When I begin to plan our homeschool year, I try to stay realistic. While I would love to do deep dives into every subject I can think of, the reality is, that’s just not possible.
I always start with math and language arts because those are our “non-negotiables.” No matter what, those get done every single day. And they aren’t very fun to plan.
But then I get to do the subjects that light me up! History, art, geography and science are SO much fun to plan! There are thousands, if not millions, of ways to teach these subjects. Whether we choose unit studies, all-in-one curriculum, hands-on learning or a YouTube channel to learn from, it’s so exciting to piece everything together.
The problem is, I can’t do everything. While I wish we could, that’s just not feasible.
So each year, I take a look at my plans and decide which subjects we can simplify in our homeschool. These things will be taught, but in a more fun, relaxed way. We won’t be digging out bulky textbooks to learn these topics.
Last year, that was science. We watched tons of YouTube videos and did hands-on experiments.
This year, it is geography.
At first, I was nervous because I didn’t know HOW I was going to teach it, while making it enjoyable AND simple.
But then I found Around the World Stories.
This post is sponsored by Around the World Stories. All opinions are my own.
I recieved the product for free and was compensated for my time.
Around the World Stories is a highly effective way of teaching kids about different countries and cultures in the world. Using powerful stories, students learn about life in other regions. Kids get a window into other cultures, while the learning points are woven into each story.
How Around the World Stories Homeschool Curriculum Works:
Parents and kids are able to choose from any of the countries. (There are currently 21 countries to choose from but the library is still growing!) Each country comes with four 30 minute audio stories about a child from that country.
To join, customers sign up for a monthly subscription to receive one ticket each month. Each ticket can be used to unlock one country. There is also an option to purchase 12 tickets at one time instead of getting one per month.
It’s easy to simplify your homeschool with Around the World Stories! Parents and kids currently have 21 countries to choose from. Once you’ve decided on a country, you can sign up for a monthly Explorer subscription, which gives you one credit each month or choose the World Traveler option, which gives you all 12 credits at once!
More Than Just Educational Audio Stories for Kids:
Stories Around the World includes 4 stories for each country. Not only are the stories engaging and exciting for kids, ages 5-12, but they’re also the PERFECT screen-free learning tool!
Each country comes with:
- 4 30-minute stories that feature a child’s adventure in another country
- Printable simple kid-friendly recipes
- Custom coloring pages that go along with the stories
- Printable activities that connect to the country’s culture
- Discussion questions that bring the ideas to life and help you kids understand the different ways of life
- Background on each country
- Fun facts and more!
These stories are not your run-of-the-mill stories. Instead, they are infused with kindness, good values, respect, generosity, honesty and compassion. Seeing the world through another’s eyes is important but it’s even more important when you’re looking through the lens of someone with good morals.
How We’re Using Stories Around the World in our Homeschool:
While using stories at bedtime, at dinner or in the car are all great ways to learn from them, we’ve opted for a little bit of a different approach.
Each month, we choose a country and study that country for the entire month.
I’ve simplified the process by using Around the World Stories. Instead of going to the library to find texts to read, we’re opting for more hands-on learning.
This month, we studied China, since we have some family history in the country.
I gather up all of our supplies for a fun hands-on activity and gather around the kitchen table. Once we were settled in, I start our story! Barrett loves listening to stories in the background, while keeping his hands as busy as possible. That’s why these stories work so well for him.
I let Barrett choose which story we start with. The China options are:
- The Patchwork Dragon
- The Beijing Spy Hunt
- The Wall Watcher
- Return of the Panda
We started with Return of the Panda. I love how there is so much information intertwined within the story. Within the first few minutes, Barrett was shocked to learn that people in China wear masks nearly all the time, to avoid the pollution. This sparked a conversation that ended up with Barrett calling his grandparents, to see if they wore masks while they spent some time in China.
After we listen to the story, we do an activity. We were lucky enough to have a Chinese tea set so we enjoyed some tea, trying to replicate the important Chinese rituals as much as possible.
The following day, we decided to draw some panda artwork. This was a fun, relaxing activity that was guided by an artist from Around the World Stories. It was a bit longer and took us around 2 hours to complete.
One of Barrett’s favorite activities was looking at our Chinese birth years. He laughed and laughed, while he compared the descriptions to people he knew. (His sister was born in the year of the rat and he thought that was just hilarious!)
A few of his other favorite activities for China were playing a chopstick game and practicing our Chinese writing! We also made a “Chinese” dinner of cashew chicken with fried rice. (I know that’s not authentic but it sounded good, so we made it!)
Why I Love Stories Around the World
As a busy homeschool mom, this has changed the way I teach geography. He’s learning so much, through the informative and engaging stories, hands-on activities and real-world experiences.
I love that I don’t have to prep anything! We can pick and choose which activities work for us. If we have a slow day, we can do the longer activities.
The recipes are one of my favorite things about Stories Around the World! While we’re learning about foreign places, the ingredients are generally all things I have on hand!
Most of the activities are things we can easily integrate into our everyday living. For instance, making the recipes is a great way to start a dinner conversation with the whole family! Barrett can tell his siblings what he learned about the country and they chime in, with their own fun facts. It’s been a great way to SPARK learning in our family! Because, you know that as soon as we get up from that dinner table, the teens are heading to YouTube to see what they can find out about the Great Wall and other fun topics!
Not only has Around the World Stories simplified our homeschool, it’s made learning a natural addition to our lifestyle.
Grab one FREE country of Around the World Stories today!
