#HiHomeschool – National Geographic Kids Edition

I gotta tell y’all something. Sometimes we (me) homeschoolers be doing too much. Scrolling through Instagram be making us think that we need all the curricula. It got us signing up for all the learning apps and education subscription services. I’m going to tell you like I tell myself, we don’t need all that. Now, don’t get me wrong. I love a good curriculum. And those online subscription-based services be saving my sanity some days. The thing is though, it’s all bells and whistles. This month I want to share a simple way to plan your own curriculum. I usually include our National Geographic Books in my Monthly Bookshelf but this time I wanted you to think about how they really help you plan your year. I’m sure your first thought is, yea, they might be good for science but what else? So much more than simply science. The National Geographic line has books for just about every topic. And most of them can be used for more than one topic. Here are a few books that we are currently enjoying and the topics we are covering in the,

Critter Chat – This book is hilarious. It is all about animals using social media. If you love puns, you can’t miss this. JustaBXgirl and I love the Animal Influencers. It is a great way to learn about animals and discuss social media usage with your littles. Subjects: ELA, Science, Sociology, and Social Emotional Learning.

Speak Up, Speak Out – I’ve always known vaguely about the good troublemaker that Shirley Chisholm but this book shares so much more. This woman was fighting the good fight and is such an inspiration. This biography walks us through her life and reminds us that just like Shirley did, it is our responsibility to speak up and speak out. Subjects: History, Women’s Studies, Political Science, Activism

Little Kids First Big Book of Baby Animals – HOPS loves looking through this book. As expected, National Geographic comes through with the photos. They are so beautiful. The information included is delivered age-appropriately while still giving lots of education. Subjects: Science, Geography

Little Kids First Nature Guide Bugs – Our favorite page of this book is the Move Like a Bug page. We pretend to be the bugs and practice the way they move. I’m excited that JustaBXgirl is still into being silly with me and HOPS. JustaBXgirl has always had an interest in insects so this book is a great way for her to teach HOPS about the bugs featured inside. Subjects: Science

Ultimate Food Atlas – JustaBXgirl loves looking at maps. She also loves food. That makes this book one of her favorites. I love how this book takes us around the world introducing us to delicacies found in different places while also sharing recipes that we can try at home. If you’re looking for a way to world school from the comfort of your home you have found it here! Subjects: Geography, Social Studies, Cooking

Can’t Get Enough Space Stuff – I love how diverse this book is. It teaches littles about space in a variety of ways. It shares facts and photos. The book introduces vocabulary words that may be new to your littles. It also offers hands-on projects that take the learning off the pages. And of course, my favorite part of the book is the jokes and riddles. JustaBXgirl loves the tongue twisters. Subjects: Science (Astronomy), ELA, Critical Thinking

5,000 Awesome Facts (About Animals) – This book delivers animal facts in small doses. I mean, when sharing 5,000 facts, you can’t be long-winded! By delivering them in one sentence, it allows littles to decide if they want to learn more. And sometimes, might even make them want to fact-check. Did you know that fish have four nostrils and that wombat poop is cube-shaped? Wouldn’t that information make you curious to learn more? You can definitely use this book to help build out a number of different units in your lesson plans. Subjects: Science

The Big Book of W.O.W.– This book is one of those that will have you remembering that life is often stranger than fiction. It has nine chapters and each one is filled with things to make you say hmm, wow, or that’s amazing. It takes you around the world and even out of this world as it introduces information that can be used in lesson planning or simply to spark conversation. Subjects: ELA, Science, Sociology, Geography, History, Fantasy

Dinosaur Atlas – Sometimes JustaBXgirl gets into a dinosaur mood. She just wants to sit and read about dinosaurs all day. This atlas has become a favorite to turn to on her dino days. My favorite part of the book is the dino dictionary. It clearly lays out names, pronunciations, and geological time periods of all of the dinos included in the book. Trust me, there are a lot of them. Another favorite section is the theories on what happened to the dinosaurs. It allows for much discussion and some critical thinking as we go over the included theories and come up with our own! Subjects: Science, ELA, Geography, Math, Critical Thinking