My son studied China 4 years ago (3rd grade). My post on that geography unit is HERE. My daughter did the China unit last school year (also 3rd grade). Since her unit differed slightly, I thought I would post an updated version in a new post.
Week 1
- Located China on world map and globe, found capital and largest cities
- Stamped passport (passport from Guest Hollow; we use flag stickers or glue printed flags from the internet; then, we use a date stamper to stamp the date we start our “travels”)
- Listened to the national anthem
- Watched a China video on YouTube
- Began China prayer calendar (from Bold Believers in China, a free download from Kids of Courage)
- Began reading daily Li Lun: Lad of Courage
- Listened to Asia Song from Geography Songs
- Read about China in The Not-for-Parents Travel Book
- Began our notebooking page on China (Country Fact Sheet from Homeschool Creations)
- Read about China in Galloping the Globe
- Read several pages about China in Bold Believers in China
- Read A Visit to China
- Labeled a map of China (Homeschool Creations) and did an online map puzzle
- Read from Geography from A to Z: sea, plains, plateau, grasslands, hills, mountains, rivers, deltas, desert, glaciers, coast, lowlands, lakes
- Discussed Mt. Everest
- Ate Chinese food (we did chicken chow mein from a Chinese take-away)
- Read The Seven Chinese Brothers
Week 2
- Colored a flag of China (Homeschool Creations)
- Discussed government, currency and religion
- Looked at several websites about China (listed below)
- Read Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story from China
- Learned about the Great Wall of China, the terracotta warriors, the Forbidden City
- Played Mahjong on the computer and attempted to play an actual mahjong game we own (setting up tiles is very time-consuming)
- Read Ms. Frizzle’s Adventures: Imperial China
- Studied pandas
- Read panda books
- Drew and colored a panda from Draw-Write-Now, Book 7
Week 3
- Learned some Mandarin
- Read Look What Came from China
- Read The Pet Dragon: A Story about Adventure, Friendship, and Chinese Characters
- Learned about the native costume (paper dolls)
- Learned some Chinese culture and holidays
- Read Mei Li
- Made Chinese paper lanterns
- Read Tikki Tikki Tembo
- Read from Children Just Like Me and completed a notebooking page (from Homeschool Creations)
- Learned some vocabulary words (from Galloping the Globe)
- Talked about the Beijing Olympics and fireworks
- Read The Empty Pot
Week 4
- Did a focus on missions in China (Hudson Taylor, Gladys Aylward, Robert Morrison, Eric Liddell)
- Discussed the persecuted (underground) church in China (Bold Believers in China)
- Made a China prayer reminder (a coaster craft from Bold Believers--made from an old CD, the printed picture, and contact paper)
- Read the stories Daisy Comes Home and A Story About Ping
- Discussed kites
- Discussed Chinese music & art
- Read Ma Lien and the Magic Brush
- Read Chinese folktale from Around the World in 80 Tales
- Discussed Chinese sports
- Watched Kung Fu Panda
- Explored our Asia box (from our continent boxes)
- Watched selections from a DVD series called Wild China
Online Resources
A China Family Adventure (Chinese New Year for Kids)
Enchanted Learning (Chinese Lantern craft)
Chinese Provinces Map Puzzle (online game)
DLTK--China and Chinese New Year (has plenty of information, crafts, and other activities)
Homeschool Creations (lesson plans, panda lapbook, and currency pdf file, map and flag)
Making Friends: China Friends (paper dolls)
More YouTube Videos
Giant Panda in China (footage of panda ripping off man’s jacket; also footage of baby pandas)
Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony (fireworks)
Hong Kong Welcomes 2010 (fireworks)
Xin-Xue Feng, 7-year-old Chinese ping-pong prodigy (on The Ellen DeGeneres Show 2009)
Everest 2009—Summit of Mt Everest
Books We UsedI'm linking this post to History & Geography at Adventures in Mommydom.
