Geography - Parents Page
Why Include Geography in Home Schooling
According to the National Curriculum, here are the Top 10 Reasons to Study Geography:
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To understand how the Earth works — things like the relationship between the Earth and the Sun, the water cycle, and wind and ocean currents.
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To learn where places are and what makes them special — their landscapes, cultures, and people — so we can understand how the world is connected.
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To explore the past and see how geography has shaped the movement of people, ideas, and societies over time.
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To build a mental map of your local area, your country, and the world, so you can understand where things happen.
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To find out how natural and human processes — like rivers, weather, cities, and farming — change the Earth’s surface.
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To understand how people and places are organised, and to see patterns in what might first seem random.
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To notice connections between people and places at all levels — from local communities to the whole planet.
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To make good decisions about how humans use and affect the environment.
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To value our planet as everyone’s shared home and learn how to take care of its resources wisely.
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To understand global interdependence — how countries rely on one another — and become a responsible global citizen.
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How To Record The Learning
For our dyslexic learners, writing long pieces of information about a geography topic isn’t always helpful. Instead, you can record your ideas and answers in other ways — for example, by making an audio or video recording on your phone. This still counts as good evidence of your learning.
Another great method is mind mapping, which helps you organise your thoughts in a clear and creative way. Here’s how to make one:
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Start in the centre with a picture of your topic, using at least three colours.
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Use images, symbols, and short words throughout your map.
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Choose key words and write them clearly in upper or lower case.
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Each word or picture should be on its own line.
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Connect your lines to the main image in the centre — make them thinner as they move outward.
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Keep the lines about the same length as the word or image they connect to.
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Use lots of colours to make your map interesting and to help group ideas.
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Develop your own style of mind mapping — make it personal to you.
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Use arrows, shapes, or highlights to show links between ideas.
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Keep it clear and easy to follow, with main ideas in the centre and smaller ideas branching out.
Mind maps make learning visual, colourful, and easier to remember — perfect for geography!
Including Geography in to the Learning Routine
At Orchard Training, we include Geography in our projects wherever it fits naturally and can be fun to learn.
You don’t need any special or expensive equipment to study geography. Each project includes a list of resources you’ll need and ideas for places to visit. All our projects are designed with the home-school budget in mind.
The biggest cost is usually for materials, but we try to use recycled items whenever possible — and sometimes recycling is even part of the project itself!
Following A Set Geography Programme of Learning
Because our learners are home-schooled, we don’t have to follow the National Curriculum exactly. This means we can explore topics that really interest you.
For example, we can:
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Learn about the routes of travellers in Britain and how they helped shape the country’s economy.
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Discover the traditions of fairgrounds and how they have changed over time.
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Visit and study different local places of interest.
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Explore the countries where your grandparents came from, simply because it’s part of your family story.
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Focus on what you find most interesting — if you prefer studying rocks instead of country borders, then that’s what we can do!
For our learners on the Autistic Spectrum, some geography topics might feel a bit challenging. Questions like “What would have happened if…?” can be difficult, because they involve imagining things that didn’t actually happen. In the same way, looking at both sides of a debate (for example, whether a dam should be built in a National Park) might take some careful guidance.
It can help to start with a Geographical Timeline, keeping everything factual and clear, such as:
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“In the beginning there was…”
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“After that came…”
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“The next event was called…”
If a topic really interests you, you should be encouraged to explore it fully — to the very end.
Including Geography In To The Learning Routine
At Orchard Training, we include Geography in our projects wherever it fits naturally and can be fun to explore.
For example, in our Rivers Project, we study the River Thames, the River Borne, and the Wey Navigation System, because we live between them. We look at both their history and their geography, since how they were used is just as important as where they are.
In our Chess Project, we explore how place and culture have influenced the design of chess pieces over time. For many of our learners, understanding where we are on the map is an important part of learning.
That’s why we use maps often in our projects — to find out where things are in the world and how far away they are from us. I believe this is really important. When I once visited a school in the USA, only 2 out of 30 students could find France on a map of Europe! I’m sure they only knew where the UK was because their teacher told them before I arrived.
You don’t need any fancy or expensive equipment to study Geography. Each project includes a list of the resourcesyou’ll need and ideas for places to visit. Our projects are written with the home-school budget in mind.
The main cost is usually travel or entry tickets. To save money, plan ahead, combine visits with other activities, and bring a packed lunch — just like a real school trip!
