The following post is a collaboration between Around the World Stories and MommyMaestra. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Homeschool parents! If you're raising a world citizen and are searching for a geography curriculum that supports your efforts, then Around the World Stories may be just what you're looking for!
As a mom, one of the most important things I want to pass on to my children is an appreciation for world cultures and travel. I’ve been traveling ever since I was a kid, and my husband and I have tried hard to continue traveling with our kids while they are growing up. So when I was given the opportunity to review Around the World Stories, a program created to make learning about countries around the world, I enthusiastically agreed. Here's what I think about it...
Geography & Social Studies Curriculum
I love it when I can knock out more than one subject at a time. And I especially love it when a company recognizes that geography is more than just memorizing maps and names. It’s about the people and the traditions and the culture. And this curriculum - Around the World Stories - does exactly that. It combines both geography and social studies to help make countries around the world come alive for kids using audiobook stories, printable activities, and cultural information. My 8 year old is the perfect age for this program, and I will be able to use it for several more years, so this is a winner, winner, chicken dinner in my book. Overall, the program is best suited for kids ages 4 or 5 to 11-years-old.
If I wasn't a homeschooler, I would still be intrigued by this program. Especially since many schools no longer teach geography. If that was the case, I think I would use this program over the summer with my kids, or as a weekend activity once a month.
Printable Learning Activities
Around the World Studies is like a digital library. Parents (or students) can login to the website and select a country that they want to learn about. The country’s home page pops up with 5 tabs to choose from:
Stories (more about that in a minute)
Exploring [Country]
Arts & Culture
Food
Printables
The Exploring tab gives you a broad overview of the country with little sections that highlight important aspects of the country. For example, when I select the country Spain and click on the Exploring Spain tab, I learn a lot of fun facts about the country, such as their New Year’s tradition of eating 12 grapes at midnight, or that Spain has more than 3,000 miles of coastline, or what Spanish tapas are. The topics selected for this page typically relate back to the stories that are shared for each country.
In Art & Culture, they talk about Flamenco, Cubism, and the master painter, Picasso. I like that it included an art project with video tutorials for creating your own Cubist painting. And in the Food tab, they highlight iconic foods and even include printable recipes!
It seemed to me that most of the tabs included at least one printable activity, but you can easily find them all in one place under the Printables tab. This just makes it easier to find them once you’ve finished listening to the stories and going through the tabs.
The Stories
The real highlight of this curriculum, though, are the stories. Around the World Stories has written original stories that they have then uploaded as audiobooks. Each country has several to choose from. They typically run about 30 minutes.
My 8yo finds the stories engaging for two reasons:
Different characters are often portrayed by different voice actors, including kids.
The stories themselves are unique and fun to listen to.
I like that I can play the stories anytime and anywhere. We can listen in long car rides, during our school lessons, or even at bed time. The first night we listened to one before bed, we thought it was a fun change from our traditional bedtime reading routine. In fact, my son asked if we could listen to another the next night. For now, I have agreed to listen to one once a week instead of reading a bedtime story.
And since I know that audiobooks play such a valuable role in my son’s reading development, I can take extra joy in listening.
Great for Individuals or Groups
This semester, I have the pleasure of helping out our local homeschool co-op by teaching Global Cultures & Travel Studies to middle schoolers. I have found this program to be such a great way to supplement my lessons. Each week, I choose a different country to teach about. While designing my lesson, I use Around the World Stories as a reference for topics and printable resources. Time doesn’t really allow for me to use the stories, and my students may be a little old for them anyway, but the printable activities were a great addition.
Right now, Around the World Stories offers content for 21 countries:
Austria
China
Czech Republic
England
France
Germany
Greece
India
Ireland
Italy
Japan
Nepal
Netherland
Poland
Portugal
Russia
South Korea
Spain
Thailand
Turkey
Vietnam
Want to see them add a particular country? Follow them on Facebook or Instagram and let them know!
How it Works
Around the World Stories is a subscription-based program. For $29.95 a month, you get a ticket each month to use in the digital library. Just login to the website and click on Stories to see the list of countries. Click on the one you want to learn about that month and get immediate access. Or you can choose the yearly option and get 12 tickets all at once. And if you use up all 12 before the year is out? No worries, you can buy extra tickets at any time.
If your kids are still too young (or are grown up), but it would be perfect for nieces, nephews, or grandchildren, then you'll be happy to know that they also offer Gift Certificates!
The hardest part of it all is figuring out which country to start with!
If this program sounds like a good fit for your child, visit their website today to learn more.
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