David McCormick

New Hampshire Geographic Alliance

Hosting Your Own Family Geography Night

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Practice

It’s very helpful if you have

students practice many of the

activities before your

Geography Night. This way

when they come in that night

they can get right to it.

Hosting your own family geography night can be an exciting and rewarding experience. It can be as small or as large as you want. It doesn’t have to be difficult or stressful. Included in this packet you will find ideas for activities and set up that have been successful at one school. They may fit your school perfectly or you may need to modify them.

The third grade team at Mast Way Elementary School in Lee, NH decided to take on a Geography Night for Geography Awareness Week 2010. The theme that year was Water. There were four classroom teachers and three UNH interns involved in the planning. We made a list of possible ideas. We decided that it wasn’t always necessary to adhere to the water theme. We came up with the following:

Landform Bingo (Promethean Board) New Hampshire Cookies Google Earth in the Computer Lab Geography Board Games Geography Centers Geography Puzzles Geography Stories and Books Geographic Art Finding Locations on the Mega Map Hall of Maps with Quiz Where Were You Born Map Raffles for Adults and Students

Next we decided on space. Where was each activity going to be? Since it was at night we had the run of the building. If you choose to do your event during the day you may need to get creative about space.

Location

Hosting Your Own Family Geography Night:

If you’re not able to convince your whole grade level to participate start small with one or two teachers. Once people see how successful you’ve been they’ll want to join in next year.

Preparation

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We decided to use our four classrooms, the computer lab, the hallway, the common area (you could use the library, gym or café), and the school entryway. In some cases two activities could be going on in the same space. For example one classroom

has a Promethean board and a wall-sized world map. In that room we put Finding Locations on the Mega Map and Landform Bingo. More involved activities like the New Hampshire Cookies required an entire room to itself. Next we created a map of activity locations using a school map.

A map of the school is a great way to show families around and practice map skills.

Make sure you follow your buildings policies for using the building after hours. This can be a big headache if you don’t

do the paperwork.

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Now that we had all our activities and locations we needed to work on the specifics of how the evening would flow. We decided to set up a Welcome Table in the front entryway of the school. Here, one of our interns greeted families and signed them in. Each family was given a school map. Each person was presented with a passport and raffle ticket. Raffle Ticket: We held two raffles that evening; one for adults and one for students. We drew names about every 10 minutes and announced the winners over the PA system. Prizes for students included inflatable globes, maps, globe super balls, geography pencils, National Geographic Explorer magazines, geography related picture books etc. Prizes for adults included copies of National Geographic Magazine and books. Some of the titles were:

Written in Water: Messages of Hope for Earth’s Most Precious Resource edited by Irena Salina

Running Dry: A Journey From Source to Sea Down the Colorado River by Jonathan Waterman

The Map as Art: Contemporary Artists Explore Cartography by Katharine Harmon

The Atlas of the Real World: Mapping the Way We Live by Daniel Dorling, Mark Newman and Anna Barford

Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time by Dava Sobel

Passports:

The passports were simply a way for students to keep track of the activities they’ve completed. They turned out to be a lot more than that. For many students it was their favorite part of the night. As students completed each activity an adult would stamp their passport with a geographic stamp.

With raffle tickets passed in and maps and passports in hand families were now equipped for Geography Night.

Welcome

Raffles are not necessary for a successful geography night. They can get expensive, especially if you don’t have a budget. You can always get creative with prizes.

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You can find a copy of the

Landform Bingo flipchart for

Active Inspire on the Family

Geography Night CD. If you

didn’t get a CD you can email

me at dmccormick@orcsd.org

to request a copy.

The Landform Bingo we developed requires a Promethean Board and Active Inspire. There are many commercial versions of this game available for purchase. This is not to say that you cannot easily create your own. Landform Bingo is played just like standard bingo. On the board a picture of a landform is shown and its definition is read. When a student knows the landform they place a chip over the landform on their card. Landforms we used were: Lake Delta River Plateau Iceberg Valley Desert Mountain Fjord Beach Canyon Island Forest Peninsula Grassland Volcano Waterfall Glacier Swamp Cave Bay Jungle Hill continent

Landform Bingo

Activities

Try bingocardcreator.com to download premade cards for free.

