Around the World in 180 Days: Our Weekly Schedule

Here I share what we plan to do on each day of a typical homeschool week. My son is 12 turning 13 this year, but this could be easily adapted to suit children of other ages.

Each week we will focus on one country (like Kenya) or region (like West Africa). This year-long unit study includes geography, people of the world, literature, and the arts.

Book of the Week

There will be a special book chosen for that week to be read from each day (divide the number of chapters or page numbers by five to finish in a week). Many books are available as audiobooks, and some have junior reader editions, so if you have a struggling reader you can use those resources. The books I will be listing are "middle grade" which is fancy for saying the target age is 8-12, and the protagonist is twelve. If it suits you, a longer book could be stretched over two weeks.

If you have younger children, there are many picture books available (probably at your local library!). Do a quick Pinterest search, or use the book Give Your Child the World as a reference. 

While you're picking up your focus book, I recommend getting a few nonfiction books about the country (or animals native to that country) for your reading basket. There will be time each week for him to choose books from the library basket to read more about the country.

MONDAY: Mapwork

We begin the week by reading any corresponding pages in The Cities Book. This book has 2-page (and occasionally 4-page) spreads for 86 cities all around the world. It is a rare week that a country we are studying will not have a city featured in this book. If you don't want to buy a book, explore the city on Google Earth.

Next is an atlas page. I'm sure I could have found worksheets to kill the joy out of our year's study, but instead he will be making his own atlas. What do I mean by that? I printed blank maps (mostly from Printable World Map online--they're free). I bought a 1" binder that I filled with sheet protectors. His job is to take the blank map and fill it with important geographic and political details. How do we know what to put there? A quick Google search should answer that question, but our nonfiction library books about the country will likely have a map with major cities, mountains, rivers . . . that sort of thing.

TUESDAY: Reading More

There are two kinds of reading for Tuesday: Worldwide Church and Library Basket.

Worldwide Church

I have been researching articles from our church magazines (Latter-day Saint) that are set in places all over the world. While I have been compiling them into a binder, they are all available online for free. With no ads. Whatever article(s) we have for our country-of-the-week will be assigned reading, then he can move on to the library basket.

I have also been admiring the biographies of famous missionaries (Christian Heroes Then and Now) that I've seen online. I haven't bought any yet, but I've been thinking about it.

Deseret Book has pre-orders (though no publication date) for Standout Saints: Church History Heroes from Around the World. This book features pioneering Latter-day Saints from all over the world. I look forward to seeing the published book so I can see which countries are represented. Judging by the sample pages, it appears to be for youth in the middle grades (8-12ish). 

Library Basket

This should be fairly self explanatory. The idea is to select several library books--nonfiction country guides, books about animals, a short biography, maybe even a picture book or two. Due to COVID, I have been running solo library trips, but if not, I could give him a short list of books or topics and let him go find the books. As it is, during reading time he can pick and choose any of these library books to look at or read. He is not required to finish any of them. I will not even require a book report or worksheet. One of my biggest goals this year is to encourage my son to read more books.

WEDNESDAY: Poetry, Art, Music

While I plan to have a poetry snack/tea time each Wednesday afternoon when the school day is done, the other subjects will not each happen each week. We could loop them, but I think which subjects we do will depend on the resources I am able to find for each country.

Poetry

We absolutely love The National Geographic Book of Animal Poetry. Gorgeous photographs of so many animals, and a great range of poetry--from the serious to the silly. This is one book the whole family will enjoy. 

After school will be our family poetry time. Read about Poetry Teatime here.

Art

I had originally hoped to find an art appreciation packet for each continent. I imagined myself posting an art print on the chalkboard each week. Unfortunately, most art appreciation resources out there overlook Africa, Latin America, Australia, and much of Asia. 

This is taking more effort than I expected, but I am finding resources. Many museums have a strong online presence, allowing you to look through their collection digitally. The library has art books. There are more resources for Western art, but some effort should bring other options to light. Amazon also has art books that focus on different countries or continents. Be careful, as some of these are old text books with black and white images and inflated prices. I have a couple in my cart that I might purchase if I feel the library/online combination is not serving us well.

