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Amazing Geography Landforms: An Engaging Triorama Tutorial for Kids

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Here is an engaging triorama tutorial for kids giving them a simple way to demonstrate what they have learned about various landforms. Also, look at my page Trioramas: How To Create Engaging Visual Narratives For Kids for more ideas.

First, all we need is a piece of cardstock and a pair of scissors.

Too, whatever type of coloring supply your child would like to use-markers, crayons, colored pencils, or even watercolors to create a fun triorama.

Amazing Geography Landforms: An Engaging Triorama Tutorial for Kids

You can pick any 3 landforms to recreate on the three triangles of the triorama.

Plus, this is a neat activity that is geography, science, and art all rolled into one.

But before we get onto the triorama tutorial let’s learn more about some common geography landforms and their characteristics.

For example, landforms are the different shapes and features of the Earth’s surface.

They can be big, like mountains and valleys, or small, like hills and lakes.

HOMESCHOOL GEOGRAPHY RESOURCES FOR KIDS

22 Homeschool Geography Go To Resources & Gift Ideas

Add some of these fun books and resources to your learning day if you're wanting to study geography with multiple ages. Maybe you want to hook your child on geography with a gift or two.

Next, there are many different types of landforms, each with its own unique characteristics.

In addition, here are just a handful of some common landforms, but there are even more to learn about.

AMAZING GEOGRAPHY LANDFORMS

Mountains-tall, rocky landforms that rise high above the surrounding area. They are often formed by the movement of tectonic plates.

Hills-smaller, rounded landforms that are not as high as mountains.

Plateaus-large, flat areas of land that are higher than the surrounding area.

Plains-large, flat areas of land that are not as high as plateaus.

Valleys- low areas of land that are surrounded by mountains or hills.

Canyons- deep, narrow valleys with steep sides.

Peninsulas- pieces of land that are surrounded by water on three sides.

Bays-bodies of water that are partially enclosed by land.

Deserts- dry, barren areas of land that receive very little rainfall.

Volcanoes-The size of a mountain, they are typically conical and have a crater and vent through where lava, hot gases, steam and rock fragments are or have erupted through the crust of the Earth.

Islands- a piece of land surrounded by water. Islands can be found in oceans, lakes, and rivers. They can be small or large.

Basins-low lying areas of land that are surrounded by higher land. They can be formed by a variety of processes including erosion, glaciers, and volcanoes.

Amazing Geography Landforms: An Engaging Triorama Tutorial for Kids

Also, look at more triorama themes.

MORE TRIORAMA IDEAS

Next, look at some hands-on geography ideas.

GEOGRAPHY ACTIVITIES TO PAIR WITH TRIORAMA TUTORIAL

Finally, look at how to make an amazing geography landforms triorama tutorial.

AMAZING GEOGRAPHY LANDFORMS TRIORAMA TUTORIAL

You will need:

  • Cardstock
  • Colored pencils, crayons,etc…
  • Scissors
  • Glue stick
Amazing Geography Landforms: An Engaging Triorama Tutorial for Kids

First, if your cardstock already happens to be a square you are ready to go.

If not you can turn your rectangle into a square easily by bringing one corner down even with the bottom of the page.

Press the crease in firmly with the edge of the scissors or a craft stick.

Amazing Geography Landforms: An Engaging Triorama Tutorial for Kids

Cut excess off along the edge and you have a square.

Amazing Geography Landforms: An Engaging Triorama Tutorial for Kids

Fold the opposite corners together and press in the crease to form an x with the folds.

Open the paper and cut from one corner up to the center.

Mark one of the triangles with an x, this one will be the base and will not be drawn on, this helps your child to know which one will be hidden.

Amazing Geography Landforms: An Engaging Triorama Tutorial for Kids

Have your child choose 3 different landforms and draw an example of each of the 3 remaining triangles.

Also, it is much easier to draw and color on the flat paper rather than try to do it on the 4D triorama.

Amazing Geography Landforms: An Engaging Triorama Tutorial for Kids

Then add titles.

Amazing Geography Landforms: An Engaging Triorama Tutorial for Kids

Fold the x underneath the base of the opposite triangle and secure with glue.

Amazing Geography Landforms: An Engaging Triorama Tutorial for Kids

You can use this quick and easy method to highlight more landforms or use it for a variety of other science, history, and literature topics.

Finally, be sure to check out the other triorama ideas on my site.

13 Living Geography Books For Kids Who Love Exploring

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These 13 living geography books for kids just scratch the surface of all the amazing books that are out there to inspire a love of learning about the world around them. Too, look at my page Homeschool Geography for hands-on and simple ideas and tips.

From learning geography in beautifully illustrated picture books to tackling it through rich literature there is plenty to choose from.

13 Living Geography Books For Kids Who Love Exploring

And quality picture books for older children can be just as beneficial as reading aloud literature can be for younger children.

Living geography books are a dynamic and captivating approach to geographical education, they change the way children interact with and understand the world around them.

A good living book seamlessly blends traditional textbook content with a narrative or conversational tone and fosters a genuine curiosity about our planet.

