Here is another winner from Geography Matters! Trail Guide to Bible Geography is multi-faceted, user-friendly, and suited to a wide range of ages and ability. From the helpful teacher's notes to the resource section of reproducible maps, charts, timeline pages and more, this study will give you and your student a wonderful grounding in the geography of the Holy Land, from the time of Abraham through the travels of Paul. This study is suited to the individual homeschool as well as a multi-level co-op or Sunday school.

Geography was never my favorite subject in school. The word still makes me cringe, remembering dull memorization of long lists of countries and capitals, climate and population, products and... but let us leave that in the past, as it bears no resemblance to this interest-stimulating study.

My understanding of Bible lands in the past was sketchy at best. It wasn't until I read some carefully-written historical fiction (The Bronze Bow, one of the resources used as a part of this study, The Golden Goblet, and of all things, Detectives in Togas) that I began to build a picture in my head of the landscape. With the resources offered in this Trail Guide, your student can build interest and understanding at a much earlier age than I did!

This study uses a three-pronged approach.

"Geography Trails" is a series of daily questions, four days a week for thirty weeks, with three different levels of difficulty to accommodate students ranging from primary through secondary, teaching students to use an atlas while encouraging critical thinking. The Appendix contains an answer key to these questions, for the convenience of the teacher. A sampling of questions from Week 22, Day 3:

- (primary) Which term best describes the terrain of Galilee: plain, desert, or hills? Does Galilee generally receive more or less than 10 inches of rain annually? (Hint: See relief and climate maps)

- (intermediate) In what town did Jesus raise a widow's son from the dead? (Luke 7:11-14) Which region gets more rainfall: Galilee, Judea, or the Dead Sea area?

- (secondary) When Jesus healed a widow's son, news went from Galilee throughout Judea. Through what other region would someone have had to travel to get to Judea? (Luke 7:11-17) Jesus preached in synagogues and cast out devils throughout what region? (Mark 1:39)

"Points of Interest" includes mapwork and "Trail Blazing" - thirty weeks' worth of learning activities to choose from, taking one or more particular subjects to focus on (transportation, vocation, social issues, animals, birds, timeline). You might find yourself walking five miles (a mile a day), studying the building trades in Jesus' day and building a box, learning why the Jews avoided the Samaritans at all costs, carrying a bucket full of water and contemplating hauling water from a well to your house, learning about the birds Jesus might have seen as he walked from town to town (natural habitat, foods, conditions needed to thrive), "then-and-now" maps, and/or a timeline of the life of Jesus. (All these are activities to choose from during Week 22.)

"Geography through Literature" is a six-week mini-unit study using The Bronze Bow as the foundation for studying the culture and geography of Israel in Jesus' time. The authors suggest using this section of the study to wrap up a year-long course in Bible Geography, or perhaps for a summer project. There are mapping exercises, plant and animal studies, comprehension questions, review of or introduction (if you have not gone through the earlier lessons) to Geography terms, character studies, culture, cross-checking story details against the Biblical record, and a wealth of activities to choose from (research, cooking, crafts, and many practical exercises).

Trail Guide to Bible Geography is not a workbook, but a teacher's guide with geography drills. Some additional resources are necessary: a Bible atlas, appropriate to the level of the student; a Bible; and items necessary for putting together a Geography notebook (a three-ring binder, for one, and colored pencils for mapwork) are the most critical. The Bronze Bow, a Newberry award winner set during Jesus' time, is necessary for the unit-study portion of the guide.

The Introduction is well worth the time it takes to read it, including hints on scheduling and how to apply the lessons to differing ages. The Appendix includes reproducible templates of forms and maps, recipes, lists of animals, plants, minerals and gems of the Holy Lands, answers to the "Geography Trails" questions, and a list of Internet web sites and resources.

All in all, Trail Guide to Bible Geography is a valuable resource if you aim to embark on a study of Bible lands.