Music

YouTube has many music videos. When in doubt, preview before sharing with your children. The Piano Guys have been creating a series of music videos filmed at what they have chosen to be the "Seven Wonders" of the World. From the Colosseum to the Great Wall of China, these are beautiful videos that show the world.

If you want to keep your schooling offline, The Thinking Tree as an album of music "inspired by" different parts of the world, called Around the World in 14 Songs.

THURSDAY-Documentary

Whether you are using PrimeVideo, Disney+, or (to a lesser extent) Netflix, there are many documentaries available. If you are not subscribed to any streaming service, I suggest looking for travel vlogs or tourism videos on YouTube. Every self-respecting country promotes themself with a tourism video, and some adventurous individuals have made traveling the world their career. 

FRIDAY-Puzzle and Current Events

Puzzle Map

We purchased the GeoToys puzzle maps of the continents. So far we have been using the Africa puzzle, and it has really helped with my recollection of where the various countries are in Africa. For school, I plan to set a stopwatch and graph how my son does each week, as we will spend multiple weeks on each continent, and I think it would be a practical application of graphing as well as encourage him to race against himself.

If those puzzles are cost prohibitive (I won't deny that I hesitated an entire year before I purchased the entire set) there are other options. Print a blank map and see how many blanks can be filled in before peeking. Or buy a laminated map of each continent and let them use dry-erase marker. Find a geography app (if you have a recommendation, please share below) and use it weekly. Have an old-fashioned "Geography Bee" where your children compete to be the first to point at each country you name.

Current Events

A quick search through the World section of a respected newspaper should yield recent news to read and discuss about your area of study. I would like to remind parents that dramatic world events which children enjoy studying through history lessons can become anxious and nightmare-inducing when they are studied as a current event (you don't know how it might turn out and if it might yet affect you or people you know). During the middle grades, I believe it is still prudent for parents to preview and help select the less anxiety-inducing news articles.

EXTRAS

Sometime during the week I might prepare a dish from the country we are studying (Kenyan mashed potatoes as a side dish for dinner, for example).

There are so many good documentaries, but there are also movies either produced by or set in our country of study. Our family already has expectations about Friday's movie night, so I have to offer these movies at another time, such as Sunday evening or as an option for days when schoolwork finishes early.

Morning Devotional

 Early this year our family began doing a morning devotional. It is one of those small and simple things that I can't believe we didn't start sooner.

What we do (and don't do) during morning devotional

Our "real" family scripture study takes place in the evenings. This is where we read (or attempt to read) a chapter from the weekly Come, Follow Me. We do it in the evening because that is when the entire family is home. 

In the morning I wake the late-sleepers and invite them into devotional. If the 5-year-old doesn't pop out of bed by himself, I will carry him into the living room where he will snuggle on the couch with a blanket. Most of my children are teenagers. Sometimes they refuse to get out of bed and come in. I finally got to the point where I would hold devotional with whoever came in, even if it wasn't everyone. Most mornings we get four out of five children. If my husband is working from home, he will typically come up and join us.

Morning Devotional

We invite the family to kneel for prayer. A boy wrapped in a blanket kneels beside the couch and buries his face in his arms. The youngest cuddles on my lap. Good enough. We pray.

I open up to the next page in Don't Miss This in the Book of Mormon. There is a scripture quote featured at the top of the page that goes along with our Come, Follow Me study for the week, then a short story or deeper thoughts related to the scripture that only take a couple minutes to read.

Some weeks we work on memorizing. For example, I printed several quarter-sheet size copies of the new Aaronic Priesthood Theme. My boys read the theme together once a morning for a couple weeks. Then we tried the same thing with the new Restoration Proclamation, using just one paragraph at a time. I've kept the old memory cards, and some weeks we pick one to review (instead of doing something new).

