GeoBee

We stepped out of our comfort zone today.  There was a post on our local homeschooling network about a GeoBee.  You know, a spelling bee type event but competing in geography.  We have never done anything like this and, in fact, I haven't really even heard of it before last week.

All homeschoolers were invited and you didn't exactly have to have the mentality to win.  It was promoted as an opportunity to stretch communications skills, reasoning and thinking on your feet.  At least, that is what I intended it to be for us.  We did not rehearse or practice.  I figure, so much of life is unexpected and not rehearsed, so what the heck.

Plus, having never done it before, I didn't even know where to start.  We do geography but by reading really great books.  We don't memorize lists of terms or where things are on the map.  I do make an effort to have the kids think about what they reading.  We have taken the time to point out specific places on a map as it relates to what we are reading.  We have a game called 10 Days in Africa (which I highly recommend).  And I have a world map, U.S. map and a 13 colony map hanging on the wall.

We have watched How the States Got There Shapes (highly recommend).  But, other than that, what the kids have acquired is just bits and pieces.  I encouraged both girls to do it anyway.  Again, not to win, not to compete, but to do the best that they could, using the skills that they had and to have the whole experience be one they could learn from.

There were over 35 participants so the first round was a written multiply choice questoinaire.  They girls did awesome.   Never once did they balk at the task at hand.  Never did they seem nervous or unsure of themselves.  Of course, it was helpful that they saw familiar faces and a couple of their friends were there.  At the end of round one, NG advanced to the second round.  LM was eliminated.  But, she was totally OK with it!

The second phase was oral and there were 7 rounds.  The moderator would ask each of the over 30 participants a question related to a certain topic of geography.  One topic was travel, one was what continent was a certain something in, one was state nicknames and one was comparing states in the US.  There were 3 more, I just don't remember what they were.

NG got four of the 7 but was not good enough to advance to the next level.  She was a little disappointed.  She would have liked to go on.  But, was totally fine with how she performed.  It was such a great experience all the way around.  I am so glad we made the effort.

Chalk it up to a little something else learned.  We might be a little bit better prepared next year when the opportunity rolls around.  Then again, maybe we won't . . .