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Geography

The BEST Viking Unit Study for Homeschooled Kids

October 3, 2018 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

An ancient Viking unit study makes for a fascinating study for kids of all ages. Also, look at my page more Vikings Lapbook Unit Study and Hands-on Activities and my page Best Homeschool Unit Studies.

The fierce Norseman or Vikings came from what we now know as Scandinavia or Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

Vikings prospered in Scandinavia from about 800 AD to 1066 AD.

The BEST Viking Unit Study for Homeschooled Kids

From their homes in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, the Norsemen (Northmen) explored much of the northern hemisphere between Europe and North America.

A Germanic people, the Vikings had a great love of adventure.

First, look at some of these living books about the Vikings.

11 Viking Resources & Books for Multiple Ages

Grab some of these books and resources for multiple ages about Vikings.

Viking Adventure

Sigurd, a Viking boy, cannot see the value of learning to read and write. All he can think of is adventure. But then he has an adventure that he cannot help but tell. And to do that, he decides, he must learn to write. A fine story for young readers.

Guts & Glory: The Vikings (Guts & Glory, 2)

From battle-axe-wielding tribes plundering the greatest cities of Europe to powerful kings and queens ruling their dominions with iron fists, the Vikings were some of the most feared and fearless figures in European history. Find the bravest heroes, the most menacing villains, and unbelievably awesome facts and myths inside this action-packed overview that will amaze kids with tales of a people so incredible...it's hard to believe they were real.

Viking: Discover the Story of the Vikings―Their Ships, Weapons, Legends, and Saga of War

The most trusted nonfiction series on the market, Eyewitness Books provide an in-depth, comprehensive look at their subjects with a unique integration of words and pictures. Loaded with superb color photographs of Viking ships and swords, clothes and shields, memorial stones and beautiful brooches, this revised and updated edition of Eyewitness: Viking offers a unique view into the lives of the Norse people and their outstanding achievements.

LEGO Creator Viking Ship

Kids can experience thrilling adventures on land and sea with this 3in1 set featuring a toy Viking ship, Viking house and Fenris wolf figure

A Child's Introduction to Norse Mythology: Odin, Thor, Loki, and Other Viking Gods, Goddesses, Giants, and Monsters

The newest book in the best-selling, award-winning A Child's Introduction series explores the popular and captivating world of Norse mythology. Organized into two parts, part one introduces characters like Odin, the leader of the Norse gods; Thor and his mighty hammer Mjollner; Frigg,
weaver of the destinies of humans and gods; frost and fire giants; cunning dwarves like Brokk and Eitri; and many more. Part two tells the stories of the suspenseful myths themselves including The Creation of the Cosmos, The Aesir-Vanir War, Loki Bound, Thor's Hammer and many more.

Renegade Game Studios Raiders of The North Sea,Multi-colored

Play Raiders of The North Sea, a worker-placement board game where players work to assemble a crew and outfit a longboat to raid settlements for gold and fame.(For 2-4 players)

Odd and the Frost Giants

Odd, a young Viking boy, is left fatherless following a raid. In his icy, ancient world there is no mercy for an unlucky soul with a crushed foot and no one to protect him. Fleeing to the woods, Odd stumbles upon and releases a trapped bear…and then Odd's destiny begins to change.

The eagle, bear, and fox Odd encounters are Norse gods, trapped in animal form by the evil frost giant who has conquered Asgard, the city of the gods. Now our hero must reclaim Thor's hammer, outwit the frost giants and release the gods…

Viking Quest Series Set of 5 Volumes Including Raiders From the Sea, Mystery of the Silver Coins, the Invisible Friend, Heart of Courage, and the Raider's Promise

Raiders from the Sea: Viking raiders capture Bree and her brother Devin and take them from their home in Ireland. After the young Viking prince Mikkel sets Devin free on the Irish coast far from home, Bree and Devin embark on separate journeys to courage. Readers will be captivated by the unfolding drama as Bree sails to Norway on the Viking ship and Devin travels the dangerous road home.

