Preparing for the National Geographic Geo Bee

Posted by Susan Hyde Oct 23, 2008

Most fourth graders would rather have a tooth pulled than study a school subject for fun. Not my son. Like many gifted children, he is intense about his interests. For him, maps, history, landforms and culture rank right up there with race cars, chocolate ice cream and Scooby Doo. In fact, he has enjoyed studying maps, atlases and geological landforms since toddlerhood.

This year he's taking his passion up a notch to prepare for the National Geographic Geo Bee.

It really helps that the "big stuff" -- state capitals, continents, bodies of water, and the locations of the small former Soviet countries that all seem to end in "-stan"-- but there is plenty more to learn. In addition to ever-changing country boundaries, the diverse cultures and terrain in Africa, for instance, make it a particularly tricky continent to study

We're homeschoolers, so he has plenty of time daily to "play" on his computerized Smart Globe, review his atlases and prep guides, and draw maps. While this is fun for him, I try to mix it up a bit with IMAX and National Geographic videos that highlight different areas of the world. We also spend a little time looking at online resources each day. For instance, National Geographic has a great website with daily quizzes.

As a homeschooler my son's first round of competition will be with a Maine Homeschool group will be in December. Regardless of how he does, it is fabulous that he has an opportunity to study something he loves.