how to make a geography course sound fun

by Spencer Jast DDS 8 min read

How can I make geography fun for kids?

Oct 30, 2017 · Dive right in to immerse yourself in the vast ocean of geography fun, using these 10 simple tips! Over the next few weeks, expanding on one tip per week, I will share with you the detailed suggestions for infusing excitement into your geography studies. For now, take a look at these simple tips to peak your interest and intrigue your stude ...

What are some unexpected and fun geography lessons to enhance?

For learning geography in a fun and creative way, you have to play The License Plate Game. Check out this post to learn how to play. It's a whole lot of fun! This game is a cross between a scavenger hunt and a geography game. This year, my boys set a family record.

How to extend your geography learning with play?

Neighborhood Map. Create a map of your neighborhood without key map elements, like a compass rose, labels, and a key. Then have a family member or friend try to use the map to reach a particular destination. Talk about the ways in which the map was difficult to use.

Why teach geography in the classroom?

Feb 22, 2018 · This is a fun way for kids to make a room decoration that’s not only bright, but educational too. Interactive Kidsmap $34.95 (via Awesome Maps) his map just for kids has fun activities built in to it with flash card prompts and removable, re-useable, and re-attachable stickers. With the flash cards and stickers, kids can learn about geography, facts about …

How can I make my geography class interesting?

13 Unexpected and Fun Geography Lessons to Enhance Your Curriculum
  1. Hold a mock geography bee. ...
  2. Explore the world through pen pals. ...
  3. Put up a wall of clocks. ...
  4. Travel with technology. ...
  5. Put the world into perspective with Google Earth. ...
  6. Create autobiographical island maps. ...
  7. Play a global game of hide and seek.
Nov 19, 2019

How do students get excited about geography?

This makes the geography relevant to them, and makes them want to know more. Alternatively, a carefully selected photograph, map, graph, video clip, written quote or even a poem can provide a great "hook" into the topic. Students are inspired to ask their own questions and gain a sense of ownership over the topic.

How do you make geography fun for kids?

I've found over 30 fun books, games, & playful activities to help facilitate knowledge of geography and a global perspective.
...
Make your own maps.
  1. Make a treasure map.
  2. Make a map of your home and use magnets to navigate.
  3. Make a 3D town.
  4. Make a 3D map out of play dough.
  5. Make a salt-dough map.
  6. ECE: Make a simple map.

How do you introduce geography to students?

Begin with simple maps with familiar landmarks to help students understand map terminology, such as coordinates, latitude, longitude, legend, and scale. Discuss the compass rose and practice with directions to deepen understanding.Sep 17, 2018

What is geography kid friendly definition?

Geography is a science that deals with Earth's surface. People who study geography are called geographers. Geographers are interested in Earth's physical features, such as mountains, deserts, rivers, and oceans. They are also interested in the ways that people affect and are affected by the natural world.

How can I be a good geography teacher?

Good geography teachers set high expectation of their students - for their geographical knowledge and understanding, the quality of their work and their behaviour. In every activity your students engage in, you should define your expectations and share these with the students.

What are the activities at home of geography?

Geography Games and Activities for Home
  • Encourage free exploration of maps and globes around your home. ...
  • Explore food around the world by introducing multicultural recipes. ...
  • Help your child draw a map of your home to introduce spatial awareness. ...
  • When you travel, discuss the route you will drive and draw a map.
Jan 2, 2018

How do I teach my 3 year old geography?

An easy avenue for teaching your toddler geography is by telling and showing them where different animals are from. Using your map, show your child where their favorite animal lives. Many children's maps have animals on the map, which makes it easy to start those conversations.Nov 5, 2018

How do you teach preschool geography?

Another approach to teaching preschoolers about geography, is to show them maps, landscapes and features about the area where they currently reside. By taking this approach, geography can become a fun, experiential and applicable lesson. You can physically show children aspects of local geography.

What does a good geography lesson look like?

Students make sense of the world through language - through talking and writing – and so good geography lessons contain meaningful opportunities for discussion and dialogue, sorting data, ranking information, identifying links between concepts, reconstructing information in alternative forms, discursive writing etc.