For about a month we tried including a hymn we were learning, but our early morning voices don't do them justice, so we haven't done that in a few months. 

Recently, I began including my 5-year-old's weekly scripture story at the end of devotional (the older ones usually are helping themselves to cereal by this point). These illustrated stories have been published in the Friend magazine. I have compiled them in a 1" binder with sheet protectors. The stories are available in the Gospel Library app under Scripture Stories for Young Readers. We might read the same story for two or three days in a row, until the next morning he can tell me the name of the main character and what happened in the story. Sometimes the stories line-up with what the family is reading for Come, Follow Me. But we don't limit ourselves to that. At his age, he still needs to hear a couple of times a year about Noah's ark, David and Goliath, etc. That means we are focusing more on breadth than depth for him at this time. 

"By small and simple things are great things brought to pass," (Alma 37:6). It only takes a few minutes to do morning devotional, but over time, the little things make a difference.

Mosiah in My Book of Mormon Journal

Greetings, friends. After I finished journaling the small plates of Nephi, I was exhausted. Not only were the illustrations I had been doing time-intensive, but the rate of achievement plus the time of posting everything was taking a drain on me. I wasn't sure I wanted to keep going.

After a few months of not feeling the strain of expectation (either others or myself), I found myself returning to journaling. I thought I would share with you my few posts through the Book of Mosiah.

"You do not earn a blessing--that notion is false--but you do have to qualify for it. Our salvation comes only through the merits and grace of Jesus Christ," (Elder Dale G. Renlund, "Abound with Blessings," Ensign, May 2019).

When I wrote the following quote, I didn't realize it was the second time I used it (the first time was in 2 Nephi 10). Apparently this quote really resonates with me.

"We are to remember in as personal a way as possible that Christ died from a heart broken by shouldering entirely alone the sins and sorrows of the whole human family," (Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, "Behold the Lamb of God," Ensign, May 2019).

I love this quote from King Benjamin: "Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend," (Mosiah 4:9).

Jumping forward in our timeline, we have Abinadi, arrested and bound before the king. The wicked priests try trick him by asking for an interpretation of several verses from Isaiah. Not only does Abinadi answer them, but he is able to quote back at them an entire chapter of Isaiah! (See Mosiah 14 or Isaiah 53). And which chapter does he choose? One that preaches of Christ. All of it deserves to be written in illuminated lettering, but I chose two simple quotes.

"Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows," (Mosiah 14:4).

"He was wounded for our transgressions," (Mosiah 14:5).

In chapter 16, we get the last words of Abinadi's sermon---the one that resulted in a martyr's death by fire. What does he tell the wicked priests in the last two verses? "If ye teach the law of Moses, also teach that it is a shadow of those things which are to come--Teach them that redemption cometh through Christ the Lord, who is the very Eternal Father. Amen," (Mosiah 16:14-15). 

In the sidebar, I wrote, "By offering their own little symbolic lambs in mortality, Adam and his posterity were expressing their understanding of and their dependence upon the atoning sacrifice of Jesus the Anointed One," (Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, "Behold the Lamb of God," Ensign, May 2019).

Faced with the verdict of death, the wicked priests offer Abinadi a chance to live, if only he will deny the words of his sermon. In response, Abinadi states, "I will suffer even until death, and I will not recall my words," (Mosiah 17:10). This reminded me strongly of a Bible quote: "Till I die I will not remove mine integrity from me," (Job 27:5). As you can probably tell, I rushed the process and didn't pencil in the word integrity into the banner I had already traced in pen. Oops. What's a girl to do? After much deliberation, I extended the banner and added the final three letters. It could be worse.

Next we have Alma preaching and baptizing in private by the waters of Mormon. In the sidebar I wrote, "This declaration by Alma at the Waters of Mormon still stands as the most complete scriptural statement on record as to what the newly baptized commit to do and be," (Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, Christ and the New Covenant, as quoted in The Book of Mormon Student Manual).