Black Fox of Lorne

Set in 1005 AD, twins Brus and Jan go a-Viking with their father Harald Redbeard and all their household. They plan to settle in England with Danish relatives there. But, their ships are caught in a fierce gale on the North Sea, and they are taken far off course to the western shore of Scotland. Held captive by a cunning Scottish Laird, Jan and Brus must navigate the political intrigue of chieftain, clan, and king without the help of their father, who has been killed and their mother, who is believed lost at sea. They follow adventure after adventure until they earn their freedom and find a home in Scotland at last.

Make This Viking Settlement (Usborne Cut-Out Models)

Printed on stiff card, this book contains templates to cut out and construct a model of a Viking settlement crammed with authentic detail. The base of the completed model measures 61 x 46cm, and includes 16 houses with doors and windows that open to reveal the details inside, and two Viking trading ships. It contains over 40 cut-out figures including merchants, traders and towns people to recreate scenes of everyday life in a bustling riverside settlement.

Who Were the Vikings Internet-Linked (Starting Point History)

Answers questions about the everyday life of the Vikings, including clothing, homes, religion, medical care, food, entertainment, ships, shops and towns, government, warfare, and the travels of the Northmen in Asia and the North Atlantic.

Ancient Vikings Unit Study

Vikings became infamous for sacking villages and towns, destroying churches, and easily defeating smaller armies in their search for new avenues of trade and the spoils of war.

Fearless warriors and superb shipbuilders, Vikings left their mark on Europe, Asia, Iceland, Greenland, and North America before they were absorbed into European Civilization.

Viking lands

Ancient Vikings Unit Study

Viking civilization began in the Scandinavian countries of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, but in the nearly 300 years of their power they traveled to and traded with many distant lands.

They also created settlements in England, Ireland, Iceland, Greenland, and other countries.

Ancient Vikings Unit Study

Viking Expansion Watch a short video about Viking exploration.
Viking Settlements Learn which countries the Vikings settled in outside of Scandinavia.
Life in Viking Settlements Learn what life was like in a Viking settlement.
Viking Houses See the types of houses Vikings lived in.

Viking Society

Society consisted of jarls (nobles), karls (middle class freemen), and thralls (slaves).

Ancient Vikings Unit Study

Viking social classes Learn how the classes worked together and how a Viking could up and down in social status.
Viking social classes in Iceland Learn how society differed abroad from Scandinavia.
Gender and age in Viking society Learn the roles of men, women, and children in Viking villages

The BEST Viking Unit Study for Homeschooled Kids. Your kids will love this. Check it out @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Viking warriors Learn what it took to be a warrior, what a beserker was, and the role women played in war

Futhark Learn about the runic alphabet of the Vikings

Viking Mythology

Vikings believed in a pantheon of Gods led by Odin. The pantheon included Thor and Loki of Avengers fame.

Norse mythology Read an overview of Norse mythology along with a brief history of Vikings.
Norse mythology dictionary Learn about Norse mythology with an A to Z listing.
The Nine Worlds A more in-depth look at the worlds of Norse mythology.

Viking Ships

Ancient Vikings Unit Study Ancient Vikings Unit Study
Viking ships were the fastest and sturdiest of the era. The Norse skill in shipbuilding helped enable the exploration and settlement of other lands

Types of Viking ships:

  • Faering
  • Knarr
  • Longship
  • Karve

Viking ships Learn the different types of Viking ships and how they were used.
Vikings at sea Learn more about sailing and ships in the Viking Age.
Navigating the open seas Learn how the Vikings knew where they were going and how to get home.

Viking Vocabulary

Althing Yearly meeting of all Viking tribes to discuss laws and solve disputes
Beserker Warrior who wore a bearskin cloak or shirt and worked himself into a frenzy before battle
Brooch A decorative piece of metal used to hold a Viking’s cloak closed. The more ornate the brooch, the richer and more important the Viking.
Burial Ship Used for the wealthiest Vikings, these ships were filled with the belongings of the deceased and set ablaze or buried under mounds of earth or in underground chambers
Fjord A long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs found along the shores of some Scandinavian countries
Flax Cloth made from the stalks of the flax flower


