Is “Mountains in the Morning” right for you?

If you and your kids are early birds, then geography is the perfect worm to catch to start your homeschool day right.

With the “Mountains in the Morning” approach, you’ll take a leisurely stroll up that geography hill first thing in the morning. Scheduling geography before everything else has 3 big benefits:

• You’ll start your day with amusing adventure stories and delightful activities so you and your kids will feel happy, energized, and motivated to tackle other subjects.
• You won’t spend the day stressing about when you’re going to travel through those mountain passes and mudflats because it’s already done—and it only took 15 minutes!
• You’ll establish a consistent routine that will put your kids on the fast road to geographic literacy.

But if you prefer to hit the snooze button, then read on …

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Perhaps the “Active Volcano Afternoon” approach is a better fit.

Many kids are downright explosive after lunch. If your family is oozing with energy in the early afternoon, channel that bubbling enthusiasm into some fun geography time. It will be easier to stay consistent with geography if you make it your standard after-lunch “molten lava lesson.”

Just be careful not to get sidetracked. We all know how easy it is to be led down twisty lava tubes full of weedy gardens, stinky socks, and dusty lampshades.

Unhand the lampshades! Once we peer into the "just one more thing before we do geography” crater, we’re just a slippery slope away from never actually getting to the fun geography lessons with our kids.

Nobody wants that! Lunchtime is a great time to step away from that crater and set your focus on the horizon.

Unless, of course, you get the afternoon sleepies—in which case …

“Estuary Evenings” can also be great for geography study.

Late evenings in our house always flow with books, games, studying, and chatter.

If you and your kids are nocturnal too, follow the current and use it to your advantage!

Scheduling geography after all other tasks have trickled away for the day means you’ll have fewer distractions. Set the kids afloat on an imaginative adventure with Thaddeus the traveling cat, and then end the day with easy and creative activities.

Oh, and it just so happens that our Storylark Road friends tell great bedtime stories, too.

And if you’re not naturally a night owl but your spouse is, maybe geography is the perfect subject for them to teach instead of you. (Although you may end up listening to the Storylark stories anyway, just for fun!)

The best time to teach geography is when it’s best for you!

That’s right—there is no “correct” answer. The best time for teaching geography will always be whenever you and your kids are at your best. And by that I mean well-fed, comfortable, rested or energized, and with minimal distractions.

When you’re juggling homeschool subjects and life in general, it’s important to come up with a plan and stick to it as much as possible. Your kids will benefit … and you will, too!

Whether you go for mountains in the morning, active volcano afternoons, or estuary evenings, choose a time for geography and then stick with it. If you decide that 8am is best, start at 8am and not at 9:30am. If right after lunch is the best time to catch your kids’ attention, do it—and don’t wait for the mid-afternoon slump to hit.

Remember, the hardest part is starting. Once you open your geography unit and begin exploring the world with Thaddeus and his friends, you and your kids will be hooked—and you’ll be glad you didn’t procrastinate and miss the adventure.