6 Weeks in Africa (Homeschooling Around the World in 180 Days)

I'm so excited to study Africa! Great biographies, great stories, great food!

The following isn't a completely polished and perfect lesson plan. I have some more adjusting to go before using it for my family. But I wanted to share it in case it was of use to others.

Week 1: Kenya and Uganda

Book of the Week

When Stars Are Scattered, by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed. Based on the true story (of co-author Omar Mohamed) of his life growing up in a Kenyan refugee camp. This hard-to-put-down story is presented as a graphic novel. Don't let that dissuade you from reading it. This is a powerful story. Let the tears flow.

Omar and his younger brother, Hassan, have spent most of their lives in Dadaab, a refugee camp in Kenya. Life is hard there: never enough food, achingly dull, and without access to the medical care Omar knows his nonverbal brother needs. So when Omar has the opportunity to go to school, he knows it might be a chance to change their future . . . but it would also mean leaving his brother, the only family member he has left, every day.

Heartbreak, hope, and gentle humor exist together in this graphic novel about a childhood spent waiting, and a young man who is able to create a sense of family and home in the most difficult of settings.

Poetry

Read pages 30 and 136 from The National Geographic Book of Animal Poetry: “Moody Guy” and “The White Rhinoceros,” “The Greater Cats,” “You’ve Got Male,” and “Lion,”

Have poetry snack or tea time (everyone shares a poem. Song lyrics and nursery rhymes count).

Additional Reading

“Kikonco: 12-Year-Old Homebuilder,” by Breanna Call Herbert, January 2019 New Era.

Dr. Wangari Maathai Plants a Forest (or a picture book biography about Wangari Maathasi. At least four titles were published. Choose whichever one your lending library has available).

Maps

The Cities Book: Nairobi Kenya, p. 134-135

Printable map

GeoToys Africa puzzle. How long does this puzzle take you to complete? Make a graph to track your puzzle time over the next six weeks.

Documentary

Disney+

            Disney Nature: African Cats

            National Geographic: Man Among Lions

Netflix

PrimeVideo

YouTube

Family Movie Night

Queen of Katwe, (Disney+). A girl in Uganda discovers she has a talent for chess.

Recipe

Kenyan Mashed Potatoes. These mashed potatoes are green!

Week 2: Tanzania and the other “Z Countries”

Book of the Week

Untamed: The Wild Life of Jane Goodall, by Anita Silvey (National Geographic Kids). Lots of photographs from Jane Goodall's life, along with a well-written biography.

Lexile 1100L

Jane Goodall, one of the most recognized scientists in the Western world, became internationally famous because of her ability to observe and connect with another species. A girl of humble beginnings and training, she made scientific breakthroughs thought impossible by more experienced field observers when she was only in her twenties. Then these animals shaped Jane's life. She began tirelessly fighting to protect the environment so that chimpanzees and other animals will continue have a place and a future on our planet. Jane Goodall continues to leave the modern world with an extraordinary legacy and has changed the scientific community forever.

Poetry

N.G. Book of Animal Poetry: “A Flamingo Is,” p. 118 and various elephant poems on p. 26. Note: the elephant on the facing page is an Asian elephant. There is a breathtaking photograph of African elephants on p. 14-15.

Family poetry time.

Worldwide Church Reading

“Gaining My Faith One Step at a Time,” by Elder Edward Dube, a general authority seventy from Zimbabwe. (April 2020 New Era).

Maps

The Cities Book: Zanzibar Town, Tanzania

Printable map

GeoToys Africa puzzle. How long does this puzzle take you to complete? Make a graph to track your puzzle time over the next six weeks.

Documentary

Disney+

            Disney Nature: Mystery of the Flamingoes

            Disney Nature: Elephant

            Disney Nature: In the Footsteps of Elephant

PrimeVideo

Windows of Change. Rated G. University students spend nearly a month with children of Mozambique.

