Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Recommended Resources Geography resources for 5-6 year old

My DS5 is a science kid. Among other things, he adores geography. He has a globe, world atlas, world / US puzzles, climate/weather books, detailed books about the U.S. States, continents, the earth and natural world - you name it!

It's pretty comical to watch him drag his globe (it's on a tall stand) around the house to where I am to show me a new discovery or ask a question. Today he became fascinated by Central America as he just learned about the needs of kids in El Salvidor at vacation Bible school.

He asked for "Top Secret Adventures" from Highlights for his birthday...which seems to be a "Where In The World is Carmen San Diego?" kind of feel from what I see (it's a monthly magazine type game). Anyone have this?

Any other fun (and cheaper) games about geography your kids have liked? I would love it to be board game / non-computer since I'm always struggling to limit his screen time as he LOVES educational computer games.

TIA!

For the I-Pad: Stack the States and Stack the Countries. Super fun!

Top Secret is wonderful. DS started it at 5, you might need to help depending on DSs skills with a pencil and logic. The only complaint is the approach doesn't really vary - they have a set number of puzzle games they do and after 12 of these, it's. Little repetitive. We might actually stop it now and replace with something else. But it was so good DS made up his own pretend investigations around it! Also great for the plane - and whoever writes their villain cards makes hilarious puns!

Stack the states is fun too.

Depending on reading level I also recommend horrible geographies and the most fantastic atlas in the world by the brainwaves. My science DS loves all horrible sciences and all brainwave books. Also the basher books. DK encyclopedias are awesome - and their popups space and how things works, are much better science than you would think for a popup. Also great advanced picture books - ms frizzle goes to china, Egypt, ancient Greece, etc. and one I a, blanking on right now where 3 siblings walk into a shop and get a magic book which takes them places - ill see if I can find it! - that was easy - good times travel agency - adventures in ancient china, ice age, etc

DeHe

There are books on preparing for the National Geography bee. If he's not ready for them now, maybe he will be in a few years.

I'd like to relate a story about my 6yo geographer. We have multiple globes, and he has noticed that some countries have changed names. At a gathering we met someone from Zimbabwe, and I asked the little guy what the country used to be called. Our friend was stunned when my son said Rhodesia.

Does he like books? This is very, very pretty....

http://www.amazon.com/Over-Mountains-Aerial-View-Geology/dp/1931414181

DeeDee

I second "The Scrambled Sates of America" card game. DS6 got that for Christmas last year. I does say its for ages 8 and up, but we all know on here that those ranges mean very little. Connor got it at age 6 and loves it. If we had found it at age four he would have loved it then, too.

Thanks so much for the resources! DeHe...I appreciate the Top Secret review. My DH and I cracked up when my DS put the Top Secret info page from a Highlights magazine under my DHs pillow with a note that explained why this would be the PERFECT birthday present. I can't wait to look up these other ideas. He is going into K in the fall and is reading fluently at about a third grade level...but definetly reads higher level science books better then he reads fiction (if that helps anyone else with ideas).

Update...

We gave my ds the Scrambled States of America book and game to ds, and he ADORES them! Thanks for the suggestions. My inlaws also got him a few "Which Way USA" by Highlights, but we felt he was already getting enough Highlights things. He loved the state maps that came along with the magazine most....so I think we need to start a state map collection on our road trips (the ones at the welcome centers).

I ordered a year of "weekly reader" for my kid. It was due to come when school starts, but it hasn't started yet. I hope it has a good overview of the world for my little planetary native. There's also a Time magazine for kids but I went with weekly reader. You can't have everything. I have a very dry book called Everyday Geography that my dad gave me that size and shape and latitude and longitude of map stuff. My sons asks for me to read it because he thinks the names of the places are funny. I don't get it. I just read it normal. I think I read Peter rabbit much better, but, whatever.

Mm. Almost forgot. I have a book called one nation fifty states by Imagene Forte. I bought a pack of tracing paper and he's tracing and coloring each state with a flag and a state bird on it. I'm going to put these in a 1" binder so when he starts studying American history he can file his stuff under the right states. I'm going to have to put them in page protectors with a blank sheet behind them because they're tracing paper.

Just a couple more suggestions... the Great States board game. My DD6, loves to play that. My DS9 (who finished in the top 12 in the state Geo Bee..brag ..LOVED his talking LeapFrog globe. He got it for his 5th birthday in Oct. and by Dec. was able to rattle off all the capitals of all countries in the world..and pronounce them correctly He still plays with it.