- Globetrotting with Tag: Have students “explore” different countries and cultures in small groups using Tag Interactive Maps.
- Map of the Day: National Geographic has an entire year’s worth of daily maps ranging from old-world pencil maps to a map of modern Mars. Each map comes with a quick 5-minute article and trivia questions, making it a perfect way to start every day.
- Five Minute Field Trips: Go on mini “field” trips all over the world by showing your kids short video clips and pictures from famous sites around the world.
- Creepy Crawlers: Discuss the various pests that your students see around their houses and then show them the pests—from tarantulas to iguanas–that other children around the world put up with. Seeing a picture of a three-inch hairy tarantula might just put those tiny spiders we complain about in perspective.
- Riding on a Jet Plane: Use the Leapster Explorer to take your students on a virtual airplane ride around the globe to complete missions, find treasure and learn about geography, cultures and more!
- Weather Patterns: Pull up the weather forecast on weather.com and show your kids how even though they are wearing scarves and mittens, kids near the equator are probably running around in tank tops and swim suits.
- Mapping your world: Pull up GoogleMaps on your projector and find your school, your city, your kid’s favorite park and the local ice cream shop.
- Holiday Traditions: Spend a few weeks leading up to the holiday season studying the holiday traditions of various cultures around the world. Encourage your students to share their traditions and then discuss how traditions can vary even within the same culture.
Warm-Up Ideas for Social Studies: 10-Minute Activities That Teach Geo-Literacy
Globetrotting with Tag: Have students “explore” different countries and cultures in small groups using Tag Interactive Maps. Map of the[…]