YouTube

Tanzania Safari Trips-Serengeti, Ngorongoro . . . from PlanetD

Family Movie Night

Disney+

The Lion King

Black Panther

Recipe

Sugar Cane Smoothie

Week 3: Malawi

Book of the Week

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer. This book has been adapted as a Netflix film.

William Kamkwamba was born in Malawi, a country where magic ruled and modern science was mystery. It was also a land withered by drought and hunger. But William had read about windmills, and he dreamed of building one that would bring to his small village a set of luxuries that only 2 percent of Malawians could enjoy: electricity and running water. His neighbors called him misala—crazy—but William refused to let go of his dreams. With a small pile of once-forgotten science textbooks; some scrap metal, tractor parts, and bicycle halves; and an armory of curiosity and determination, he embarked on a daring plan to forge an unlikely contraption and small miracle that would change the lives around him.

Poetry

Church Magazine

---

Maps

Current Events

There are many orphans in Africa. Read about one orphanage, such as this one sponsored by Mothers Without Borders.

Documentary

YouTube

“Using Kid Power to Light Schools,” (Brigham Young University, YouTube). 3 minutes.

Family Movie Night

Netflix

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind. TV-PG. Based on a true story.

Recipe

Week 4: South Africa

Book of the Week

(If the following is not available, substitute with another middle grade or teen biography of Nelson Mandela).

Mandela: The Hero Who Led His Nation to Freedom, by Ann Kramer (National Geographic Kids). Because even the next generation needs to know who Nelson Mandela was.

Lexile: 860L

Nelson Mandela comes to life in this portrait of a diplomatic man whose commitment to freedom gained him both the Nobel Peace Prize and Time’s Man of the Year honor. The son of a Thembu chief in South Africa, Mandela began his life-long campaign against white colonial rule while a college student. Kramer’s eloquent, yet approachable text describes the leader’s dedication to nonviolence, his role in the African National Congress and his arrest in 1962 for sabotage and conspiracy. During his 27 years in prison, Mandela continued his fight for a democratic and free society, and ultimately was released and elected president of South Africa.

Poetry

Book of Animal Poetry: “The Meerkats of Africa,” p. 113; “The Argument,” p. 111 [aardvark]

Have a family poetry snack or tea time.

Worldwide Church 

“Break the Soil of Bitterness: One Woman’s Quest for Healing.” A black South African woman helped calm a generation of angry youth and heal her own bitterness during the most troubling times of the apartheid (LDS Church History, YouTube).

Maps

The Cities Book: Cape Town, South Africa, p. 138-141

Map worksheets

GeoToys Africa puzzle. Time yourself as you complete the puzzle. Add your time to your chart. Are you getting faster?

Documentary

Prime Video

Africa’s Hidden Kingdoms (wildlife in South Africa)

Living Hope. Rated All. The true story of three people devoting their lives to serving the poor and sick of Cape Town, South Africa.

Disney+

National Geographic Into the Okavango

National Geographic The Flood

Netflix

"Somebody Feed Phil," season 2 (a.k.a. "The Second Course"): Cape Town, South Africa. Phil eats with Nelson Mandela's grandson, tries ostrich and antelope, enjoys a barbecue and a family meal, and taste-tests coffee and flowers.

Family Movie Night

“The Color of Friendship,” (Disney+). Mahree, a girl living in apartheid South Africa, and Piper, the daughter of a congressman in Washington DC, must spend a semester together at Piper’s house.

Recipe

Bobotie. This delicious casserole is surprisingly sweet, due to the diced apricot.

Bunny Chow. Such a fun food name! For kid-size bread bowls, cut the tops off dinner rolls and eat some of the fluffy white insides to make room for the curry. I couldn't find reasonably priced cardamom seeds, but it tasted so good without them that I'm a little afraid to add them in the future.

Week 5: West Africa (from Senegal to the Democratic Republic of the Congo)

Book of the Week

This is a "flex week," so no new book is assigned. You may make up reading time from a previous week, or get a head-start on next week’s book A Long Walk to Water. Or encourage your child to choose a novel at their reading level to read for fun. If you are loving the Africa theme, you might try Warrior Boy, by Virginia Clay (set in Kenya), books based on the movie Black Panther, or The Shadow Speaker (a YA sci-fi set in futuristic West Africa). Parents may want to preview these books before handing them to their children.

