Since its inception during the 2014-15 school year, the Geography Club has been instilling a love of geography in the 4th and 5th grade students at Radio Park.
When an interest in geography was expressed by students, club founders Karen Foard and Julie Jobe decided to create the Geography Club.
“All three years have had about 35 to 40 participants,” said Karen. “That’s a lot of kids wanting to learn for learning’s sake!”
A typical meeting involves a series of activities that allow each child to be actively engaged. There are puzzles, games, flash cards, and atlases that introduce the club’s members to basic geography concepts. Karen and Julie also lead mini lessons on map skills. In these lessons, children are taught the locations of natural features such as volcanoes, mountains, and rivers. They are also taught the locations of countries, capitals, and other major landmarks.
“Kids can suggest topics or world areas they want to learn about then we learn together, digging deeper into places that the kids have an interest in,” Karen said.
The club recently had a member participate in the statewide Geography Bee in Harrisburg. The club’s decision to become involved with the Geography Bee program was because of this particular student. Because of his passion for geography, he was able to qualify at the state level. The questions asked to those who participate in the Bee are difficult and students require a wide range of knowledge in order to be successful.
“In our group, we try to not just have the kids memorize facts and places,” said Karen. “We try to have them make connections. But to do well in the Bee you really do have to have a brain that can memorize.”
One of the most rewarding aspects of the Geography Club for Karen is when the kids make connections between the information they learn at meetings with other areas of their lives. She allows the club members to decide what topics are important and lets them pick what they want to learn about.
“Rewarding motivation with fun, high-interest activities can really encourage independent growth and taking ownership of our education growth,” she said.
Not only does this club allow students to learn a variety of geography concepts, it also gives them the experience of joining something new. Students learn how to commit to an activity and stick with it, even if it is something that their friends are not a part of. This club is helping to prepare its members for middle school and high school.
“It’s tough to put yourself out there and join something on your own that your friends or even parents didn’t make the decision for you to do,” Karen said. “I hope this sort of club experience makes it easier for them to be comfortable doing those good things as they move on from elementary school.”