What is taught in geography?

Geography is the study of places and the relationships between people and their environments. Geographers explore both the physical properties of Earth's surface and the human societies spread across it.

What is the five themes of geography?

The most enduring contribution of the Guidelines has been the articulation of the five fundamental themes of geography: 1) location; 2) place; 3) relationships within places (human-environmental interaction); 4) relationships between places (movement); and 5) regions.

What does Crystal Wagner recommend for kids?

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.

What is Kris Bales' book about?

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.

Make it a Part of Daily Life

When you make learning a part of your everyday life, it becomes easier to teach and understand. This can be as simple as making your children aware of where they are going every time you get in the car.

Hands-On Activities

What better way to help encourage your kids to learn more than to actually participate in a hands-on activity? Research proves that performing actions and creating memories around specific subjects are great tools to encourage comprehension and an inquisitive spirit.

Geography Games

I love including games in our homeschool! There are some great opportunities to learn about geography with memory games, board games, card games, and more!

Crafting

Another hands-on way to get kids interested in geography is to make crafts! Creating replicas of countries, or states, with different craft material, or making landscapes and famous landmarks are other ways to help really drive home regional facts.

Introduce Early Learners to the 50 States

Early Learners Introduction to the 50 States is a fun and simple way to introduce your little ones to the United States. In these simple pages, they will color the state name, state shape, state bird, state flower and state flag. They will also be able to trace and copy facts and do a simple word search puzzle about each state.

How to play Throw the Globe?

Play Throw the Globe by tossing a beach-ball-sized inflatable globe around the classroom. When a student catches it, they must tell the class which continent or ocean their right thumb is touching. If they know something about the location, they can also share it with the class.

What grade is Amy Getty?

Students in Amy Getty’s sixth grade class start off the year by creating maps of islands that illustrate their lives. They first fill out an autobiographical survey and then use their creativity and knowledge of landforms and symbols to design their maps.

What is the mystery class?

Mystery Class, which Christina Michelle plans to try with her students next year, includes fun geography lessons that help kids understand longitude and latitude while learning about continents, countries, and cities around the world. Kids start by gathering data about Earth, based on latitude, longitude, and seasonal changes in sunlight. Then they investigate clues and compare their data, narrowing down their search to find 10 secret sites around the globe.

What is a country flag?

Country flags are designed to represent the history or ideals of a country. Design a flag that represents you—you can model it on your heritage, favorite activities, sports, animals, or family.

What is media credit?

Media Credits. The audio, illustrations, photos, and videos are credited beneath the media asset, except for promotional images, which generally link to another page that contains the media credit. The Rights Holder for media is the person or group credited. Writer.

Geography Activities for Kids

The most important thing for kids to start with is learning their home address. You’d be surprised how many kids don’t know or have forgotten their home address. (And phone number.) Practice this often!

Read about geography and maps

Books with maps and about maps are a great addition to your reading choices.

Play map games

Gamifying any concept helps kids learn. These games are great ways to engage young learners to learn geography. Don’t miss The Scrambled States or Ticket to Ride — two favorites of ours.

Complete map puzzles

Pull out a puzzle map and you’ll be amazed at how much this helps kids learn geography.

Make your own maps

If you haven’t made your own maps, I highly recommend it. Start with your house or neighborhood or room.

Apps and Online Geography Games

Go online for a flight simulator or try a fun app like Stack the States!

Is Trail Guide to World Geography a teacher manual?

Although it is a teacher’s manual, the lesson plan sections in Trail Guide to World Geography are written to the student. So, older students can easily work through the material independently, which is what we do.

How long is Trail Guide to World Geography?

Each lesson plan section starts with Geography Trails, a list of daily geography drills for each level. Students use their atlas to find the answer to the day’s drill question. The activity is designed to take a maximum of 5 minutes.

Who is Kris Bales?

Kris Bales is a newly-retired homeschool mom and the quirky, Christ-following, painfully honest founder (and former owner) of Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers. She has a pretty serious addiction to sweet tea and Words with Friends. Kris and her husband of over 25 years are parents to three amazing homeschool grads.

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