Poetry

“Mountain Gorilla” and [cover poem] from National Geographic Book of Animal Poetry.

Have a family poetry snack or tea time.

Worldwide Church

Western Africa

“You Cannot Freeze What’s in My Heart,” (New Era February 2018). A teen from Ghana stands up for her beliefs during the “freeze” when the government had banned her church.

“Unwavering Commitment to Jesus Christ,” (Elder Renlund, October 2019 General Conference). Shows the painting of Congo Falls that hangs in the Kinshasa Temple and tells about how (Congo) Africans who first converted to Christianity threw their idols into the great waterfall. 

"Hello from the Democratic Republic of the Congo!" (October 2019 Friend).

"Just a Prayer Away," (October 2019 Friend).

"Anthony's Dream," Nigeria. (March 2020 Friend).

"A White Cap for Florence," Set in Nigeria. (July 2019 Friend).

"Modern Pioneers," (July 2019 Friend). Illustrations of a family in Nigeria joining the church.

"Be Ready to Serve Him Soon," (New Era August 2020). Scroll down to the third article.

Current Events

Research fair trade cocoa. 

Read and discuss a current event from Africa. The Guardian, a British-run news agency, tends to have good articles on Africa in their “World” tab. https://www.theguardian.com/world/africa

Maps

The Cities Book: Dakar, Senegal and Timbuktu, Mali (Mali is pronounced like the girl’s name Molly).

Map worksheets.

What is the largest statue in Africa?

Documentary

Disney+

DisneyNature: Chimpanzee

YouTube

“Des rues de Kinshasa aux tapis rouges des Oscars,” Rachel Mwanza. TEDxParis. English subtitles. 10:36. 18-year old Rachel tells her own life story: as a young girl growing up in Congo she was accused of being a witch and therefore blamed for her own family’s misfortunes and sent to live on the streets. Instead of going to school, she has to work for food. Eventually, she gets cast in a movie, which led to her being able to return to school.

Family Movie Night

Idemuza (Prime Video). Rating: All. Idemuza is a drama set in Nigeria. A girl is forced to enter an orphanage with her younger siblings. Currently this has five stars out of nine reviews.

Lionheart (Netflix). Rating: PG. After her father’s heart attack, a woman tries to save the family business in a male-dominated business. This Nollywood (Nigeria produced movie) was nominated for an Oscar—then disqualified because the dialogue is primarily in English (Nigeria’s official language). The Oscars specify that for a film to win in an international category, it must be in a language other than English.

Recipe

"Congo Chicken Stew," (October 2019 Friend).

Week 6: North Africa

Book of the Week

A Long Walk to Water, by Linda Park. (Set in Sudan). This is the New York Times bestseller about a girl in 2008 and a boy in 1985. 

Lexile: 720L

The New York Times bestseller A Long Walk to Water begins as two stories, told in alternating sections, about two eleven-year-olds in Sudan, a girl in 2008 and a boy in 1985. The girl, Nya, is fetching water from a pond that is two hours’ walk from her home: she makes two trips to the pond every day. The boy, Salva, becomes one of the "lost boys" of Sudan, refugees who cover the African continent on foot as they search for their families and for a safe place to stay. Enduring every hardship from loneliness to attack by armed rebels to contact with killer lions and crocodiles, Salva is a survivor, and his story goes on to intersect with Nya’s in an astonishing and moving way.

Poetry

N.G. Book of Animal Poetry

            “The Ostrich,” and “The Ostrich Is a Silly Bird,” p. 106.

N.G. Book of Animal Poetry

            “The Crocodile,” and “Dark Meat,” p. 101

Worldwide Church

“Shepherds of Israel,” by Elder John R. Lasater, March 1989 Friend (a personal story from Morocco).