Futhark The runic alphabet of the Vikings
Jarl A Viking Noble
Karl A middle class, free Viking
Keel The lengthwise timber structure along the base of a ship that supports the framework of the vessel and sometimes extends downward to increase stability
Loom A machine that weaves yarn or thread into cloth
Lyre A string instrument resembling a small, u-shaped harp
Norseman Northman
Pantheon A religion that believes in a group of gods/more than one god
Prow The portion of the front of the ship that is above water
Runes Letters of an ancient Germanic alphabet
Stern The rearmost part of a ship or boat
Strake A continuous line of planking from the stem to the stern of the ship
Thing Local assemblies where all freemen could file complaints and voice opinions
Thrall A Viking slave

Famous Vikings

Erik the Red Viking explorer who discovered Greenland
Leif the Lucky Son of Erik the Red
Harald Bluetooth Viking king of Denmark (also namesake of Bluetooth technology)
Olaf Tryggvason Viking king of Norway
Sweyn Forkbeard Declared King of all England in 1013
Gunnar Hamundarson Icelandic chieftain

Also, we love the hands-on ideas for studying history over at Home School in the Woods.

They cover Vikings in their middle ages lapbook.

 

The BEST Viking Unit Study for Homeschooled Kids

  • Viking Unit Study and Lapbook
  • Ancient Civilizations I
  • Ancient Civilizations II
  • Renaissance Unit Study and Lapbook
The BEST Viking Unit Study for Homeschooled Kids. Your kids will love this mini unit study about Ancient Vikings. They are truly fierce people of the sea. Click here to grab this AWESOME Vikings Unit Study @ Tina’s Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Free Homeschool Resources, Geography, Hands-On Activities, History Based, History Resources Tagged With: ancient civilizations, geography, hands on history, hands-on, hands-on activities, handson, handsonhomeschooling, history resources, unit studies, Vikings

Hands-on Geography Mesopotamia: Fun Salt Dough Map

September 21, 2018 | 1 Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Teaching your homeschoolers about ancient civilizations should be engaging and fun. Too, look at my page Homeschool Geography for hands-on and simple ideas and tips.

After all, there is so much to learn about how we humans came together, created society, and learned to use tools to make our lives better. Every society in history is fascinating to study, but if you want to start at the beginning, Mesopotamia is the place.

Hands-on Geography Mesopotamia: Fun Salt Dough Map. Studying Ancient Civilizations doesn’t have to be boring. Your kids will love this EASY hands-on geography. CLICK HERE to create a Mesopotamia salt dough map!

According to Merry E. Weisner in Discovering the Western Past, historians and archaeologists define a city as “a place inhabited by more than 5,000 people.” The remains of the earliest communities of this size can be found in ancient Mesopotamia.

Hands-on Geography Mesopotamia

Mesopotamia, located in what is now southern Iraq, has been called the cradle of the human race. It is considered by many to be the birthplace of western civilization.

Its location between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers is to blame. In fact, Mesopotamia means “the land between the rivers.” The rivers originate in the Armenian Highlands of Eastern Turkey and empty into the Persian Gulf.

The valley between these two long rivers had rich soil capable of producing abundant crops which could sustain an early civilization. Believe it or not, the region got very little rain even in ancient times. The soil was enriched with silt each spring when the rivers flooded due to snow melt in the upland mountains where the rivers began. The problem was that the rivers flooded with the snow melt and the times and amounts were unpredictable.

As rich as the soil was, it couldn’t be farmed unless people could control the flooding. They came up with a large-scale system of water control that included irrigation and drainage ditches, making it possible to grow crops on a regular basis. The resulting abundance of food enabled large numbers of people to live together and create a civilization.

Hands-on Ancient Civilizations

Sometimes it’s hard for kids to get a grasp on a place that existed 5,000 years ago. It sounds made-up and is hard to picture in the real, modern world. Learning about Mesopotamia should include all the cool facts, like the ziggurats that housed holy temples, the Code of Hammurabi, and cuneiform–the world’s oldest writing system.

But you should also make sure they understand exactly where it is. Maps will help, but creating a hands-on experience will help even more.

Hands-on learning is the best learning. When your kids engage in kinesthetic activities while you’re teaching them with auditory or visual methods, they can retain the information better.