Living geography books go beyond rote memorization and they should flow, capture the imagination, and tell facts while they give us the story.

LIVING BOOKS ENGAGES ALL LEARNING STYLES

Unlike traditional textbooks, living geography is engaging for all learning types.

  • Visual learners can benefit from the rich imagery and interactive diagrams.
  • Auditory learners can utilize accompanying audio recordings or narrated explanations.
  • Kinesthetic learners can engage with the tactile elements and manipulative features.
  • Traditional learners can still read the informative text.

This multi-faceted approach makes them appealing for everyone.

Living geography books can provide a window into the diverse cultures, landscapes, and ecosystems of our planet.

 By exploring different regions and their unique characteristics, your child can develop a greater awareness of global issues and a deeper appreciation for cultural diversity.

13 Living Geography Books For Kids Who Love Exploring

Then, add some hands-on activities to these books for an awesome unit study.

Some of these are unit studies and some are hands on ideas.

GEOGRAPHY IDEAS TO PAIR WITH LIVING GEOGRAPHY BOOKS

Finally, look at these living geography books.

13 Geography Living Books

Add some of these living geography books to your home library. All ages will love them.

Free 4 Week Minn of the Mississippi Unit Study

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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.

Free 4 Week Minn of the Mississippi Unit Study

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.

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
  • Have students use the scale on a map to measure distances between key locations along the river. For example, calculate the distance between cities like Minneapolis and New Orleans.
  • For your young learners, have them keep a tally sheet of animals found along Minn’s journey.

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.

Free 4 Week Minn of the Mississippi Unit Study

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.

Free 4 Week Minn of the Mississippi Unit Study

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.

Free 4 Week Minn of the Mississippi Unit Study

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.

  • Then Build a River Model with the help of this video that demonstrates how water moves along the river system
  • In the story Minn is picked up and looked after by a Chipewa (Ojibwe) child, learn more about them with this book and recreate a wigwam, the style of homes that they lived in.

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.
Free 4 Week Minn of the Mississippi Unit Study

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.

Free 4 Week Minn of the Mississippi Unit Study

OTHER BEST UNIT STUDIES

Felt River Food Pyramid

You will need:

  • 5 sheets of felt-various colors
  • Plastic river animals
  • Scissors
  • Glue gun/sticks
  • Ruler
Free 4 Week Minn of the Mississippi Unit Study

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.

Free 4 Week Minn of the Mississippi Unit Study

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.

Free 4 Week Minn of the Mississippi Unit Study

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

Hot glue each strip down into its proper position.

Free 4 Week Minn of the Mississippi Unit Study

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

Free 4 Week Minn of the Mississippi Unit Study

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.

FREE MY LITTLE BOOK OF LANDFORMS IMAGES WITH NAMES

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I have a free little book of landforms images with names for the youngest geography learner. Also, look at my page Hands-On Simple And Best Homeschool Geography Ideas & Tips.

Geography is more than a study of the land and water but it’s about the people too.

However, introducing children to geographical landforms is something they can easily grasp.

FREE MY LITTLE BOOK OF LANDFORMS IMAGES WITH NAMES

In addition, when children learn about physical landforms they can research how different it is from where they live or if it is the same.

That small spark can ignite a love for geography that shouldn’t be boring.

Besides, geography should not be reduced to labeling maps.

Hands on activities need to be a large part of learning right from the beginning.

GEOGRAPHY BOOKS FOR KIDS

In addition, living books should be a huge part of learning.

Sure, add reference books like atlases to your day, but keep your children curious about geography by reading stories and good books.

This is how they appreciate that geography is the study of people in areas and how they adjusted to their environment.

Also, studying the plants and animals keeps geography engaging for any age.

10 Geography Children's Books

I have a list of some of my favorite books for different ages, locations, and styles to help you choose a few to add to your library.

Next, look at some of these vocabulary words for the landforms images with names book.

VOCABULARY WORDS FOR LANDFORMS IMAGES WITH NAMES BOOK

While your child is coloring the picture and printing the name explain the meaning of some of the words.

Here are some simple definitions.

  • bay – A bay is a curved body of water where the land juts in. Think of the San Francisco Bay.
  • basin – This is a large, bowl-shaped area of land that collects water.
  • beach – It is a sandy area or edge along a body of water like a sea or ocean or even a lake.
  • canyon – A deep narrow valley with steep sides . The Grand Canyon is an example.
  • cape – A long point of land that sticks out into the sea or ocean.
  • cave – Caves are a natural underground space or a hollow in the earth. They are formed by water or wind.
  • crater lake – A crater lake is a lake that forms in the large bowl-shaped of a volcanic crater.
  • desert – Deserts are dry, sandy areas where there is very little rain.
  • estuary – It is an area where a river meets the ocean or sea. It is usually a mix of fresh and salt water.
  • glacier – A glacier is a slow moving mass of ice.
  • hills – Hills are small rounded areas of land smaller than a mountain usually.
  • island – An island is a piece of land surrounded by water.
  • isthmus – This is a narrow strip of land that connects two larger areas of land and is surrounded by water.
  • lowland – Lowlands are areas of land that are lower in elevation than the surrounding areas.
  • mesa– Flat-topped landforms usually a mountain or hill. Normally, they’re found in deserts.

