Travel the World Module

After being chosen for TOS Crew I am being given the opportunity to practice my reviewing skills by receiving an e-book which happens to be a module from The Schoolhouse Planner. Specifically the June 2010 module entitled Travel the World. They have a new one each month.

From the publisher:

“What is a module?
A module is an add-on for The Schoolhouse Planner, the amazing planner brought to you by  The Old Schoolhouse®. This module includes a study guide, activity pages, quizzes, coloring pages, copy work, lap booking, and more!”
Plus…
“You do not have to have The Schoolhouse Planner to use the modules. Each module is designed to be its own stand-alone unit study. You can choose to purchase the modules by themselves or bundle them with The Schoolhouse Planner.”

I actually bought this years planner and LOVE it! I also have a few modules but have never really used them as it was the end of our school year when I got them.
My first impression, that it is a wonderful, concise overview of World Geography.

So I start looking through it and my 7 year old son plops down and wants to know if there is lots to write (he has some issues with writing). After he looks on with me and sees that it’s not all worksheets he insists we read the first page, then he just has to click on all the linked definitions. Then he wants to do all the linked quizzes and fill out all the puzzles. I think if it was up to him he would  do the entire unit tonight.


I really got to see how much he knows about Geography just by doing about 10 minutes of the module, skipping around mostly. He just wants to answer everything and show me what how smart he is. I am amazed because most days during our school year he is so hard to engage.

I show him some of the other features like the coloring pages, extra resources (including some super fun family activities), lap book section, recipes, high school section, and copy work. So he counts the copy work passages and asks me “Is this for a whole week?” I tell him it seems to be set up so that you can really dig in to the fun stuff and spend a good amount of time on it all. So you can spend as much or as little time on this as you want.

I truly think we will get a lot out of this. This module is set up in such a laid back but organized way that I want them all (is that a bad thing?). This is written for all ages and easily adaptable for all types of learners. I myself used it with both my 3rd and 8th graders. I liked that it was a e-book and therefore easy to carry around on my Sony book reader if necessary, and that instead of just page after page of information there are links to take you straight to fun ways of learning new things. I can print out the things we need when we need them and at 56 pages including the answer keys it won’t kill me with the paper and ink costs.

And the verdict is in: The boys had such fun working alongside each other but being able to do their own work. I loved the planning I do NOT have to do and that the fun extras were right there at my fingertips. Although in our case I think I need to schedule the online games and such for separate times with each kid.
We ended up spending a lot of our time with the boys arguing over sharing the computer screen. I was beginning to think the laptop was going to end up on the floor. I love the unit but not that we had to use the computer for links. I think we all loved the song, the kids got so into it, even my teenager. All in all this is an excellent unit study, very thorough and engaging.

The Old Schoolhouse Magazine is the publisher of this little gem and in their Schoolhouse Store the modules sell for $7.95 each but by buying a combination package or bundle you can save quite a bit. Please visit TOS Crew to see other reviews for this product to help you make an informed purchase. 
        Mandy
Disclaimer: I am a reviewer for The Old Schoolhouse Magazine’s Homeschool Crew. I receive products to review for free in return for my honest opinion. I have received The June 2010 Homeschool Planner Module for this purpose from The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. I have not received any financial compensation for my review.