any activities/ideas to teach history, or geography to kindergarten homeschool girl?
She is very smart, and I’m really new at this. I thought I would add in two hours a week of geography and history into the mix just for something different. Any ideas? Nothing serious because she is very young, but something fun, like an activity that would get her thinking about our history, or how to use maps, silly things for a little one would be good.
Also, any homeschool sites that you use would be nice. We are fundemental christians, and use bible in our studies, but any activities will be nice. thank you!
I recommend taking a look at K12’s History K. It teaches the basics of geography, and the first semester is a trip around all the continents. The second semester is a chronological study of the US from Native Americans to the Civil Rights movement. Along the way are tons of great activities: building a sand dike (Netherlands), salt dough maps, making a Taj Mahal out of spices, making a sugar cube pyramid, and making a “passport” with stamps you receive after learning, and cyber-visiting, the countries. There are music activities also. It’s just an incredible course. Here’s a link to the scope & sequence:
http://www.k12.com/filefolder/kindergarten_history.pdf
Here are all the books used, in addition to the online lessons and activities:
Floating Home – Getz, David
Where Do I Live? – Chesanow, Neil
As The Crow Flies: A First Book of Maps – Hartman, Gail
Me on the Map – Sweeney, Joan
Possum Magic – Fox, Mem
Koala Lu- Fox, Mem
One Wooly Wombat – Trinca, Ron
Wombat Goes Walkabout -Morpurgo, Michael
Snap! – Vaughan, Marcia
The Story of Ferdinand – Leaf, Munro
The Beautiful Butterfly: A Folktale from Spain -Sierra, Judy
Jack and the Beanstalk and Other Favorite Folktales – Walz, Richard
Tom Thumb – Watson, Richard Jesse
Madeline – Bemelmans, Ludwig
Jack and the Leprechaun – Robertson, Ivan
Jamie O’Rourke and the Big Potato – DePaola, Tomie
Leprechaun Gold – Bateman, Teresa
Tim O’Toole and the Wee Folk: An Irish Tale – McDermott, Gerald
Rapunzel – Zelinsky, Paul O.
Rumpelstiltskin – Zelinsky, Paul O.
Hans Brinker: Great Illustrated Classics – Dodge, Mary Mapes
Rechenka’s Eggs – Polacco, Patricia
Big Anthony and the Magic Ring – DePaola, Tomie
Big Anthony: His Story – DePaola, Tomie
Strega Nona Meets Her Match – DePaola, Tomie
Strega Nona’s Magic Lessons – DePaola, Tomie
Strega Nona – DePaola, Tomie
The Story About Ping – Flack, Marjorie
The Donkey and the Rock – Demi
The Empty Pot – Demi
Celebrating Chinese New Year – Hoyt-Goldsmith, Diane
The Dancing Dragon – Vaughan, Marcia
How My Parents Learned to Eat – Friedman, Ina R.
Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves – Early, Margaret
The Tale of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves – Kimmel, Eric A.
Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain – Aardema, Verna
Rabbit Makes a Monkey of Lion: A Swahili Tale – Aardema, Verna
The Lonely Lioness and the Ostrich Chicks: A Masai Tale – Aardema, Verna
Who’s In Rabbit’s House: A Masai Tale – Aardema, Verna
The Great Kapok Tree – Cherry, Lynne
The Magic Bean Tree: A Legend From Argentina – Van Laan, Nancy
Antarctic Antics – Sierra, Judy
Seven Weeks on an Iceberg – Potter, Keith R.
The Emperor’s Egg – Jenkins, Martin
Colors of Mexico – Olawsky, Lynn Ainsworth
Borreguita and the Coyote – Aardema, Verna
Purple Mountain Majesties – Younger, Barbara
When Clay Sings – Baylor, Byrd
The Gift of the Sacred Dog – Goble, Paul
Follow The Dream: The Story of Christopher Columbus – Sis, Peter
The Pilgrim’s First Thanksgiving – McGovern, Ann
The Story of the Pilgrims – Ross, Katharine
The Fourth of July Story – Dalgliesh, Alice
Johnny Appleseed – Lindbergh, Reeve
Sacagawea: The Journey to the West – Kroeber, Nora
Paul Bunyan – Kellogg, Steven
Paul Bunyan – narrated by Winters, Jonathan
Pecos Bill – Kellogg, Steven
Sally Ann Thunder and Whirlwind Crockett: A Tall Tale – Kellogg, Steven
Follow The Drinking Gourd – Winter, Jeanette
Abe Lincoln’s Hat – Brenner, Martha
Bloomers – Blumberg, Rhoda
Laura Ingalls Wilder – Wadsworth, Ginger
Little House in the Big Woods – Wilder, Laura Ingalls
John Henry and His Mighty Hammer – Jensen, Patsy
John Henry: An American Legend – Keats, Jack Ezra
John Henry – Lester, Julius
The Story of the Statue of Liberty – Maestro, Betsy
The Long Way to a New Land – Sandin, Joan
A Weed is a Flower: The Life of George Washington Carver – Aliki
A Picture Book of Eleanor Roosevelt – Adler, David A.
Amelia and Eleanor Go For a Ride – Ryan, Pam Munoz
A Picture Book of Jackie Robinson – Adler, David A.
Cesar Chavez: a Photo-Illustrated Biography – Davis, Lucile
A Picture Book of Rosa Parks – Adler, David A.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. – Adler, David A.
Happy Birthday, Martin Luther King – Marzollo, Jean
I am Rosa Parks -Parks, Rosa & Haskins, James
When we did the course, we also either dined at an ethnic restuarant we studied, or we’d make their traditional foods at home. K12’s art also correlates with history, so we’d do those projects also.
Also, there are neat resources at:
http://www.geomatters.com/
