Geography crafts for kids

Despite the invention of Google Earth and lots of online resources, there’s no denying the educational benefit of hands-on learning — especially when it comes to globe crafts, map crafts and more! From paper mache globes to map magnets, discover three fun and educational geography crafts for kids.

Both paper mache and globes still fascinate kids the world over, making this globe craft a guaranteed hit when it comes to geography crafts. So, roll up your sleeves, get out the map for reference and disguise some learning with fun!

What you’ll need:

• Scissors
• Newspaper
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup water
• 1 balloon, inflated with a small piece of string tied to the end
• Marker
• Green and blue acrylic paint
• Foam paint brush

What you’ll do:

1. Spread out some extra newspaper on your work surface to catch the drips before you begin.
2. Cut your other recycled newspaper into strips and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, mix one cup of flour and one cup of water together to form your paper mache paste.
4. Dip strips of newspaper, one at a time, into your paper mache paste, then “squeegee” the majority of the paste from the newspaper by running the strip between your two fingers. Then apply the strips in layers to your inflated balloon. It may help to set your balloon on top of a bowl or pot to keep your paper mache globe from rolling away while you work!
5. Repeat until you’ve covered the entire surface of the balloon. You can add a second layer for a sturdier craft, but don’t do more than two layers or it may not dry properly.
6. Finally, hang your paper mache globe outside to dry.
7. Once your globe craft has dried, draw the shapes of the continents, paint with green and blue paint and your kids will be ready to take over the world — or at least the paper mache globe version! It doesn’t matter if the globe is perfectly round or not — it will still be perfection to your kids.

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Give kids a glimpse into their ancestral past by combining easy handprint keepsakes with a little lesson on where your family roots originate. You can either use actual maps or maps printed from your computer to create this map craft that holds so much meaning.

What you’ll need:

• Cardstock
• Map
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Glue

What you’ll do:

1. Using maps that represent your family’s roots, trace your child’s hand on the front of map.
2. Use scissors to cut out the handprint and glue to the surface of your cardstock.
3. For families that come from more than one country, use a different map for each handprint and place both handprints on the same cardstock. You can even add your family name to this simple map craft!

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Whether you’re missing pieces of the puzzle or just want to draw your kids’ interest with geography crafts, turning state puzzle pieces into magnets makes learning about our country fun! {Map file provided by Dawn Design and Development}

What you’ll need:

• Map puzzle
• Hot glue gun
• Magnets

What you’ll do:

1. Adhere a magnet to the back of each puzzle piece with glue and allow to dry.
2. Place the pieces in random order on your fridge or magnet board and watch your kids soak up a geography lesson — without realizing these map magnets are teaching through fun!

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