homeschool geography Archives

10 Hands On Geography Activities You Have to Try

April 18, 2016 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

I’ll be honest: I’m not much of a hands-on learner. My kids love kinesthetic learning, especially since several of them have ADHD. Despite my ADD though, I’m still a traditional book learner.

So when I first heard of hands-on learning, I thought “Why would I do that when I could just read about it?” Not one of my better moments of clarity…

Seeing how my kids respond to hands-on learning, though, has made me make a change. So this year, we’ve been doing a LOT more hands-on activities, including some for geography. Check out these 10 Hands On Geography Activities you just have to try!

Image c/o: altanaka / depositphotos

10 Hands On Geography Activities You Have to Try

Make a craft based on a local culture in the area you’re exploring. See how we did this by making Kente-cloth inspired placemats during our study of the Asante Empire!
Learn about the animals that live in the region. Gift of Curiosity has a great game that lets kids place animals in their correct continents!
Participate in a postcard exchange. See how Planet Smarty organized one to get postcards from people all over the world!
Have kids make a craft about their world. Learn how to make a My Place in the World craft with your kids at Kid World Citizen!
Use a globe to teach kids to identify countries. No Time for Flashcards shares a simple game you can use to help kids find countries on a globe easily!
Create a miniature habitat. When we studied beaches, we made a beach shoebox diorama that the kids really enjoyed!
Make a salt dough map. Tina’s Dynamic Homeschool Plus shows you how to make a map of South America out of salt dough, plus there are printable map flags to add!
Bake a cookie dough map. If you want to get even yummier, make a map out of cookie dough! Raising Lifelong Learners shares how to make a cookie dough map of India!
Help little ones make a sandbox community. Preschoolers will love this sandbox activity from Books and Giggles that lets them make their own town!
Mail a Flat Stanley or a Flat Susie. Based on the Flat Stanley books, this craft lets kids make a paper person and mail it around the world! Get the details from Busy at Home.

Get more ideas for teaching geography below!

And be sure to follow my Geography for Homeschoolers board on Pinterest for more geography fun!

This post is part of The Massive Homeschool Geography Guide from iHomeschool Network! Be sure to click over and read more great geography posts from my fellow bloggers!

It’s also linked up at the Ultimate List of Hands-On Homeschool Ideas! Check out other hands-on homeschooling ideas to try with your kids below!

5 Ways to Make Geography Fun

August 8, 2015 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

This year, I’m determined to cover more geography with my kids. But the problem with studying geography is that it can be incredibly boring, even for the parents who teach it.

When I was in school, geography consisted of my teacher pointing at maps, telling us to read pages in our book, and then quizzing us on what we learned. Gag.

But the beautiful thing about homeschooling is that we can teach geography however we like! So, here are 5 ways to make geography fun that I plan to use in our homeschool this year!

If you like these ideas, don’t miss our list of hands-on geography activities you have to try!

5 Ways to Make Geography Fun

1. Go for a geography walk.

In Crystal Wagner’s “Geography Field Guide”, she recommends taking children outdoors and using nearby land features to illustrate larger ones. A local stream could represent rivers, a hill could represent mountains, and so on. That way, kids can “see” geography, instead of just reading about it.

Geography Field Guide, Crystal J. Wagner

2. Choose an area of the world for in-depth study.

Drop anchor in one part of the world and study it thoroughly with your kids. For example, the notebooking pack “Discover Europe” allows kids to get to know the entire European continent by examining the people, culture, and geography of each country.

3. Include hands-on activities.

Kris Bales’ book “Hands-On Learning” describes a ton of ways you can take geography learning off the page for your kids. Making papier-mache models, cookie dough maps, and learning centers are just some of the suggestions she gives that can make geography more fun for students.

4. Use notebooking.

Adelien Tandian’s “Geography Notebooking Pages” are perfect for helping kids organize what they learn. As you cover your lesson, you can have your children fill in the basic facts of each region. After completing an area of the world, children can use their notes to write a report or complete a diorama!

5. Make a part of the world into an ongoing series.

Taking another cue from Kris Bales’ book, we’ll be having Fifty State Fridays with our kids this year! I don’t want to give away how this is done (seriously, read her book), but when you make geography into a regular series, it’s much easier to get everyone excited for your upcoming lessons.

Do you have any ways to make geography fun for your kids? Share them in the comments!

Check out these other suggestions for teaching geography in your homeschool!

Want more geography ideas? Follow my Geography for Homeschoolers board on Pinterest!

This post is part of The Massive Homeschool Geography Guide from iHomeschool Network! Click over to read more geography posts from my fellow bloggers!

Homeschool Unit Studies: Grand Canyon Unit Study

February 17, 2015 by Selena Robinson 1 Comment

Recently, the kids and I got to go to the Grand Canyon! Well, it was on YouTube, but still… 🙂

Actually, I’d love to take them one day, but for now we’ll have to “see” it by learning about it! Since I’ve never visited this natural wonder myself, I was amazed to learn more about it: how large it is, how it was formed, and what kinds of animals live there.