“Seven Tender Miracles Along the Way,” by Ephem Smith, June 2016 Liahona.

Current Events

The Grand Renaissance Dam

“The Grand Renaissance Dam on the Nile with 360’ Video.”

Maps

Documentary

Prime Video

The Most Dangerous Ways to School: Season 2, Episode 4: Ethiopia

Ethiopia Rising. Ages 7+. A man who has witnessed the deforestation of his community due to war saved his environment by planting one tree a day.

Extreme Constructions: Season 1, Episode 1: The Suez Canal (52 minutes)

Nile: 5000 Years of History. A modern woman travels up the Nile, exploring ancient ruins along the way. (4 episodes about 45 minutes each).

Netflix

Somebody Feed Phil (Season 3): Marrakesh, Morocco. Phil savors lamb, gets a pop quiz on spices, and commits a couscous faux pas over a family dinner.

Family Movie Night

Lamb (Prime Video. Subtitles). Ethiopia.

Zarafa. Ages 7+. An animated film based loosely on the historic event that brought a giraffe from Africa to Paris about two hundred years ago.

Recipe

The British Isles (Homeschooling Around the World in 180 Days)

Welcome to my blog! This year for homeschool my 12-turning-13-year-old will be exploring the modern world (safely from home). I've named my DIY curriculum "Around the World in 180 Days," which is the standard length for a school year (at least in the public school system). It breaks down into 36 weeks (of 5 day weeks). My plan is to spend about six weeks studying each continent. We will begin with Europe, travel down through Africa, then the Middle East/Asia, Southeast Asia/Australia/New Zealand/Pacific Islands (what should I call that unit?), Latin America/Caribbean, then finish with US/Canada.

For those of you wondering, we will also be using a writing workbook to round-out language arts.

BRITISH ISLES

(Great Britain and Ireland)

I was originally preparing a single post for Europe, but so much of the material available was specific to Britain that I decided to break this up into two posts. We are planning to spend the first six weeks of the school year in Europe, starting with one or two weeks in Britain.

If you have book, documentary, movie, food, or other suggestions, please mention so in the comments section!

Also, I've made a couple easy-to-pin pictures for those of you who organize your homeschool plans in Pinterest;)

The Cities Book 

Edinburgh, Scotland, p. 70-71

London, England, p. 72-75

Dublin, Ireland, p. 76-77

Middle Grade Fiction

The London Eye Mystery, by Siobhan Dowd. Set in modern London. Main character appears to have Asperger's syndrome. 

Lexile: 640L

Ted and Kat watched their cousin Salim board the London Eye, but after half an hour it landed and everyone trooped off—except Salim. Where could he have gone? How on earth could he have disappeared into thin air? Ted and his older sister, Kat, become sleuthing partners, since the police are having no luck. Despite their prickly relationship, they overcome their differences to follow a trail of clues across London in a desperate bid to find their cousin. And ultimately it comes down to Ted, whose brain works in its own very unique way, to find the key to the mystery. 

The Lost Property Office, by James R. Hannibal. Set in modern London with some magic. Main character has synesthesia (his brain re-interprets sensory elements). As the author himself has synesthesia, he does an effective job incorporating it into the novel and making the description even more interesting. Good as a stand-alone book, but you might consider buying the whole trilogy.

Lexile: 730L

Thirteen-year-old Jack Buckles is great at finding things. Not just a missing glove or the other sock, but things normal people have long given up on ever seeing again. If only he could find his father, who has disappeared in London without a trace.

But Jack’s father was not who he claimed to be. It turns out that he was a member of a secret society of detectives that has served the crown for centuries—and membership into the Lost Property Office is Jack’s inheritance.

Now the only way Jack will ever see his father again is if he finds what the nefarious Clockmaker is after: the Ember, which holds a secret that has been kept since the Great Fire of London. Will Jack be able to find the Ember and save his father, or will his talent for finding things fall short?

