I'm going to start with what Amanda Bennett has available in her Passport Geography series: http://www.unitstudy.com/PassportGeography.html She has the UK, Germany, France, and Italy right now. I had hoped she would have the rest by the time I'm ready to use it (sometime in the next few months), but that's looking doubtful. I'll be asking at the homeschool convention next weekend, though. I already have the above 4 I mentioned, so I'll use those for sure and supplement one way or another to finish up what we're lacking. We really really enjoy the Unit Studies, we've used a few others of hers and we both like them a lot.
I think I'll use ACE for a couple of my students, if not all 3 of "the big kids". I might ordinarily use something else, but for these particular kids, it'll probably be the only way they'll get through it.
I was told today that ACE Yahoo group was just discussing how hard the ACE geography is and that they were recommending that you wait until after ACE American and World History. For whatever that's worth!
As simple as it sounds, I plan on having my kids work their way through Don't Know Much About Geography. I learned so much when I read it a few years ago (but my ADD brain frogets it now ).
Oh, THANKS! One of 'em did World this year (I hope we get finished by the end of the year), so maybe American instead... My area representative from ACE told me the old Basic pac world history was better than the current new one. Know anything about that? Do you have any idea what's so difficult about the geography???
I count myself so fortunate to have traveled to over 70 different countries on business. What I've learned is that virtually no country is like the image that's portrayed of it. Shakespeare was right when we wrote that education is not complete until we've traveled. So, when it came to homeschooling geography, I tried to buy books about other countries written in those countries - which isn't easy. Still, I think it was useful. Also, what I'd very much recommend - even though it's as much social studies as geography - is the list of requirements for 'Citizenship in the World', one of the merit badges for Boy Scouts of America.