In other words, the more ways you engage them in a lesson, the more they’ll remember what they’ve learned.

Especially when you’re dealing with something for which they can’t get a true visual (like the geography of an ancient civilization), giving them a hands-on activity to do can help them wrap their minds around the lesson.

Salt-Dough Map of Mesopotamia

Help your kids get a visual of Mesopotamia and remember where it is with this fun activity. Make sure you have some books or other materials for them to learn from along with their map-making.

What you need:

Hands-on Geography Mesopotamia: Fun Salt Dough Map
  • A map of Mesopotamia for reference
  • Printable Map of Modern-Day Middle East
  • Printable Mesopotamia template
  • Laminator and laminating sheets (optional)
  • Tape
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 cup salt
  • 1 cup water
  • Blue, green, white, and brown craft or tempera paint
  • Paint brushes
  • Plastic knife

What you do:

Hands-on Geography Mesopotamia: Fun Salt Dough Map
  • Print out Map of Modern Day Middle East: In printer properties change multiple page function to “1 in 2×2 pages.” (This will allow your printer to print a larger map on 4 pages.) Or enlarge the map 200% on a copier
  • Laminate map pieces (optional)
Hands-on Geography Mesopotamia: Fun Salt Dough Map
  • Tape map pieces together
Hands-on Geography Mesopotamia: Fun Salt Dough Map
  • Mix flour and salt in a medium bowl
  • Add water slowly, stirring as you go
  • Mix until it resembles play dough–if it’s too sticky, add a bit more flour
  • Knead the dough for a couple of minutes till it’s easy to work with
Hands-on Geography Mesopotamia: Fun Salt Dough Map
  • Roll it out on a floured surface
  • Print and Cut out template of Mesopotamia and use it to shape salt dough, cutting away excess with plastic knife
Hands-on Geography Mesopotamia: Fun Salt Dough Map
  • Use the back of the plastic knife to trace the rivers onto the salt dough
Hands-on Geography Mesopotamia: Fun Salt Dough Map
  • Remove the template and deepen the river outlines in the salt dough with the back of the plastic knife; paint them blue
Hands-on Geography Mesopotamia: Fun Salt Dough Map
  • Use extra salt dough to add Armenian Highlands at the north end, keeping the flow of the rivers going through them; paint tips white and bases brown
Hands-on Geography Mesopotamia: Fun Salt Dough Map
  • Use finger tips to thin dough between rivers into a valley and paint valley green
  • Allow to dry several days or dry quickly in oven by covering loosely with foil and baking 20 minutes at 250F
Hands-on Geography Mesopotamia: Fun Salt Dough Map
  • Place your salt dough Mesopotamia on your map whenever you’re learning about the ancient civilization

Mesopotamia Geography

If you want your kids to get an even deeper experience of the geography of Mesopotamia, try these ideas:

  • Label the rivers on your salt dough map
  • Use black paint to make dots on your salt dough map that represent the cities of Mesopotamia (Babylon, Uruk, Ur, Eridu, Nineveh, and Susa)
  • Use white or another color to paint the borders of the 3 regions of Mesopotamia on your salt dough map (Assyria, Akkad, and Sumer)

Fun, useful, and memorable, this activity is sure to help your kids remember where Mesopotamia was and the topography that made it possible.

And also we love hands-on history activities from Home School in the Woods. Be sure to look over their beautiful timeline materials.

Hands-on Geography Mesopotamia: Fun Salt Dough Map. Studying Ancient Civilizations doesn’t have to be boring. Your kids will love this EASY hands-on geography. CLICK HERE to create a Mesopotamia salt dough map!

Don’t miss tutorials for a Salt Dough House from Ancient Mali and Egg Carton Rainbow Dragon from Ancient China.