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New Hampshire Atlases can be

purchased through the New

Hampshire Geographic Alliance

at nhga.net

This activity is a real crowd pleaser. Families are challenged to decorate a New Hampshire-shaped cookie to include the state capitol, major rivers and mountains. Students are given a plain sugar cookie in the shape of New

Hampshire, a New Hampshire Atlas, and a variety of toppings.

Green icing to cover the cookie to represent our forests

Blue icing to make the major rivers, Lake Winnipesaukee, and Great Bay

Mini white chocolate morsels to show the White Mountains

A red hot to show the capital of our state, Concord You will need either a very cooperative school kitchen staff or several dedicated volunteers to bake that many cookies. To keep the number of cookies lower we make this activity for children only. Adults may come and decorate a cookie near the end of the evening if there are leftovers.

New Hampshire Cookies

Check this website for state-shaped cookie cutters. www.sugarcraft.com/catalog/cooky/states.htm

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At Mast Way we have a full computer lab. It was very easy to set this activity up there. If you don’t have a computer lab set this activity up at any available computers in the areas you’ll be using. Students can complete the activity and have their passports stamped in any room. We decided to have this activity more focused than just going on to Google Earth. This way we could ask participants to find specific things. The list can easily be adjusted to fit your theme.

Google Earth

A printable copy is on your Geography Awareness Week CD

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The common area of our school was divided up into two spaces. One large floor area was set up for geography puzzles and the other a comfortable place for families to read. Students could get one stamp for completing a puzzle and another for reading a book.

In the reading area we place comfortable chairs, pillow, mats, and beanbag chairs around several bookshelves full of geography related books.

Geographic Puzzles, Stories, and Books

Geography puzzles can be easily found on-line or at most department stores. Check out local yard sales and second-hand stores too.

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W is for World: A Round the World Alphabet Kathryn Cave 2004. Frances Lincoln Children's Books Ages 4-8 From Alfredo, Arturo, and Agostino in Mozambique to Zoe in Jamaica, W Is for World explores the lives of children across the globe. Each letter is shown in upper- and lowercase, with a word like kite or lamps or Grandfather, followed by what that word means in a particular country and a photograph. Featuring over 20 countries from Greenland to Vietnam, the book shows how different the world may look to people of different backgrounds, and yet how many things diverse cultures share. Kathryn Cave's simple text and the compelling color photographs from the relief agency Oxfam make this a distinctive alphabet book. The Armadillo from Amarillo Lynne Cherry 1999. Sandpiper Ages 4-8 Sasparillo Armadillo decides to explore his native state, and travels from San Antonio to Amarillo. He's still not sure where in the world he is, so he catches a ride on the back of a golden eagle and eventually boards the space shuttle for an even larger perspective. Cherry's love for the environment, shown in The Great Kapok Tree (1990) and A River Ran Wild (1992, both Harcourt), is evident in this book as well. Fields of bluebonnets and Indian paintbrushes sprawl across borderless, two-page spreads, giving credence to the grandeur of the countryside. Indigenous plants, animals (some endangered), and unique geographical formations are introduced via inset postcards that Sasparillo sends to his cousin Brillo in Philadelphia. An author's note is packed with more cultural, historical, and scientific information, disclaiming some of the fantasy elements but assuring readers that "the geographical information in the text is accurate." A River Ran Wild Lynn Cherry 2002. Sandpiper Ages 4-8 In the 15th century, when native people first settled on the banks of the river now called the Nashua, it was a fertile and beautiful place. By the 1960s, the river valley had been ravaged by many years of serious pollution, and fish, birds, and other animals were no longer seen in the area. Through the efforts of Marion Stoddart and the Nashua River Watershed Association, laws were passed that resulted in the restoration of this river and the protection of all rivers. The author gets high marks for documenting the negative impact of industry on the environment and for highlighting the difference one determined person can make. My Map Book Sara Fanelli 1995. Harper Festival Ages 4-8 In non-narrative form, Fanelli (Button) challenges the concept of "map" as she earnestly demonstrates that places aren't the only things that can be charted. Exploring everyday aspects of a child's world, the author mixes the expected, such as "Map of My Neighborhood," with more conceptual subjects: "Map of My Family," "Map of My Day," "Map of My Heart" and even "Map of My Dog." G is for Granite: A New Hampshire Alphabet Marie Hall 2002. Sleeping Bear Press From Robert Frost and Sara Josepha Hale to the Old Man of the Mountain and Tuckerman's Ravine - "G is for Granite" shares information on the history, geography, and state symbols of New Hampshire from A to Z.