GEOGRAPHY VOCABULARY WORDS

  • mountains – Mountains look like towers. They are tall rocky landforms that rise above the surrounding land.
  • peninsula – It is a piece of land that is almost surrounded by water but it is still connected to the mainland. For example, think of Florida.
  • plateau – A plateau is a flat, elevated area of land.
  • river – Rivers are large flowing bodies of water that flow across land and flows into an ocean, sea, or lake.
  • valley – It is a low area between hills and mountains. Often it has water running through it.
  • volcano – A volcano is a natural opening or crack in the Earth’s surface. Hot, melted rock called magma, gases, and ash can escape from deep inside the Earth.
  • wetland -A wetland is an area of land that is covered with water or has very wet soil. They can be bogs, swamps, or marshes.

MORE HANDS-ON GEOGRAPHY ACTIVITIES

FREE MY LITTLE BOOK OF LANDFORMS IMAGES WITH NAMES

Finally, grab the free printable book below.

HOW TO GET THE FREE MY LITTLE BOOK OF LANDFORMS IMAGES WITH NAMES

Now, how to grab the freebie. It’s a subscriber freebie.

That means when you sign up to follow me, you get my emails in your inbox and you get this freebie.

1) CLICK HERE ON THIS LINK TO SIGN UP ON MY EMAIL LIST & TO GET THIS FREEBIE.

2) Grab the freebie now.

3) Last, look for all my emails in your inbox. Glad to have you following me!

10 Geography Childrens Books | Easy Me On The Map Project

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Colorful engaging geography childrens books are a fun and memorable way to teach them all about locations and their characteristics. Look at my page Hands-On Simple And Best Homeschool Geography Ideas & Tips for more ideas.

But don’t think only preschoolers can benefit from picture books.

And be sure to show the younger ones more complex maps, mix it up and provide them with a mix of books to learn all about geography from.

10 Geography Childrens Books | Easy Me On The Map Project

The word Geography comes from the Greek word geo which means earth and graphy which means a writing or description.

It is the study of the physical features of the Earth.

Also, it’s a study of the atmosphere, and water.

Teaching Geography to Multiple Ages

It is learning about the 50 states and their capitals, the oceans, and what an island or physical map is.

Typically, upper elementary is when you begin more formal geography lessons starting with US geography and then moving onto the world in middle school.

However, I am a big believer in at least introducing the concept to your child from preschool years on through exploration, beautiful picture books, globes, games, and more.

With a great selection of maps, globes, games, apps and of course most importantly books you can teach geography without even using a curriculum.

Children can learn more than just how to read a map, immersing them in learning about languages, landforms, government, and cultures.

Early on kids desire to learn about their place in the world and how they fit into it.

10 Geography Childrens Books | Easy Me On The Map Project

This easy me on the map project helps make that wonder a little more tangible by showing how a smaller (but complete unto itself) object fits into a larger one.

For example, your neighborhood is in a city, that city is within a state, and that state is part of a country, that is part of a continent, and that continent is on planet earth.

You can leave your book with just the location labels or let your child get creative by writing words or drawing pictures that represent each one.

Geography Activities for Kids

First, look at more homeschool geography activities for kids.

10 Geography Childrens Books | Easy Me On The Map Project

10 Geography Children’s Books

Next, look at these fun geography children’s books which bring geography to life.

Add one or two your home library.

10 Geography Children's Books

I have a list of some of my favorite books for different ages, locations, and styles to help you choose a few to add to your library.

Now that you have a big selection of books to choose from, grab some construction paper and let’s get going with today’s activity.

This project, while very simple, introduces not only the concept of me in the world or on the map but also demonstrates other skills.

For example, how to use a compass to create circles of different sizes, build fine motor skills through that as well as cutting, and allows your child to be creative with what they are learning.

Easy Me On The Map Project

You will need:

  • 6 colors of construction paper
  • Compass with pencil
  • Scissors
  • Markers or Crayons
  • Hole punch
  • Brad
10 Geography Childrens Books | Easy Me On The Map Project

First, begin making circles by using a compass to draw one on each color of construction paper, making them ½” larger each time.

If you don’t have a compass at hand, you can use bowls and cups of varying sizes to trace.

10 Geography Childrens Books | Easy Me On The Map Project

When you have all your circles lay them on top of each other, with all the excess at the bottom and holes punch through all of them at the top at the same time so it lines up nicely.

10 Geography Childrens Books | Easy Me On The Map Project

Write along the bottom edge in order from smallest to largest.

  • My neighborhood,
  • my city,
  • my state,
  • my country,
  • my continent, and
  • my planet.
10 Geography Childrens Books | Easy Me On The Map Project

Now, the fun part, let your child draw or write things about each place on the corresponding circle. Challenge older kids to do more, let younger kids draw simple pictures.

10 Geography Childrens Books | Easy Me On The Map Project

Finally, place your brand through the holes of your “book” and open the tabs, the book can now lie stacked or spread out to see everything.

10 Geography Childrens Books | Easy Me On The Map Project