You’ll love these other hands-on activities:

  • Hands-on History Activities for Learning about Ancient Civilizations
  • Marco Polo Unit Study – Salt Dough Map + Free Printable Map Flags 
  • South America Geography Salt Dough Map + Printable Pennants
  • Arctic Region Salt Dough Map + Free Map Flag Printable

Written by KT of Lit Mama Homeschool

1 CommentFiled Under: Ancient Civilizations, Geography, Geography Based, Hands-On Activities, History Based Tagged With: ancient civilizations, geography, hands on history, hands-on, hands-on activities, handson, handsonhomeschooling, homeschoolgeography, mesopotamia, salt dough map

5 Ways to Raise a Natural Geography Lover Easily

January 18, 2018 | 2 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Kids have a natural inborn inquisitiveness for how the earth is made and the different cultures they see around them.Too, look at my page Homeschool Geography for hands-on and simple ideas and tips.

Somewhere between that and the first day of formal Kindergarten, they can lose their curiosity if we direct them straight to a textbook.

Raise a Natural Geography Lover

One myth I need to slay before I go on is that geography is just about labeling/coloring maps.

Although maps are a huge part of geography, unless your child is fixated on coloring at the moment, merely coloring a map will not infuse a love for learning.

Look at my tips here 11 AWESOME Ways to Learn Geography (Other Than Labeling a Map) and then look at these 5 ways to raise a natural geography-lover.

ONE.
TAKE GEOGRAPHY OUTSIDE

Geography is a subject that is best taught using the outdoors or taking it outside as you can.

There are things that you just can’t explain in a geography textbook.

How a pinecone feels, the texture of a bird’s nest carefully crafted with just a beak, and the smell of the flowers from a Southern Magnolia tree that grew in our backyard couldn’t be appreciated from a book.

Even if you don’t, like me, have a naturally formed mountain in your backyard, being outside with nature helps to pique your child’s eagerness to understand geography features.

A trip to the park to study the trees and why certain ones grow in your area helps a child to understand the geography of where he lives.

When we lived on the Texas Gulf Coast, we saw many tall reeds in our neighborhood.

Understanding how plant life was affected by our nearness to the ocean helped my sons understand the part that geography plays in plant life.

Geography and science are interlinked. Many times it’s impossible to separate the two subjects and you shouldn’t.

Look at these 7 Super Easy and Free Nature Lapbooks Guaranteed to Beat Boredom and to create a natural love for geography.

Let geography flow into science and vice versa.

Fun Geoscavenge Geology Scavenger Hunt!

Here is a fun activity to connect the two concepts. Grab this form for a Geoscavenge – A Rock and Mineral Hunt: Day 6 Hands-on Learning.

TWO.
DO GEOGRAPHY ACTIVITIES, NOT JUST READ ABOUT IT

Nothing kills curiosity more than just reading about something and not being able to experience it.

It reminds me of what my husband told me that his family would do sometimes. They would drive to a vacation spot that they waited half the year to see.

After arriving, they would only look at the mountains or whatever it is from their car, turn around, and start driving home.

I can’t even imagine the disappointment of not being able to get out and explore!

Geography should be both an academic study and a hands-on investigation.

Too, hands-on geography shouldn’t be abandoned when your child gets to the older grades.

Hands-on geography is not just for the younger grades, but we tend to skip hands-on learning in the older grades just when our children are demonstrating self-teaching and independence.

Contrary to popular myths, hands-on learning in middle and high school can be rigorous because a young teen is now learning for intrinsic value.

What does this means? It means that learning about geography becomes a natural part of his everyday life. It goes from labeling maps to making learning concrete.

Hands-on learning is paramount at each level of a child’s development and geography is no exception.

Look at Homemade Compass. Simple Geography Projects Equals Huge Wow Factors for an easy activity for older kids.

Homemade Compass - Simple Geography Project With a Wow Factor

THREE.
INCLUDE OTHERS WHEN DOING GEOGRAPHY

Although I wasn’t always eager to meet with other families to study geography because I assumed it would be stressful, my boys beamed when we did.

Not only did they love meeting with other kids, but they loved learning from another teacher. I learned several things about the way my sons learned while they interacted with another homeschool teacher mom.

Homeschool moms who teach well are gifts. Homeschool moms don’t have to teach some really deep topic, but they have a way of bringing learning alive even using the tiniest fact or activity.

For example, while learning about the people and geography of Japan, one homeschool mom and her son taught my boys how to make an origami frog that hopped.