My Top 30 Geo Literacy Books My Top 30 Geographic Literacy Books

Ages 4-8

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One World, One Day Barbara Kerley 2009. National Geographic Children's Books Ages 4-8 This beautiful photo book follows the course of one day in our world. Sunrise to sunset is captured in the essential things we all do daily, wherever we live in the world, and in the different ways we do them. The first meal of the day will take on a whole new dimension for American kids as an American pancake breakfast is contrasted with porridge in North Korea and churros in Spain. Geography from A to Z: A Picture Glossary Jack Knowlton, Harriet Barton 1997. Harper Collins Ages 4-8 Sixty-three geographical terms are simply defined and illustrated. Clear, uncluttered illustrations with bright contrasting colors and black outlines help clarify the meaning of each term. Little prior knowledge is expected of readers. The Wicked Big Toddlah Kevin Hawkes 2007. Knopf Books for Young Readers Ages 4-8 One snowy day in Maine, the stork delivers an enormous newborn to an astounded family. Narrated in a laconic New Englander's style by his sister, this episodic look at the gigantic baby's first year of life is milked for every ounce of its illustrative worth. Diaper changing requires hazmat suits, fire hoses, and talcum powder dispensed via helicopter; knitting hats and booties for the nipper sends a kindly lady with bandaged hands into catatonia; real boats become the toys in each ocean bath, and eating ice cream means swallowing the truck as well as its wares. Pecos Bill Steven Kellogg 1992. Harper Collins Ages 4-8 The anecdotes associated with Texas' fabled cowboy hero burst from the pages in rapid succession, Kellogg's robust illustrations enlarging and enriching the choppy, energetic text that is seasoned with Texan expressions. In dramatizing Pecos Bill's life story, Kellogg also conveys a sense of place, of the rugged, expansive physical beauty of the American West in pioneer days. Maps and Globes (Reading Rainbow Book) Jack Knowlton, Harriet Barton 1986. Harper Collins Ages 4-8Maps and globes can take you anywhere -- to the top of the tallest mountain on earth or the bottom of the deepest ocean. Maps tell you about the world: where various countries are located, where the jungles and deserts are, even how to find your way around your own hometown. If you take a fancy to any place on earth, you can go there today and still be home in time for dinner. So open a map, spin a globe. The wide world awaits you. A New England Scrapbook: A Journey through Poetry, Prose and Pictures Loretta Krupinski 1994. Harper Collins Ages 4-8 Brief descriptions, lively verse by a handful of poets and, most importantly, Krupinski's stunning art together answer the question "What is New England?" Each spread focuses on a characteristic associated with the region, such as old stone walls, barns, maple syrup, fog, lobster and lighthouses.

