Beginning at Zero

In deciding where to begin our trip around the world to "Discover. Learn. Explore." in our homeschool this year, I selected a zero point location. This location is not only the closest meeting point of the prime meridian and equator. It is also the "Cradle of Civilization" and birth place of Creation. The point at which the prime meridian (0 degrees latitude) and the equator (0 degrees longitude) intersect is in the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean. However, it is less than 400 miles from Ghana. What an amazing starting point! So, I felt led to start our world study on that country's homeland, the continent of Africa.

We spent the first few days reviewing map skills and different locations on the world map. Then we did a VERY broad overview of Africa. I printed out a map for each of them to label. I modeled this by labeling my own oversize map that I found at http://www.yourchildlearns.com/megamaps/print-africa-maps.html. It allows you to print the map several pages wide. I selected a 3x3 size and it worked great. The first picture shows the map I used posted on the whiteboard behind my children along with their maps and colored masks. The second photo is what it looks like up close after I labeled it. You can see there are nine 8 1/2 x 11 sheets of paper taped together to create the map in that size.

Tomorrow our journey begins and we take flight! On the first day of school I printed airline tickets that showed us departing from the closest international airport to us and arriving in Johannesburg, South Africa. They are really excited to use their tickets. So, I dressed in a white blouse with a scarf and hole punched their tickets as they enter our homeschool room. I don't know if you can tell, but I'm wearing my husband's shirt. It wasn't a perfect fit, but it worked just fine. Hopefully, it is obvious that this is my attempt to resemble a flight attendant. Hey, learning is supposed to be fun, right?

Kidzworld had some thorough information about South Africa. So, I printed it out and the children will read it by themselves first. Then we will read it together out loud and discuss the article. I liked it because it was written for children, not like looking it up in an encyclopedia. Sometimes information found during research can be over their heads. This article touches on early history, apartheid, Nelson Mandela and safari animals. It's a great introduction to South Africa.

One other link I want to share is for two videos I found on YouTube. One is a Welcome to South Africa promotional video. That video goes perfectly with the plane ticket and flight attendant scenario I plan to do. The other is an interesting video on Diamond Mining off the coast of South Africa on the bottom of the ocean. Both are long enough to feel informed but short enough that they won't get bored to tears. **Please be aware however, that there are two uses of inappropriate language in the mining video. I watched the time stamp to mute it so my children won't hear it. You may want to do the same.

Pandora is a great way to add another element for theme based learning. We did all of our work with Pandora playing South African music in the background. They loved it.

Enjoy the journey!