My sons were thrilled and played with that frog for hours while reading and using the atlas about Japan.

Learning geography with others doesn’t have to be complicated. Just do it with one other family and keep it simple and stress free.

Hands-on geography with other homeschoolers equals fun!

(something about blowing up volcanoes with others just makes learning about geography fun too)

FOUR.
COOK TO LEARN ABOUT GEOGRAPHY

There is nothing more natural than having fun cooking and learning a real-life skill in the process.

Kids love to eat normally and have an adventurous spirit when it comes to trying out new foods or snacks.

In the beginning, I would cook a meal from a country, but learned that my boys had just as much fun even if it was just a snack.

Whether you have time for a full meal on the menu or time enough to prepare just a bite for a snack, your kids will remember this part of geography.

As they associate food and culture from different parts of the world, their appreciation for geography grows.

Looked at a few things we have made when studying about certain areas.

  • Make pan au chocolat when studying about France.
  • Make celtic cakes when studying ancient civilizations.
  • Make baklava when studying about Ancient Greece.
  • Make victory soup when studying about the countries of World War II.
  • Make Cherokee pan bread when studying the states in the Southeastern United States.
  • Make soups from South America.
  • Make chili when doing a state study on Texas.
  • Make negrinho when doing a study about Brazil.

FIVE.
LEARN GEOGRAPHY THROUGH ART

Another way to incorporate natural geography fun is to do art. Too, an unexpected benefit is that art can one of those subjects that is hard to get in.

When you study about a country while do art or a craft, learning sticks.

For example, when we used Geography Through Art for part of our learning it helped my boys remember about not only basic geography of the earth but about countries.
Look at this idea Hands-On Geography Activity: Make a Pangaea Puzzle which is in the book.

Hands-On Geography: Australia Awesome and Deadly Animal Art

And look at Hands-On Geography: Australia Awesome and Deadly Animal Art which is fun.

Hands-on Homeschool Geography

Teaching geography naturally doesn’t mean you have to avoid curriculum. It does mean curriculum should follow our approach not the other way around.

For years, I have used North Star Geography because it fits the way I feel geography should be done in the older grades which is hands-on. 

When I lived overseas, I grabbed the digital version because I wanted to take it with me everywhere and because the boys could keep it on their device. I printed it as we needed it.

But North Star Geography has many hands-on ideas for older kids along with a helpful teacher’s guide. We have made our own atlas using their curriculum. I know you’ll love it.

It’s so easy to fall into the trap of just teaching geography without using hands-on ideas but it also kills a child’s natural love for the world around him.

5 Ways to Raise a Natural Geography Lover Easily

You’ll love these other tips!

  • Hands-on Geography: Longitude/Latitude Mapmaking Activity
  • Edible Rock Cycle Fudge and Hands-on Rock Activities
  • 35 Hands-on Geography Activities to do in 15 Minutes or Less
  • 100 BEST Books for Kids from all 50 States (Easy Geography)
  • History of the Texas Cowboy, Cattle Drives, and Chisholm Trail
  • How to Make a Kids’ Fun Ceremonial African Tribal Mask
  • Hands-on Geography Mesopotamia: Fun Salt Dough Map

Hugs and love ya,

5 Ways to Raise a Natural Geography-Lover. Kids have a natural inborn inquisitiveness for how the earth is made and the different cultures they see around them. Teach geography naturally. Look at these 5 ways to teach geography naturally. Click here to see how!
5 Ways to Raise a Natural Geography-Lover. Kids have a natural inborn inquisitiveness for how the earth is made and the different cultures they see around them. Teach geography naturally. Look at these 5 ways to teach geography naturally. Click here to see how!

2 CommentsFiled Under: Geography, Hands-On Activities Tagged With: geography, hands-on, hands-on activities, handson, handsonhomeschooling, highschoolgeography, homeschool geography, homeschoolgeography

Hands-On Geography Activity: Make a Pangaea Puzzle

September 29, 2017 | 1 Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Today, I have a hands on geography activity which is a pangaea puzzle printable.Too, look at my page Homeschool Geography for hands-on and simple ideas and tips.

When you look at a map of the world, what do you see?

