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5 Reasons to Love Trail Guide to Learning

0 comments / Posted by Gina Glenn

5 Reasons to Love Trail Guide to Learning

5 Reasons to Love Trail Guide to Learning Series

It's January, February (!), and you're starting to feel the homeschooling blues. Every homeschooling mama gets them, so don't worry, you're not alone.

You might recognize them-
  • boredom sets in 
  • you find yourself hanging out in homeschool groups on Facebook more than actually teaching (it happens!)
  • you're looking through websites for inspiration and sales
  • you've recognized your current curriculum just isn't a fit for your family (and that's okay!)

So, what do you do? How do you make a choice about a new homeschool curriculum when there are so many to choose from? 

We recommend taking a look at your reasons for homeschooling, the approach you plan to use with your homeschool, the importance of character development woven throughout the curriculum, and, of course, the support you'll receive to implement the curriculum.

Here are 5 Reasons to Love Trail Guide to Learning


1. Our Educational Philosophy


The Trail Guide to Learning series weaves together aspects from Charlotte Mason’s methods of natural education, and incorporates the ideas of Dr. Benjamin Bloom’s research on thinking skills, while fully utilizing the time-tested approach developed by noted author and educator, Dr. Ruth Beechick. Dr. Beechick’s educational philosophy is that developing thinking skills is paramount, learning different subjects (science, history, geography, etc.) is done best in a unified and focused manner, stories are great teaching tools, and that language skills need to be learned in the context of content, not as isolated subjects.



2. The Integrated Approach


We not only cover each subject, but every subject in the Trail Guide relates. It is a natural way of learning as topics flow from one to the other. Children learn best when subjects overlap and build upon a main concept.

For example, in Paths of Exploration, students learn how our country was discovered and explored, from Columbus to the Westward Expansion. While studying the life and explorations of Christopher Columbus, students learn about his travels, read about his life in their literature, map out his treks in their geography, learn how he used the stars for navigation in their science lessons, and tie in activities like making a model ship out of a milk carton. When your child is able to make all these connections, he will have better retention and a deeper understanding of the subject matter.

The more sensory involvement you have with one topic, the more likely you are to remember and use that information. As children learn, they will share their experiences through notebooking, presentations and hands-on activities. Art, cooking, music, and games combine to give children a taste of the times and a personal connection with the content that is unmatched by reading alone.



3. Critical Thinking


The Steps for Thinking portion of the Trail Guide serves as a backbone to every lesson and helps tie in the overall theme of each unit. Steps for Thinking addresses main concepts and character qualities from week to week and encourages deeper thinking about those concepts. This section also provides a general framework of thought process and promotes an active approach to learning. It is recommended that you read and discuss each step together at the beginning of your lessons and look for opportunities throughout the week to relate back to those discussions. In doing so, your children will learn to be aware of the bigger picture.



4. Ongoing Support for Your Homeschool Journey


Choosing a curriculum is just the first step in the homeschool journey. The ability to connect with other homeschooling families using and loving our curriculum, along with ongoing email and group support is important. No one likes to feel like they're doing it alone, and you don't have to. We offer a Facebook group and are here to help you every step of the way. 



5. Try Us, You'll Love Us {Sale}


If you're curious about Trail Guide to Learning, but not quite ready for a long-term commitment, try us for 6 weeks. We think you'll fall in love! 


Purchase Unit 1 (the first six weeks) of Exploration and we'll give you all the resources you need to complete the unit. Every subject is covered with this engaging program except for math. Your students will see the path of Columbus through multidisciplinary eyes, but always with the same goal: to make learning enjoyable, memorable, and motivating. Many of the items below will be a great addition to your library whether you decide to continue the series or not. Resources like the North American Wildlife Guide, U.S. History Atlas, World Outline Map and more.

We have also included the downloadable version of our younger level (k-2) and older level (6-7) extensions. If you have students in those age ranges, you can easily incorporate them with just a few additional resources. 

{With this trial offer also comes the opportunity to receive a special coupon after six weeks that can be used to complete your purchase.}

Includes:

  • Unit 1 Columbus Teacher's Manual Columbus Student Notebook pages
  • Meet Christopher Columbus
  • Christopher Columbus
  • North American Wildlife Guide
  • Classroom Atlas
  • United States History Atlas
  • RealEarth® GlobeMap
  • Large-scale U.S. and World Outline Maps
  • Exploration Junior, Unit 1 Teacher's Manual and Student Notebook pages (digital download)
  • Exploration Older (Middle School) Extension, Unit 1 Teacher's Manual and Student Notebook pages (digital download)
  • Relevant biographies from Profiles in History, Vol. 1 (digital download)
  • Relevant recipes from Eat Your Way Around the World (digital download)

***


Regardless of why you're thinking of changing your homeschool curriculum, we hope you'll find a reason to love Trail Guide to Learning. 
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