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Make Way for Duckings Robert McCloskey 1966. The Viking Press Ages 4-8 The busy Boston streets are too dangerous for eight little ducklings! But with a little help from a friendly policeman Mrs. Mallard and her family arrive safely at their new home. The public garden was no place for ducklings when they were first born, but now they are old enough to brave the raucous crowds and swim with the giant swan boats. Ashanti to Zulu: African Traditions Margaret Musgrove 1992. Puffin Ages 4-8 Artists Leo and Diane Dillon won their second consecutive Caldecott Medal for this stunning ABC of African culture. How to make an Apple Pie and See the World Marjorie Priceman 1996. Dragonfly Books Ages 4-8 In this whimsical, geographical shopping journey, a young baker thinks of how to proceed if the market is closed. She directs readers, via various modes of transportation, to gather seminola wheat in Italy, a chicken (for its egg) in France, bark from the kurundu (cinnamon) tree in Sri Lanka, a cow (for butter) in England, salt water and sugar cane in Jamaica, and apples in Vermont. Processing the worldly ingredients is quickly handled, a pie is baked, and friends are invited to share. A look around the table reveals children from all of the countries in which the foods have been found. A recipe for apple pie appears on the last page. How to Make a Cherry Pie and See the U.S.A Marjorie Priceman 2008. Knopf Books for Young Readers Ages 4-8 A spunky young baker is in the mood for cherry pie. She has the ingredients this time, but she's missing the equipment (bowl, pan, rolling pin, etc.) needed to get the job done. Traveling back and forth across the United States according to instructions that are given recipe style (and can be followed on the endpapers' map), she gathers natural resources from various regions (e.g., cotton from Louisiana to make pot holders) and heads home to manufacture the required objects. Smelting, spinning, weaving, carving, and glass making, the girl works until she has everything ready. The pie is a welcome addition to a July 4th celebration, where floats showcase the places she has visited. Somewhere in the World Right Now Stacey Schuett 1997. Dragonfly Books Ages 4-8 What's happening around the world when it is one o'clock a.m. in England? Lots! Exploring this fascinating concept, this story takes children around the world to show what's going on at the exact same moment in other areas. A time-zone map on the endpapers, which includes the times and names of places shown in the pictures, allows readers to follow the action around the globe. How I Learned Geography Uri Shulevitz 2008. Farrar, Straus and Giroux Ages 4-8 Shulevitz provides a note and early drawings to source this story based on his own childhood experience. A small boy and his parents flee Poland in 1939. They travel to Turkestan (modern-day Kazakhstan) where they live in one room in a house made of "clay, straw, and camel dung" with strangers. When the narrator's father returns from the bazaar with a huge map instead of bread to feed his starving family, his wife and son are furious. But the map turns out to provide food for his spirit as the youngster becomes fascinated by its every detail. Using his imagination, he can transport himself to all of the exotic-sounding places on it without ever leaving the dreary room in which it hangs.

