While creating my geography unit study lens, I stumbled across a blog post at LaPaz Home Learning telling about the Continent Boxes she had just completed. Finally, I knew what to do with all the "artifacts" we create during our studies of different countries.
Continent Boxes are sort of like treasure boxes- one for each continent- which contain maps, books, and artifacts from the countries on that continent. You can buy or create things specifically for your continent boxes, or you can do a "scavenger hunt" around the house to see what objects you can come up with.
The boxes can be plain shoe boxes or plastic totes, or you can decorate them with maps, pictures, and flags from each continent.
Here are some ideas of what you can include.
Photo Storage Box 4.5"X8"X11.5"-Assorted Designs
Amazon Price: $3.99 (as of 10/11/2008)
Clear 6-qt.Shoe Box with Lid - Set of 12
Amazon Price: (as of 10/11/2008)
Set of 3 Rendez-Vous in Paris Nesting cases carrying boxes
Amazon Price: $39.98 (as of 10/11/2008)
Rectangle Decorative Woven Storage Boxes- Medium / Gold
Amazon Price: $19.99 (as of 10/11/2008)
Maps
An example of this is the Inuit people of the Arctic regions. As we were preparing to study them the other day, I asked my children if they knew where the Inuit lived. Two of my children answered "Mexico" and "South America." If you know anything about the Inuit, you can see how ridiculous these answers are. The cultures of the Arctic peoples are vastly different from those of Central and South America.
Each box ought to include a map of the continent and maps of individual countries on that continent. You might also want to include puzzles or games featuring the physical geography of that continent.
BORDERLINE GAMES WORLD EDITION
The Borderline games are an fun and easy way for kids to learn where countries are located. The USA Edition helps kids learn the location of each of the 50 states. My kids love to play these.
Pictures
Photos can be cut from old copies of National Geographic and pasted with a label onto cardstock or made into a collage. Travel brochures would also be a great addition. Or, you could just include a few nice picture books. If you can find some copies of the local art, add those in too.
- Continent Kits
- Fantastic kits with materials to learn about every part of each continent - flags, plants, animals, and more!
- Cultural and Geography Materials
- Free printables
"Artifacts" and Souvenirs
You can also add all the projects your children complete as they study different countries. Or, include craft items and instructions in your continent boxes so your children can complete these projects at another time.
Money
You can learn a lot about a country's history and what its people value by seeing what they put on their money. Kids especially love to examine foreign coins. Both coins and bank notes are available for sale on Ebay. You might also ask your local bank if they can get them for you or ask friends and relatives to bring some back from their travels.If you can't get the real thing, you can still print off some pictures of foreign money to add to your continent boxes.
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Stamps and Postcards
Stamps and postcards are like tiny windows through which we can glimpse small amounts of a countries culture. These can be collected through exchanges or from aquaintances who like to travel. Sometimes you can find them in shops which sell collectables. If you can't get them anywhere else, try looking on Ebay.
Fetching new data from eBay now... please stand byMinitures
Minitures can be things like toy animals, tiny models of famous landmarks, or dioramas of native landscapes. Many items which are intended for dollhouses would be perfect for your continent boxes. Or, you could even get some modeling compound and have your children create some minitures of their own.
Resources For Making Your Own Minitures
- Famous Landmarks
- Virtual tours and panoramic images from Famous Landmarks & World Landmarks.
- Biome Dioramas
- Make these shoe box dioramas based on real dioramas at the American Museum of Natural History
- Canon Creative Park
- Canon Inc. provides a wealth of free papercraft projects to download.
- Paper Toys
- Free Paper Models
- Yamaha Paper Crafts
- Make your own paper models of animals from around the world.
- Multicultural Education through Miniatures
- Multicultural Education through Miniatures includes photos, maps, stories, and games of handmade dolls and puppets from all over the world. Cultural activities and games are also available. Students and teachers can freely use the pictures, stories, and games in school projects.
Costumes
Flags
Music and Instruments
- Montessori by Hand
- music clips from around the world
- Mama Lisa's World
- Children's songs and nursery rhymes from all over the globe presented both in English and their native languages. Many include MP3, realaudio or midi sound clips and sheet music.
Additional Items
Here are a few more things you may want to include:* samples of writing
* spices, ethnic foods, or recipes
* textiles (such as a piece of silk for China,
plaid for Scotland, etc.)
* childrens' books and folktales from or about each
country
* paperdolls
Blog Posts About Continent Boxes
- Geography Central!!
- Sweetness and Light
- Geography Boxes, Redux
- Sweetness and Light
- Continent boxes finally ready
- LaPaz Home Learning
- Continent Boxes Swap
- A Bit Of This and A Bit Of That
Please take a minute to say hi!
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Jimmie
Five stars, favorited, lensrolled to my Flat Travelers lens, and linked there as well. Posted August 15, 2008 |
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Jimmie
This is new to me! :-) Fun idea! I recommend postcard exchanges and flat traveler exchanges as great ways to learn geography. The things you get in the mail can be added to the geography boxes. Posted August 15, 2008 |