We collected some of the best resources we’ve found into this Grand Canyon unit study! I hope you and your kids love it as much as we did!

If you enjoy this, check out some of our other homeschool unit studies!

Grand Canyon Unit Study

The kids first started getting interested in the Grand Canyon as we read the book “Geronimo Stilton: The Race Across America“. The book talked a bit about the canyon, but the picture didn’t really do the canyon justice. So I had to look up some great resources to share with them. Here are some of the learning ideas we’ve found:

Books about the Grand Canyon:

Read about the Grand Canyon with these lovely children’s books!

Grand Canyon Crafts and Printables:

Try these printables and activities to turn this Grand Canyon unit study into a hands-on lesson!

Did you love these resources? We’ve put more together at Year Round Homeschooling, which is perfect if you’re planning a Grand Canyon unit soon!

Stop over at Year Round Homeschooling to read our Grand Canyon Unit Study!

Grand Canyon Unit Study – Year Round Homeschooling

Don’t miss these other geography learning ideas!

Get more tips for teaching geography on my Geography for Homeschoolers Pinterest board!

Homeschool Unit Studies: New York City Unit Study

January 27, 2015 by Selena Robinson 1 Comment

Based on the news, the Northeast is currently getting slammed by a massive blizzard. (Stay safe and warm if you’re up there!) If you’re studying the Northeast or the city of New York, you might like this New York City Unit Study!

Winter weather or not, New York City is a fascinating place. And most kids love the idea of the Big City, so you can use this homeschool unit study to introduce your kids to the Big Apple!

If you enjoy this unit, check out some of our other studies, including our Firefighters Unit Study and our Grand Canyon Unit Study!

New York City Unit Study

Since there are so many famous landmarks and geographical features in NYC, it can be tough to narrow them all down for a unit study!

We took a trip up there earlier this year and while we drove through the city, my conversation was basically “Oh, there’s the Brooklyn Bridge! Wait, there’s the Empire State Building! Kids, look! It’s the Hudson River!” Not the best way to learn about the city.

So I’m excited to share these activities and books that can help kids get a better understanding of what makes the city so special!

New York City Video Tour

Watch the following video about New York City and ask your kids to answer the questions below.

1. How many pizzerias are in New York City?

Answer: 9000

2. Name one special feature of the Empire State Building.

Answer: The top 30 floors change colors to represent seasons and events of the year.

3. How does the Whispering Gallery at Grand Central Station work?

Answer: A person can stand in one corner and hear what a person standing diagonally whispers into the wall.

4. When was the Atlantic Avenue subway tunnel built?

Answer: 1844

5. How many trees are in Central Park?

Answer: 25,000

6. How many sculptures are in Central Park?

Answer: 29

7. How many floors does a building need to be considered as a skyscraper?

Answer: 40 or more

Activities about New York City:

These kids’ activities about New York City can help kids learn more!

1. 3rd Grade: New York City History Worksheet – MacMillan Young Learners

2. 3rd Grade: NYC History Quiz – Education.com

3. Elementary: New York City Boroughs Activity – PBS

4. Elementary: Statue of Liberty Coloring Page – Super Coloring

5. K-12: Printable Map of Five Boroughs – Britannica Kids

Books about New York City:

These children’s books about New York City feature gorgeous illustrations and stories that will get kids excited about taking a trip to the Big Apple for themselves!

1. Pop-Up New York by Lonely Planet Kids

2. A Walk in New York by Salvatore Rubbino

3. Good Night, New York (Good Night, Our World) by Adam Gamble

4. This is New York by Miroslav Sasek

5. New York, New York: The Big Apple from A to Z by Laura Krauss Melmed

6. New York: A Book of Colors (Hello, World) by Ashley Evanson

7. New York City by Paula Hannigan

8. Larry Gets Lost in New York City by John Skewes

9. City Trails: New York by Lonely Planet Kids

10. ABC NYC: A Book About Seeing New York by Joanne Dugan

11. All Aboard! New York: A City Primer by Haily Meyers

12. New York City History for Kids: From New Amsterdam to the Big Apple with 21 Activities by Richard Panchyk

13. The Mystery in New York City (Real Kids, Real Places) by Carole Marsh

14. New York, Baby! by Ward Jenkins

15. New York for Kids: 25 Big Apple Sites to Color (Dover Coloring Books) by Patricia J. Wynne

If you want to see even more teaching ideas for your New York City unit, I shared a simple New York City Unit Study that features videos, books, and articles about NYC. Click on over to Year Round Homeschooling to get the details and use the unit with your kids!

New York City Unit Study – Year Round Homeschooling

Did you love this post? Check out these other ways to teach geography to your homeschoolers!

Plus, get more ideas on my Geography for Homeschoolers Pinterest board!