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On the Same Day in March: A Tour of the World's Weather Marilyn Singer, Frane Lessac 2001. Harper Festival Ages 4-8 Singer and Lessac circumnavigate the globe exploring similarities and differences. Here, the intrepid travelers tackle the weather. With carefully crafted, childlike illustrations and a succinct, engaging text, the weather in 17 locales that include Paris, New York City, the Nile Valley, Darjeeling, Northern Kenya, and Patagonia is touched upon. The closing refrain on each double-page spread, "On the same day in March-," is sure to encourage listeners to join in. Inhabitants are depicted engaged in activities and attire appropriate to that area in March, though the Arctic, Antarctic, and the Texas Panhandle (during a tornado) are illustrated sans humans. An author's note offers a brief explanation of the Earth's orbit and the seasons, and a map of the world indicates the places visited in the book. If the World Were A Village – Second Edition: A Book about the World’s People David J Smith, Shelagh Armstrong 2011. Kids Can Press Ages 4-8 First published to wide acclaim in 2002, this eye-opening book has since become a classic, promoting "world-mindedness" by imagining the world's population all 6.8 billion of us as a village of just 100 people. Now, If the World Were a Village has been newly revised with updated statistics, several new activities and completely new material on food security, energy and health. By exploring the lives of the 100 villagers, children will discover that life in other nations is often very different from their own. The Lorax Dr. Suess 1971. Random House Books for Young Readers Ages 4-8 The now remorseful Once-ler--our faceless, bodiless narrator--tells the story himself. Long ago this enterprising villain chances upon a place filled with wondrous Truffula Trees, Swomee-Swans, Brown Bar-ba- loots, and Humming-Fishes. Bewitched by the beauty of the Truffula Tree tufts, he greedily chops them down to produce and mass-market Thneeds. ("It's a shirt. It's a sock. It's a glove. It's a hat.") As the trees swiftly disappear and the denizens leave for greener pastures, the fuzzy yellow Lorax (who speaks for the trees "for the trees have no tongues") repeatedly warns the Once-ler, but his words of wisdom are for naught. Finally the Lorax extricates himself from the scorched earth (by the seat of his own furry pants), leaving only a rock engraved "UNLESS." Thus, with his own colorful version of a compelling morality play, Dr. Seuss teaches readers not to fool with Mother Nature. But as you might expect from Seuss, all hope is not lost--the Once-ler has saved a single Truffula Tree seed! Our fate now rests in the hands of a caring child, who becomes our last chance for a clean, green future. Me on the Map Joan Sweeney 1998, Dragonfly Books Ages 4-8 A nameless child introduces the world of cartography. Using the premise that simple drawings can be maps, the book begins with crayon drawings of the floor plans of the girl's room and house. The concept becomes progressively more complex, as her horizons expand from home to street, to town, to state, to country, and finally to the world. Colorful illustrations show a composite of the entire area that is being charted on the facing page. On each successive page, the child points out her street, hometown, state, and country. The process then reverses as she finds the U.S. on a world map and works back down the scale to her own room again. Show Way Jacqueline Woodson 2005 Putnam Juvenile Ages 4-8 Soonie's great-grandma was only seven when she was sold away from her parents in Virginia and sent to South Carolina. All she had was a piece of muslin from her mother, two needles, and bright red thread. She was raised by Big Mama, who cared for the plantation children and at night whispered stories of freedom. Big Mama taught great-grandma how to sew messages and directions into quilt patterns, a Show Way. The quilt-making tradition is passed down through successive generations of women

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in the family. Finally, readers meet the narrator, who grew up to become a writer and tell the stories of many people's Show Ways. A poignant trail at the end of the book shows eight generations of women and the author's baby painted against the background of quilt patterns. Show Way is a sophisticated book that introduces readers to the passage of time, family traditions, and the significance of quilts and their patterns in African-American history. Roanoke the Lost Colony: An Unsolved Mystery from History Jane Yolen and Heidi Elisabet 2003. Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers Ages 4-8 In 1587 John White was chosen by Sir Walter Raleigh to lead a new colony at Roanoke off the Atlantic coast. After bringing many men, women, and children to the new land, White went back to England to gather supplies for the long winter. But when he finally returned to the fort almost three years later, he found that all of the colonists had vanished. The only signs of life left were the letters CRO carved into a tree and the word CROATOAN carved into one of the fort's posts. Some people think that the Spanish army captured the colonists; some people think that the local native people murdered them; others think that the colonists went off to live with the native people and start a new life. Still others think that the colonists tried to sail home to England and were lost at sea. No one knows for sure. Become a detective as you read this true story, study the clues, and try to figure out the fate of the lost colony of Roanoke. The Unsolved Mystery from History series is written by acclaimed author Jane Yolen and former private investigator Heidi Elisabet Yolen Stemple. Read carefully and check your clues. You might be the first to solve a puzzle that has baffled people for years. Letting Swift River Go Jane Yolen 1995 Little, Brown Books for Young Readers Ages 4-8 This is the bittersweet story of the Quabbin Reservoir. It was made by flooding a valley and several towns in central Massachusetts between 1927 and 1946. Yolen's poetic narration, in the voice of a woman who was six years old when her family learned they would have to give up their home, recalls the tranquility of a rural community where children fished in the river and picnicked in the graveyard. Then, ``it was voted in Boston to drown our towns that the people in the city might drink.'' Graves are moved, trees cut, homes bulldozed, and the river dammed to cover the little towns and create a new, quite beautiful landscape. Sea Clocks Louise Borden 2004. Margaret K. McElderry Books Ages 9-12 This handsome, well-researched picture book introduces John Harrison, the 18th-century English carpenter turned clockmaker who spent more than 40 years perfecting a device that solved the centuries-old problem of determining longitude. Beginning with Harrison's childhood, Borden presents biographical tidbits that bring the man to life, show how he differed from "most other village folk," and set the scene for his later accomplishments. With no formal training in clock making, he followed his instincts and used trial and error to build innovative timepieces. The narrative next describes the difficulties involved in determining east/west positioning at sea, explaining that captains could calculate longitude if they had an accurate shipboard timekeeper (a task impossible for 18th-century pendulum clocks). The prize offered by Parliament for a solution to the problem is also mentioned. The rest of the book details Harrison's dedication, perseverance, and ingenuity, as he struggled to build and perfect an accurate sea clock and fought to have his invention acknowledged by the Board of Longitude. Paddle-to-the-Sea Holling Clancy Holling 1941. Houghton Mifflin. Boston. Ages 9-12 A toy canoe is launched in Lake Nipigon by the Indian boy who carved it and in four years travels thru all the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River to the Atlantic. A picture of the shore life of the lakes and the river with full page pictures in color and marginal pencil drawings.

