5 Ways to Use Globes in Your Homeschool

I remember being intrigued by globes in my public school classrooms as a young learner. They were more of a decoration than anything else. I recall looking at a globe and wondering how huge the world must be and how small I felt in it. Using a globe in your homeschool, however, can bring a completely new dynamic to learning.

Using a globe in your homeschool can make the thought of accessing the world feel a little less distant and a little more attainable.

Homeschooling lends itself to broadening a child’s view of the world. There are so many activities we can do with our kids using a globe and they can learn several things in many different ways. I must also admit that I am learning right along with them.

Teaching with globes is simple, yet it provides a wealth of knowledge that is unmatched in regards to learning geography, history, and culture. Learning with globes often leads to deeper discussions about society and population. The curious minds of our kids stretch me to a whole new level of dialog. I often have to drag my husband into the conversation, since he is a history and geography buff.

Now that my family and I live in another country, I find that my children are even more intrigued by other cultures and countries around the world.

Here are 5 ways we have used our globe in homeschool, so far.

1.) Spin and point using printable passports for country studies.

My kids love spinning the globe and blindly pointing to a country to do a study on. I let each child spin and point to a country. After we have done a complete study on that country, the kids get to stamp their passports. We have only done China and Germany thus far, but the kids are excited to discover which country they will select this year.

2.) Exploring virtual tours and field trips.

I use technology to my full advantage when it comes to homeschooling. YouTube is a tool I have used to take my kids on a virtual field trip (from the comfort of my own home). By using a globe, kids can physically see where the virtual field trip and tour is taking place. They can find the location’s coordinates, the distance it is from where we live, where it’s located compared to other places in the world. Then the kids get to navigate through images and sites right from a video that is engaging and fun. You can give your child a world-class experience without even leaving your home.

3.) Always, always, always use globes in reading lessons and literature.

Globes are perfect in your homeschool when children are doing book reports or reading different types of literature. You can ask your children about the places where the book takes place and to make connections between the story’s location and the history behind what was happening in that area during a particular time period. A quick activity to build on your child’s geography knowledge is to pay attention when a geographical location comes up in a book, then head to the globe and search for it. Intentionally assign books that take place in faraway places and use your globe to encourage your kids to see where the places are on a map. You will be slowly building up their knowledge of the world around them in context.

FREE World Maps Notebooking Pages: World Mollweide Maps & World Mercator Maps

4.) Listen to new music.

Use the internet to listen to music from all around the world. Your children will be intrigued by how the sound of music varies from different parts of the world. They will see on the globe, how even places that are near each other, can have completely distinct types of music.

5.) Taste new foods.

This one is my favorite. We have used our globe to point to a place where we would like to try new food. Our budget doesn’t always allow us to go to restaurants, but we can buy a few recipes to make an international meal at home. My daughter and I love to look up recipes and try to make a dish that is native to a specific area. My favorite food last year was Italian. It was the first time I ever attempted risotto. We probably have eaten it once or twice a month ever since.

Our globe is a staple learning tool in our home. We love to play geography games in our game nights or locate a place on the globe that is mentioned in the news or normal conversation. Where in the World? is our favorite geography game. Although, my husband beats us every time.

Explore some new geography terms for your lessons this year with the Geography Terms Notebook – A Visual Notebooking Adventure.

Geography and Maps Posts You May Enjoy:

Grab these board games to have some family fun with your globe and geography:

 

Where on Earth?: The Ultimate Atlas of What’s Where in the WorldWhere in the World? A World Awareness GameWhen on Earth?: History as You’ve Never Seen It Before!Educational Board Games for Families and Kids – A Fun, Interactive Geography Card Game for The Whole Family – Learn as You Race Around The World – Continent Race from Byrons Games – 7 and Up

Here are some fun globes to use in your homeschool:

USA Toyz Illuminated Constellation World Globe for Kids – 3 in 1 Interactive Globe with Constellations, Light Up Smart Earth Globes of The World with StandIlluminated World Globe for Kids with Stand – Built-in LED Light Illuminates for Night View – Colorful, Easy-Read Labels of Continents, Countries, Capitals & Natural Wonders, 8Globe With Antique Shading – Raised Relief Topographical Political Globe – 2018 Country Lines (12Oregon Scientific Smart Globe Discovery Educational World Geography Kids – Learning Toy