Studying Countries of the World with Let's Go Geography {A Homeschool Review Crew Review}

Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.

Two and a half years ago, the children and I had the privilege of using the first year of the curriculum from Let's Go Geography. We really enjoyed our time with this program and I appreciated the way it supplemented our core curriculum. So, when I learned that we were going to get the opportunity to try out Let's Go Geography, Year 2, I was thrilled. And, to my delight, I discovered that several of the countries we had recently been learning about, or were going to learn about, were included in Year 2. Perfect timing. 

We received two years of access to both semesters of Year 2. These digital lessons are provided in the format of PDF files. Each semester contains 16 lessons that focus on countries spanning the globe. 

As you can see from the screenshot above, each year focuses on countries throughout the world. Students move from North America, to South America, then to Europe, Africa, and Asia. Year One ends with New Zealand and a review, and Year Two ends with Australia. The program's final continent is Antarctica. 

As we did 2 1/2 years ago, we skipped around to match up with our history curriculum. We had been learning about Japan, India, and Russia during America's colonial times and earlier, so those are the countries we started with. And then, because of the influence that England had in colonial times, we moved on to England. 

Once we had access to the program it was simple to log in and find our lessons.

After clicking on the Year 2: Semester 2 image, we come to the page were we can click to download the lesson.

This opens up the PDF file which begins with a cover page.

All of the lessons follow the same format. There is a note from the author, which includes a reminder that we don't have to do every activity and can choose to work with what is appropriate for our child(ren). Though the curriculum is designed for children in grades K-5, I did have  Amelia and Tabitha working in the program as well. 

After the Table of Contents, there is an "Are You Ready?" page which gives tidbits of information about the country, such as what continent you will find it on, the nickname, capital, largest city, and the national language.

I print these pages out as the introduction to each country and we read through the information.

There is also an itinerary, or a checklist, which I do not print out due to trying to save my ink. However, it is a great resource for those who need a list to check off to make sure they have completed everything.

Before we get into the actual lesson, there is also a section titled, "Other Things You May Need." This includes the call number of the books that would fit the lessons and the supplies needed for the craft. 

There are then six chapters for the students to work through. I liked being able to work on Chapters 1 and 2 with the children before they got into the other information; though sometimes we didn't get to them exactly when I wanted to.

Chapter 1 is called, "Map It!" and it contains maps to print out along with instructions on how to color the country and label it while answering questions. We found such things as borders, water forms, and mountain ranges. 

Chapter 2 is called, "The Flag." There are little flags to print and cut out, then the children are to color them (and they even have color guidelines), and glue them into one of two places. The program has a passport that we could  use; however, I like using the "Flags of (continent)" page. I love that this continent page helps the child to see the countries we have worked on in relation to one another. 

I am using those pages as the first page of each continent's section in their "Travel Journal" binders.

After the introduction to the county, the children are to watch the videos that can be found in the next two chapters. They usually do this during their individual computer time, though sometimes we end up watching them together.

Chapter 3 is called, "The Music." I love listening to the national anthems of the different countries, along with folk music and other musical aspects of the culture. In fact, my favorite so far, was watching a man in Russia begin to sing their national anthem, and more and more people joining in right there on the street. It was kind of concerning, though ultimately funny, to see a police officer stop by and keep walking around. 

One of Tabitha's favorites was listening to some traditional music on a Japanese harp called a koto.

Chapter 4 is called, "Let's Explore." This section contains lots of pictures with captions full of information, along with more videos to go "sightseeing" with. There are video tours, and videos of food, culture, and transportation. 

A couple of the children's favorite videos came from Russia. The enjoyed the information about the ballet and the Russian nesting dolls. In fact, Amelia now wants a set for her birthday.

Harold surprised me when he said one of his favorite videos was the one where they learned more about the Taj Mahal.

As you can see, there are lots of different kinds of videos to watch to help the children learn about the country, and to appreciate another culture. 

Next, with Chapter 5: Create!, the children get ready to color a coloring page and create a project. Information is given regarding the image chosen for the coloring sheet, and instructions are given for the craft. 

Then, in Chapter 6: Printables, we find a classroom page of flags, lined notebooking sheets, coloring pages, and the printable portion of the craft. 

Harold wanted to make sure I shared a picture of his tiger from India.

Here are a couple of the crafts they completed.

When we were all done with each country, I had the children write down some important tidbits that had stuck with them. Harold and Hannah used the notebooking pages that were included in the printables section, while Amelia typed up her information on the computer.

I had planned to conclude each unit with a flag snack, but there was just too much sugar going on at times, so we have only made two so far.

This Japanese flag is actually made out of Rice Krispies treats covered in frosting.

And this Russian flag is a frosted cake.

As you can see, the children and I have had a lot of fun learning more about these countries. I love the varied activities. There are hands-on opportunities, reading and writing, plus videos to watch. I appreciate that the format is consistent so we know what to expect when we move from country to country. I also love that the author will include substitute suggestions for craft supplies, such as coloring salt for the India craft if you don't have colored sand.

All in all, I think this is a great geography curriculum, and I am so glad to have had the opportunity to use it again.

You can check out Let's Go Geography on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube.

Don't forget to click the banner below to see what my fellow Crew Mates had to say about Let's Go Geography, Year 2.