Ages 9-12

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This Child, Every Child: A Book about the World’s Children David J Smith, Shelagh Armstrong 2011. Kids Can Press Ages 9-12 This Child, Every Child uses statistics and stories to draw kids into the world beyond their own borders and provide a window into the lives of their fellow children. As young readers will discover, there are striking disparities in the way children live. Some children lack opportunities that others take for granted. What is it like to be a girl in Niger? How are some children forced into war? How do children around the world differ in their home and school lives? This Child, Every Child answers such questions and sets children's lives against the rights they are guaranteed under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. If America Were a Village: A Book about the People of the United States David J Smith, Shelagh Armstrong 2009. Kids Can Press Ages 9-12 As in If the World Were a Village, Smith and Armstrong help children understand large statistical numbers by collapsing the U.S. population of 300 million down to a village of 100. For example, "82 people in our village speak English as their first language, 10 speak Spanish. 1 speaks Chinese, 1 French and 1 German." Other languages that represent less than one whole person are also mentioned. Topics explored include family make-up, religions, jobs, ages, wealth, items owned, energy and water use, and health. Comparisons are sometimes made with historical data to show change and with worldwide numbers for contrast. One Well: The Story of Water on Earth Rochelle Strauss 2007. Kids Can Press Ages 9-12 Looking at all the water on Earth—in the atmosphere, the oceans, lakes, ponds, rivers, and rain as "One Well" into which all life dips to survive—Strauss presents a timely discussion of the use and abuse of a not-so-limitless resource. Liberally sprinkled with interesting facts—"It took about 130 L (34 U.S. gal.) of water to make your bike"—the readable text informs children of growing demands on a finite supply; increasing pollution; and the intensifying urgency for the conservation, preservation, and protection of a unique chemical combination more essential to all life than the air we breathe. How to Build Your Own Country Valerie Wyatt, Fred Rix 2009. Kids Can Press Ages 9-12 How to Build Your Own Country is an interactive and totally original learning experience that shows kids how to build their very own country from scratch. This book, the only one of its kind, offers children the expertise and advice they'll need to plant their flag in the backyard, in the bedroom or online. Kids will be amazed to discover that anyone can do it. Nation-building advice is peppered with examples of events that have shaped countries throughout history, teaching young readers about government, elections, geography and global issues.

