I've found that prescheduled and boxed curriculums don't work very well for us. We like to go with the flow so much, I'm seeing that we fit in well with the Charlotte Mason style of homeschooling. We love living books, and using them to learn about everything. I recently went through most of our books and pulled out our favorites for Science and Social Studies. We have
read through many of them this year. If you are looking for a fun and easy way to learn about these subjects, without any dry textbooks, here are some ideas for you!
Social Studies Books
Maps:
As the Crow Flies, A First Book of Maps- by Gail Hartman
This book starts out with the view of an eagle, and moves through many different animals, showing their maps of what they see. I think this is a really neat way to introduce the concept of maps. I also love the illustrations!
Community Helpers:
Richard Scarry's What Do People Do All Day
I think our favorite thing about this book is how detailed it is. There are so many different professions covered in this book, and it is also very interesting to look through.
Manners:
Crossroads of Character- Learning to Make Wise Choices - By Kate Boyer Brown and Marilyn Boyer
My daughter has really fallen in love with this book. It has realistic stories of things that kids can really relate to. It also shows photos of kids for each story. The stories cover topics such as obedience, patience, responsibility, and kindness. It covers twelve character traits, from a Christian perspective.
Share and Take Turns by Cheri J. Meiners
This is part of a favorite series of books on getting along with each other. These books give some great dialog ideas and other coping strategies to children when in different situations. The scenarios are very typical and easy for children to relate to. The illustrations are awesome too!
History:
A Street Through Time- A 12,000 Year Walk Through History- by Dr. Anne Millard and Steve Noon
This book is really fun to look at! We often will pick this up just to admire the artwork. I love the concept of it. It starts out with the Stone Age Hunters in 10, 000 BC and ends with The Street Today. It shows the same street over and over, depicting a different time for each two page spread. This book is quite fascinating!
Self Awareness:
How You Were Born by Joanna Cole
This is an oldie, but a goodie! This is a copy that my mom saved from 1984. This book is a gem! It is still in print, except it has updated photos now. I love having one that I remember from my own childhood. My daughter also loves this book. It is quite detailed, showing some of the basic information on conception, labor, and delivery. It also includes a photo of an infant breastfeeding and a photo of a mother on the operating table with an infant after a C-section. It is very all-inclusive, and this is one thing I love about it. Its also easy to skip reading some of the more detailed stuff if you don't feel comfortable introducing that yet. I feel it is very age appropriate for a four or five year old.
Cultural Awareness:
A Life Like Mine- How Children Live Around the World By Unicef in association with DK
This book is broken into four sections: survival, development, protection, and participation. Survival covers water, food, and health- detailing the conditions for kids in different parts of the country. I think this book is great for teaching that not all kids have what we have. It teaches the concept that people have to work hard to get some of the resources we take for granted. I love this book for illustrating how children live around the world and developing compassion for different people.
Wake Up, World- By Beatrice Hollyer
This book highlights children from several different countries, telling us their names, and how they wake up each morning. We follow their morning routines, and find that they do many similar things to us, just in different ways. This book is excellent! The photos help children to relate to other children from around the world. This is another favorite!
Would you like any of these for your home library? Check out my Amazon store for any of these titles. http://astore.amazon.com/homerevimom-20?node=1&page=1
What are your favorite Social Studies books?
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