homeschool geography

I have a free 4-week Minn of the Mississippi unit study for kids. Look at these other Best Homeschool Unit Studies for more ideas and topics for hands-on learning.

I can’t wait to share this free 4-week Minn of the Mississippi unit study with you.

It is full of wonderful geography, science, language arts and more.

This children’s book by Holling C. Holling follows the journey of a snapping turtle named Minn as she makes her way down the Mississippi River.

First, Minn’s journey starts at the headwaters of the Mississippi River in Lake Itasca, Minnesota.

Then, her travels continue onto the Gulf of Mexico and she is eventually set free in Bayou Barataria near New Orleans, Louisiana.

The Mississippi River has the third largest drainage basin in the world, exceeded in size only by the watersheds of the Amazon and Congo Rivers.

It drains 41 percent of the 48 contiguous states of the United States.

Another point is that it allows for a great unit study that covers geography like map work and science topics such as animal study, environments like the river basin, ecology, and of course plenty of opportunity for language arts activities. 

Too, you can easily use it as inspiration for art lessons as well.

Also, the book is recommended for ages 8-12 but I think it is very adaptable for a little younger or a little older with a few adjustments.

Living books are still a fantastic resource for your middle school kid, don’t exclude that age just yet.

First, you’ll need to grab your own copy.

Minn of the Mississippi

The book teaches geography, history, and earth sciences through an engaging story.

Minn of the Mississippi

The history of the Mississippi River Valley is told in text and pictures through the adventures of Minn, a snapping turtle, as she travels downstream.

Continue Reading

Then, look at these math and language arts activities.

MATH & LANGUAGE ARTS MINN OF THE MISSISSIPPI UNIT STUDY WEEK 1

Next, this language arts activity is naturally built into the unit, it is simply to read aloud or have your child read the book independently.

Let’s work on print or cursive writing, wherever your child is and practice writing lines from the book.

Additionally, let your child choose a few sentences and use it as copywork.

In addition, review those vocabulary words!

It takes approximately 25 years for the story of Minn from the headwaters to the bayou in a Louisiana swamp.

 For younger children, talk about seasons, how many days in a week, month, year? Weeks in a year, etc…

Have your child look up the definition and copy it down for each of the following vocabulary words below.

• Suspense
• Rapids
• Shimmering
• Shallow
• Deserted

SCIENCE MINN OF THE MISSISSIPPI UNIT STUDY WEEK 2

Play Professor Noggins Reptiles and Amphibians, this game is amazing for families to play together as each card offers questions of varying difficulties.

Learn more about the Mississippi River by building a river model that includes characteristics unique to the mighty Mississippi.

This activity can be done over the course of a day or the whole week.

Have your child choose a river creature, like one mentioned in the book and research it. They can show you what they have learned via paper, or a diorama like this one about the Everglades.

Create a reusable felt food pyramid that can be pulled out and used to demonstrate the food chain in any habitat. For this one we will focus on river creatures. See below for the full instructions.

Food chain pyramids are five levels, known as trophic levels.  

SCIENCE WEEK 2

• Producers: First level, at the bottom which includes pond plants and trees that drop their leaves that break down into the water. For example, trees, lily pads, and underwater plants.
• Primary consumers:Second level from the bottom is made up of herbivores that eat mainly plants. River primary consumers are freshwater crabs, snails, and insects.
• Secondary consumers: The third level from the bottom is  carnivores that eat herbivores, in our case frogs, fish, snakes, turtles.
• Tertiary consumers: The fourth level up, made up of carnivores that eat other carnivores-raccoons and river otters.
• Quaternary consumers: The fifth and final level at the top is made up of apex predators with no natural predators. For example this includes large predatory fish, alligators, and large birds like Herons.

HISTORY & GEOGRAPHY MINN OF THE MISSISSIPPI UNIT STUDY WEEK 3

Have your child locate and trace the Mississippi River on a map with their finger or a marker. This map of the river with town names gives a great overview of the path.

Or you can trace it along a scrunch map, these come in handy for a simple portable geography resource.

The headwaters of the Mississippi River start at Lake Itasca in Itasca State Park in Minnesota.

Find Minnesota on the map and have your child research some basic geographical facts about it using books or Google.

• Abbreviation:MN
• Capital:St. Paul
• Biggest City: Minneapolis
• Nickname:The North Star State
• State Bird: Common Loon

Learn about what a river is and the parts of a river. A river is a body of water that flows across the land, usually starting from a high point, such as a mountain, and ending at a lower point, such as a lake or the ocean.

HISTORY & GEOGRAPHY STUDY WEEK 3

• Riverbanks-Riverbanks are the sides of a river. Riverbanks can be made of different materials, such as sand, gravel, or rock.
• Source-The source of a river is the place where it begins. This could be a spring, a glacier, or a lake. The source is often located at a high point, such as a mountain.
• Tributaries-Tributaries are smaller rivers or streams that flow into a larger river. Tributaries help to increase the flow of water in the river and can also bring in sediment and nutrients.
• Main Channel-The main channel of a river is the deepest and widest part of the river. This is where the water flows the fastest.
• Floodplain-The floodplain is the area of land that is next to a river. The floodplain is often flooded during heavy rains or when the river overflows its banks.
• Meanders-Meanders are bends in a river. Meanders are formed when the water in a river flows around obstacles, such as rocks or trees.
• Oxbow Lakes-Oxbow lakes are crescent-shaped lakes that are formed when a meander is cut off from the main channel of a river.
• Delta-A delta is a fan-shaped area of land that is formed at the mouth of a river. Deltas are formed when the sediment that is carried by the river is deposited in the ocean.
• Estuary-An estuary is a wide, often funnel-shaped, mouth of a river where the seawater mixes with the freshwater from the river.

ARTS & CRAFTS MINN OF THE MISSISSIPPI UNIT STUDY WEEK 4

Draw or paint  a model of a river system with watercolor, markers, or crayons.

A great art and geography as well as science lesson all rolled into one.

OTHER BEST UNIT STUDIES

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Felt River Food Pyramid

You will need:

• 5 sheets of felt-various colors
• Plastic river animals
• Scissors
• Glue gun/sticks
• Ruler

First, for the main piece that will serve as a base I recommend using a larger piece of felt , like  the 12×18 sheets.

Measure a triangle 12 in across by 16 to 18 in tall using a ruler and pencil.

Cut out the triangle.

To create the different levels of the pyramid layer smaller pieces of felt behind it line them up where you would like them to be in Trace with a pencil.

Cut each level out leaving them slightly wider than the base piece.

Hot glue each strip down into its proper position.

Flip the entire thing over and trim everything up nicely and evenly with your scissors.

Now have your child layer each of the river animals where they fall on the food pyramid using whatever plastic animals you have on hand or you can print animals off the internet, cut out magazines, or use flashcards.