commission at the forefront of our homeschool. Raising biracial children, I am delighted to discover that there are many diverse books that did not exist a mere generation ago.

I like to imagine that Charlotte Mason would approve of the variety of living books, resources, and experiences that are available to us today. I hope you join us on our story-filled journey through the countries of the world. Our “Around the World” homeschool unit reminded me of the incredible value in teaching our children about the continents, cultures, and ecosystems that make up our awesome diverse world. Understanding the layout of the earth and the unique traditions and lifestyles of different cultures helped our kids grow in empathy, curiosity, and respect for others. By weaving in stories of missionaries, we introduced them to real-life heroes who made significant cultural exchanges and highlighted the importance of compassion and service. Each child received a passport and money from various countries.

Learning about different currencies added a practical layer, giving our children a glimpse into the economic systems of various countries and the concept of global markets. Geography tied everything together, providing a sense of place and helping our kids locate countries, cities, and natural landmarks. When we explored ecosystems, we discussed how the environment shapes the way people live, work, and interact with nature, encouraging our little ones to think about environmental stewardship and sustainability. This holistic approach to learning not only broadened their academic knowledge but also nurtured a well-rounded, global perspective—one that I hope will inspire a lifelong love for exploring and understanding the world around them. We used many different resources for this exciting full year Around the World unit study of all of the continents around the world. We used Beautiful Feet Around the World in Picture Books Vols.

1 & 2, On Mission from Gentle + Classical Press, plus many atlases from Usborne and Classical Conversations, as well as My Father’s World Exploring Countries, among other materials sprinkled in! For our morning time, we used Case for Christ Devotional, then the children go started with their morning work which consists of math and language arts. Home >> Homeschool Unit Studies >> Geography This is my homeschool geography plan for studying Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne. I have listed resources first, then my study outline. For more general geography resources see my Kids Geography Resources page. I found that following the journey greatly increased our map skills.

The book touches on not just travel around the world, but modes of transport, plus information about time lines and the equinox. It also inspired us to have conversations about why we have passports now! (DVD). This was an interesting modern day version of the same journey. There are also several films available on Amazon, but reviews were mixed so we didn't bother. If you can recommend one then please let me know.

Homeschooling with literature in this way was great fun, and I would encourage you to try it! For more books dealing with homeschool geography, see Geography Homeschooling Books.

Around The World Blog Around The World In Homeschool Days

People Also Search

Homeschool Geography Curriculum: Country Studies Made Easy For The Homeschool

Letting The Content Of The Book Lead The Way, We

It Is Due To The Practice Of Taking A Sauna,

The First Week Of This Cultural Study Is Focused On

Together With Carefully Chosen Videos, This Study Will Make Finland