Lost in London, by Cindy Callaghan. Book #1 of 5 in the Lost in Europe Series. An American girl gets to visit London. This book feels a lot like a Barbie movie. Everything ties up in the most over-the-top, sparkly sort of way. If you have a tween girl who loves (or recently used to love) Barbie movies, she will probably love this.

Lexile: 630L

Twelve-year-old Jordan isn’t unhappy, but she’s definitely bored. So when she gets the chance to take part in a London exchange program, she’s thrilled to ditch her small town in Delaware and see the world across the pond.

Unfortunately, Jordan’s host sister in London, Caroline, isn’t exactly enthusiastic about entertaining an American girl. Despite the chilly welcome, Jordan finds herself loving the city and Caroline’s group of friends, who are much nicer than Caroline herself.

And then a major misstep leaves Jordan and Caroline trapped together overnight—inside Daphne’s, the world’s largest department store. Given they have complete access to all the fancy shoes, designer dresses, and coolest makeup around, there are worse places to be stuck. But when the girls’ fun has not-so-fun consequences, Jordan’s wish for excitement abroad turns into a lot more than she ever bargained for...

Lost in Ireland, by Cindy Callaghan. Book # 4 of 5 in the Lost in Europe Series (but I don't think they need to be read sequentially).

A superstitious girl must try to turn her horrible luck around during a family trip to Ireland in this M!X novel from the author of Lost in London.

Meghan McGlinchey is the most superstitious girl in her family—and probably in the entire state of Delaware. When she receives a chain letter from a stranger in Ireland, Meghan immediately passes it on, taking only a tiny shortcut in the directions.

But after a disastrous day, made complete by losing the election for class president and embarrassing herself in front of the entire school, Meghan realizes that tiny shortcut was a big mistake. Thankfully, her family was already headed to Ireland on spring break, and Meghan makes it her mission to find the original sender and break her extremely unlucky streak.

With the help of an eccentric cast of characters—and one very cute Irish boy—can Meghan figure out a way to stop her bad luck? Or is she cursed forever?

Lexile: 590L

Other books in this series: Lost in Paris, Lost in Rome, Lost in Hollywood (not sure what that last one is doing with the European travel books . . .)

Movies, Documentaries, and TV Series 

(Accurate as of August 3, 2020)

Note: movie standards vary from family to family. If in doubt, preview before showing to your own children.

The Majestic Life of Elizabeth the II, Prime Video. Not rated. 

Prince Charles: The Royal Restoration, Prime Video. In an impoverished, run-down part of Britain, one of the "most important" properties of the Commonwealth is about to be sold, with the antique furnishings auctioned. Not only did Prince Charles save this historic building from ruin, but he found ways to revitalize the community while doing so. 

The Tube: Going Underground, Prime Video. Yes, an entire documentary series exists featuring the famed London Tube.

Ireland's Wild River, Prime Video. A nature documentary. Rated TV PG.

The Great British Baking Show: The Beginnings, Netflix. See the original season of baked goodness judged by Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood.

What a Girl Wants, Netflix. Fresh out of high school, a young woman can't decide what to do about college--not before she finally meets her British father (played by Mr. Darcy. I mean Colin Firth). The movie has a bit of a Parent Trap feel about it, if Mom was a Bohemian American and Dad was attempting to be a proper British gentleman running for office, complete with a dubious fiancee.

Parent Trap (1998 version), Disney+. In this version, Mom is a fashion designer in London.

Youth Magazine Articles 

(from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)

"Finders Keepers?" (November 2018 Friend). A boy finds a ten pound note on the school grounds. Should he keep it? A comic-strip story.

"Will You Come to My Baptism?" (July 2019 Friend).

"An Olympic Decision," (January 2019 Friend). Set in 1924. A British Olympian refuses to race on Sundays.

"Keeping the Orphans Warm," Set in Bristol, England, 1857. (May 2019 Friend). The heater in one of George Muller's orphanages was broken. He prayed that the weather would be warmer until the heater was fixed.