Geography Travels: Ghana

My son did a lapbook on Ghana when he was in 3rd grade, in place of a unit study.  Follow the link if you’d like to see his Ghana lapbook. 

Here’s my daughter’s geography unit for Ghana (she didn’t do the lapbook):

Week 1

Located Ghana on world map and globe, capital and largest cities; stamped passport, read first paragraph of Wikipedia entry on Ghana

Listened to the national anthem (on the sidebar of Wikipedia entry)

Began reading The Cow-Tail Switch and Other West African Stories

Listened to “West Africa song” from Geography Songs

Read The Not-for-Parents Travel Book, Ghana entry

Looked at her brother’s Ghana lapbook

Read entry from The Usborne Book of Peoples of the World

Watched YouTube travel videos:

Discussed center of the world (equater/prime meridian), which is just south of Ghana, in the ocean.

Week 2

Colored the flag of Ghana (Activity Village) and discussed government, currency, and religion

Learned some history and languages

YouTube videos on Twi:

Read from Children Just Like Me and did notebook page (Homeschool Creations)

Week 3

Geography from A to Z—gulf, equator, beach, plains, rivers, forest, hills, lake (man-made)

Labeled a map of Ghana (using an outline from Enchanted Learning and this MAP to help us)

Drew a chimpanzee from Draw Write Now, Book 7; discussed Ghana animals

Drew a hyena from Draw Write Now, Book 8

Week 4

Culture: art, music, dance (Youtube videos)

Read Around the World in 80 Tales, p. 123 “Rain Song”

Watched Anansi videos; read books Anansi the Spider: A Tale From the Ashanti and Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears

Notebook page (country fact sheet, Homeschool Creations)

We were going to make peanut bread (Children’s World Cookbook, p. 24-25), but we ran out of time. 

We did play some Ghanaian games

I did find one more book for Ghana, but it was long after we did the unit (my youngest will benefit).  It’s called Pretty Salma, a Little Red Riding Hood story set in Ghana.

Online Resources:

A to Z Kids Stuff

List of Countries of the World.

National Geographic Kids

Geography Travels: Egypt

When my oldest was in 3rd grade, he did a lapbook on Egypt instead of a regular geography unit.  Follow the link if you’d like to see his lapbook!

Here’s what my daughter did for her Egypt unit (which did not include a lapbook):

Week 1

Located Egypt on world map and globe, capital and largest cities; stamped passport

“North Africa” song from Geography Songs

Bold Believers in Egypt—A Christian resource for kids, mostly related to persecuted Christians.  It includes stories, fun facts, and activities.  (You can download this resource for free, if you register.)

The Not-for-Parents Travel Book entry on Egypt

Labeled a map of Egypt (Mapping Egypt, Homeschool Creations)

Week 2

Colored the flag of Egypt (from Galloping the Globe)

Read the book Look What Came From Egypt to discuss inventions.

Discussed history, government, culture, currency, languages, and religion of Egypt

Children Just Like Me and notebook page (page from Homeschool Creations)

Week 3

Geography from A to Z—desert, river, isthmus, sea, sand dune, oasis, coast, delta

Sahara Desert and Nile River, Famous Places book (Sahara Desert and Aswan High Dam)

The YouTube videos we watched are gone now, but here’s one on Ancient Egypt and the Nile (video with music, not narrated):

The Bible and Egypt (Joseph, Moses, plagues, Israelites, Mary and Joseph); color page from Bold Believers

Week 4

Pyramids/Sphinx, King Tut, mummies, Famous Places (Pyramids)

Discussed vocabulary words and animals; played a game called Seega (from Bold Believers)

Did notebook page (Country Fact Sheet, Homeschool Creations)

Prayed for Egypt

More Websites for Egypt:

Homeschool Creations (Egypt)—follow links for lesson plans

National Geographic Kids

Books we Read:

Geography Travels: South Africa

We did this unit over a year ago, but here it is!  It’s a shorter unit, because it was the very end of a school year, and we were trying to finish before our vacation (we were back in the US at the time). 

Week 1

Found South Africa on map; capitals (there are 3) and largest city (which is not one of the capitals).

Read The Not-For-Parents Travel Book page on South Africa.

Flag page (Homeschool Creations), national anthem (Wikipedia, top right side of entry)

Map page (Homeschool Creations)—We also discussed Lesotho, a country within the country of South Africa!

Geography from A to Z—mountains, oceans, beach/coast, scrubland, plateau, veldt (grasslands), desert, cape, continental shelf, bay

Read Guide to South Africa (Highlights Top Secret Adventures)

Cape Town video:

Week 2

South African animals—We discussed the “Big Five” (elephant, buffalo, lion, rhinoceros, and leopard).  We also watched this fun ostrich race.

South Africa has diamond and gold mines!

South Africa Diamond Mines

The Gold Mines of Johannesburg

Gold Mining in South Africa

This one is a dance:

Language—South Africa has 11 official languages.  We watched a YouTube video on the Zulu language, but it has been removed.  Here is a lesson in Afrikaans:

We discussed Nelson Mandela and apartheid, and we watched this video, which is part of a speech by former President Thabo Mbeki.

We read Around the World in 80 Tales, “The Cheetah’s Cubs”

We worked on our notebooking page (Country Fact Sheet from Homeschool Creations).

Websites

Time for Kids

Making Friends

National Geographic Kids

South Africa Tourism

South African Wildlife

Learning to Give—Click on the links for “The Collared Crow,” “Selekana and the River God,” and “The Ostrich Egg Wife,” all folktales from South Africa.

Homeschool Creations has lesson plans for South Africa.  I got several ideas and links from her!

I'm linking this post to "History and Geography" at All Things Beautiful.