Probably the continents and the ocean, right? But historians think that a long, long time ago (millions of years ago, in fact), the continents didn’t exist. Instead, there was one super continent of land on Earth.

They’ve even given that supercontinent a name – Pangaea.

Hands-On Geography Activity: Make a Pangaea Puzzle

Looking at a world map, you can see why their theory makes sense. South America’s east coast does look like it could have fit up against the continent of Africa.

And Europe does look like it could have fit up against the eastern coast of North America at some time in the past.

To help the kids visualize this idea, we decided to make a simple Pangaea puzzle activity. That way, we could move the pieces of this supercontinent around to see how they would have fit together all those years ago.

See how to make this activity with your kids!

Hands-On Geography: Make a Pangaea Puzzle

Pangaea continents.png

To get a picture of how the continents we know today may have originally fit together, take a look at this illustration of Pangaea.

Pangaea Puzzle Activity

Of course, the actual borders of these continents are different in real life, but as the supercontinent broke up, historians think that some of the land in between formed the islands that dot the oceans in our day. Neat!

To make the Pangaea puzzle activity, you’ll need the following supplies:

  • Printer
  • Printer paper
  • Scissors
  • Glue stick
  • Printable Pangaea Puzzle (print two copies)
Making a Pangaea Puzzle
Making a Pangaea Puzzle Activity
Cutting Out Pieces of a Pangaea Puzzle
Assembling a Pangaea Puzzle

Glue one copy of the Pangaea map to a piece of construction paper.

Piecing Together a Pangaea Puzzle

This will serve as your puzzle template. From the second copy of the map, cut out the land as one whole piece. Then cut the pieces apart.

Homeschool Geography

I used the black lines as general guides, but you could really cut them into whatever shapes you choose. No one is really sure how they looked as they separated, anyway.Then, let the kids practice putting the pieces together to form the complete supercontinent!

This was such a cool lesson! You can laminate the puzzle pieces if you want them to last longer or you can print them on cardstock. Just store them in a plastic resealable bag when you’re not using them.

If you love hands-on geography, your kids will love some of my favorite hands-on geography programs:

North Star Geography is a love of mine for teaching geography at the middle and high school levels to keep learning hands-on. I prefer the digital format so that we can take it with us.

And if you love learning geography through literature, look at another one of my favorites from Beautiful Feet books which is Geography through Literature.

When you look at a map of the world, what do you see? Probably the continents and the ocean, right? But historians think that a long, long time ago (millions of years ago, in fact), the continents didn't exist. Instead, there was one supercontinent of land on Earth. They've even given that supercontinent a name - Pangaea.

As the kids become more familiar with the parts of Pangaea, you can challenge them to try to trace the modern continents as they appear today on the puzzle pieces.

Then see if they can cut those out to form a current world map, complete with all the continents and a few islands!

See more fun ways to teach geography with hands-on projects below!

  • Hands-On Longitude and Latitude Activity
  • Five Best Books to Create an Around the World Unit Study
  • 35 Hands-On Geography Activities to Do In 15 Minutes or Less
  • STEM and Geography: How to Build an Ancient Viking Ship
  • Hands-on Geography Mesopotamia: Fun Salt Dough Map
  • 100 BEST Books for Kids from all 50 States (Easy Geography)
  • 5 Ways to Raise a Natural Geography-Lover

1 CommentFiled Under: Geography, Hands-On Activities, History Resources Tagged With: geography, hands on history, hands-on, hands-on activities, handson, handsonhomeschooling, homeschoolgeography

Hands-On Geography: Australia Awesome and Deadly Animal Art

September 23, 2017 | 4 Comments
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For years now, we have completed “continent studies” and hands-on geography as a way to learn more about our world and it’s geography as we homeschool. Too, look at my page Homeschool Geography for hands-on and simple ideas and tips.

The truth is: it was so much easier to do this when they were younger. I selected books from the library, we looked at the pictures of different dwellings and foods, and we colored in maps.

But my boys are older now. The same approach no longer keeps anyone interested for very long (including me!).

In order to keep them engaged and increasing in their overall level of knowledge, I decided it was time for a change.

