Geography Quest: Africa
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Our last treasure hunt left us in Africa. We’ve been busy getting underway with our new homeschool year, so the blog has been a little quiet. This week it’s time to add in our geography studies which is one of just a couple things the kids will do all together this year. Our first stop?
The Continent of Africa
Now is a great time to review the definition of a continent– maybe you can ask the kids to name them all. So far, all of our Geography Quests have been about one country or a particular region within a country. This is our first Quest on an entire continent.
Get to Know the Continent of Africa
Research more about each of these categories to find about more about Africa. Make a map or many maps to depict this information. Don’t forget to make a key. View these areas with a satellite image using Google Earth – imagine what the Sahara Desert looks like from above along with Victoria Falls. I checked. It’s gorgeous!
- Bodies of Water– Including the oceans, name the major bodies of water located on the continent
- Countries– How many are there? What are their names?
- Climate & Vegetation– What grows here? What’s the weather like?
- Biomes– Are there specific habitats in Africa?
- Animals– What animals call Africa home?
- Natural Resources– What minerals and other natural resources are exported from Africa? How have these resources influenced the history of Africa?
- Time Zones– How many time zones are in Africa? Choose a few cities and compare what time it is there with your own time.
Learn More about The People of Africa
A study of any new continent or country would not be complete without exploring the people who live there. Africa’s history is ancient and it’s heavily influenced by European colonists.
Find out about the Ancient Egyptians, the tribes, and the Europeans who eventually settled in Africa.
David Livingstone and Mary Slessor were two missionaries to Africa with a story to tell. Learn about their lives in Africa. David Livingstone is well known to have made many of the first European discoveries on the continent.
Hands On Activities to Discover More about Africa
- Make a salt dough map of the continent
- Discover Africa Notebooking Packet from Balancing Everything
- 10 Days in Africa from Out of the Box games
- Make a game with facts about Africa- maybe a safari themed game?
Great news! If you are looking for a chance to try out WonderMaps, they are having a sale until the end of September. Did you know that Wondermaps includes the updates with the purchase cost? That means when there is a country name change (Africa is a great example!), you won’t have to buy a map set or software. You’ll be able to download and update to your WonderMaps. Always an up to date map!
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We are studying Africa this year, too. We are using Discover Africa notebooking set, too. 🙂
Fun! I’ve been enjoying your history and geography meme Phyllis!