These books have accompanying lessons on the Family Geography Night CD

For more book ideas check the book list on the Family Geography Night CD

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For this station you’ll need a very large map. We call them mega maps. In one of our fourth grade classrooms we have a wall-sized mega map. This map is wallpapered onto the wall. If you don’t want to commit to a permanent map you can always use a tile map from National Geographic.

The tile maps are printed on 8.5 x 11 inch paper and put together like a puzzle. You can go to www.nationalgeographic.com/geography-action/index.html to print your own or you can borrow a preprinted and laminated one from the New Hampshire Geographic Alliance at www.nhga.net.

nhga.net

Finding Locations on the Mega Map

You can find the map wall paper on-line at Amazon.com.

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Mega Maps are perfect for teaching many skills. However, for this station we used one to reinforce finding locations using latitude and longitude. Once at the map families found a box with about a hundred small cards. Each card had a picture of a UNESCO World Heritage Site on one side. On the other side we printed the coordinates, the name and a brief description of the site.

S50 W73 The Los Glaciares National Park is an area of

exceptional natural beauty, with rugged, towering mountains and numerous glacial lakes, including Lake Argentino, which is 160 km long. At its farthest end, three glaciers meet to dump their effluvia into the milky grey glacial water, launching massive igloo icebergs into the lake with thunderous splashes.

Families then used this information to find the location of the site and tape the card directly to the map. We also included a write up of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites program and a tutorial on how to use latitude and longitude. All the information you’ll need about the World Heritage sites can be found at whc.unesco.org

The World Heritage List includes 936 properties forming part of the cultural and natural heritage which the World Heritage Committee considers as having outstanding universal value.

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There are many books and websites where you can easily find geography related art projects. It’s important that whatever you choose doesn’t take too long to complete. Families have to make it through all the other stations Remember to keep it simple.

A few ideas:

Paper plate and tissue paper Earths

Cover a ball Styrofoam ball with clay to make a globe

Design your own compass rose

Coffee filter Earths Search on-line to find many inexpensive and easy projects. A Few Good Books:

Global Art: Activities, Projects, and Inventions from Around the World MaryAnn F. Kohl

Around the World Art & Activities: Visiting the 7 Continents Through Craft Fun Judy Press

The Kids Multicultural Craft Book: 35 Crafts from Around the World Sarah Rakitin Cole

Geo Art

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There are many geography-themed board games available. Start with one or two and over the years you can add to your collections. It helps if students are familiar with the games before coming to Family Geography night. They can teach their families how to play.

For this station we used the book Take It To Your Seat: Geography Centers.

We put together seven centers:

1. The World on a Globe 2. The World on a Map 3. Name That Landmark! 4. A Map Grid 5. Bodies of Water 6. Introducing North America 7. Earth’s Landforms

These centers were review of skills taught in school and were self-guided. Answer keys were inside each folder. Families could stamp their own passports.

Board Games and Geo Centers

Geo Centers

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To Create the Hall of Maps we pulled together any maps we had and hung them all in one hallway. We tried to vary the types of maps we used. We chose 10 maps from the group and labeled them A-J. Then we developed a question for each of the lettered maps and created a quiz. Families were asked to do the quiz together and to hand in one copy for a raffle ticket. At the end of the evening a ticket was chosen for the grand prize, a basket full of geography related prizes for the whole family.

We hung up a world map and a United States map and asked people to mark with a sticker where they were born.

Extras

Hall of Maps

www.census.gov/geo/www/maps/ Print your own maps

Where Were You Born?

Contacts

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Hosting your own Family Geography Night can be a fun and rewarding experience both for you and your students. Hopefully it will become a well-loved tradition at your school. Remember it’s a good idea to start simple. Your geography night can grow a little each year. Good Luck. Contact us at the New Hampshire Geographic Alliance at:

nhga.net

New Hampshire Geographic Alliance

@NHGAGAW

Have Fun