This year, my boys are each “in charge” of their own continent for a more in depth study. Each month, they pick a topic to cover from their continent and “teach” each other about it.

My youngest chose Australia for his study this year without a second thought.

For his first presentation, he asked me to help him put together a presentation on Australia’s deadly creatures, because animals and danger – I am not sure I need to say more.

See how we used this hands-on Australia unit to study the continent’s awesome and deadly animals!

Hands-On Australia: Awesome and Deadly Animals

You see, I remember being in middle school. I remember preparing presentations to deliver in front of the class.

I remember listening to my friends. As much stress as it caused, I have to admit, I really learned from “teaching back” activities. I want my boys, despite being in a “classroom” of two, to experience the same.

And that’s why this hands-on activity was such a good way for us to learn about geography together!

What You Need:

  • Black and brown construction paper (one of each color for each animal)
  • Q-tips
  • Washable paints in various colors
  • A white posterboard
  • Printable animal templates: Shark Template, Jellyfish Template, and Snake Template
  • Printable Deadliest Fact Sheet

My son began his research at the library, checking out various books on Australia in general, and a few on the animals themselves. For further investigation, we also watched a YouTube video and looked at various pictures of aboriginal art online.

More Hands-on Australia Activities

  • 9 Australian Animals Art Ideas and Fun Koala Handprint Craft

Then it was time to get started.

Hands-On Australia Activity

Cutting Out Australian Animal Templates

Our first step was cutting out the templates. We then used them to trace animal outlines onto black construction paper.Then we cut out the traced forms of the jellyfish, shark and snake.

Deadly Australian Animal Templates

(Incidentally, if I could do it all over again, I would eliminate the tracing portion and just have my son use the templates to paint. Cutting each animal out twice was far more scissor action than either of us have seen in a long time.)Next, he glued the black deadly creatures onto brown construction paper backdrops.

Decorating Australian Animals with Paint
Making an Australian Animal Display Board

This color scheme is consistent with what we learned about aboriginal art.Taking the q-tips and the paint with us outside, he carefully “dot painted” each of the black forms, true to aboriginal tradition. The Q-tips make perfect paint brushes and are easy to clean up!

Q Tip Painted Australian Snake

The more my son painted, the more excited he became.

Q-tip dot painting is really easy, even for children with fine motor differences or those who get a little perfectionistic with their art projects.

It looks wonderful, even if the artist struggles a bit with steadiness.

Australian Deadly Animals List

When all three had dried, he attached them to the poster board.

Giving a Report about Deadly Australian Animals

At the last minute, he also decided to add a “cheat sheet” with facts he wanted to share about the different animals (printable) as well as a list of Australia’s Top 10 Deadliest as learned from the video and books.Once his presentation was assembled, his brother and I sat down and he taught us more about Australia’s Box Jellyfish than we ever thought possible!

He did a great job and I had a lot of fun working with him on this project.

If you love hands-on geography, your kids will love some of my favorite hands-on geography programs:

Overview of Activity:

Step 1: Trace and cut-out deadly creatures on black construction paper.
Step 2: Attach to brown construction paper background.
Step 3: “Dot paint” black areas with various colors.
Step 4: Create list and fact sheet about Australia’s deadly creatures.
Step 5: Attach all to posterboard and teach what you’ve learned.

Learning about continents is a way to learn more about our world and its geography as we homeschool. This Australia awesome and deadly animal art activity is not only fun but it gives kids a chance to learn about science too. Click here to do this fun activity if you’re doing a unit study about Australia.

Overall, this hands-on activity worked well for us. It incorporated in a different culture’s art and allowed my son to really dive deep into a subject he is already incredibly passionate about. I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next!

Learn more about the countries of the world with the hands-on geography activities below!

  • Switzerland Homeschool Geography Unit Study
  • Learn About the Geography of France By Creating a Solar Oven
  • South America Geography Salt Dough Map

Written by Shawna at Not the Former Things.

4 CommentsFiled Under: Geography, Hands-On Activities, Science, Science Based Tagged With: art, crafts, geography, hands-on, hands-on activities, handson, handsonhomeschooling, homeschoolgeography, science

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