Hosting Your Own
Family Geography Night
David McCormick
New Hampshire Geographic Alliance
Hosting Your Own Family Geography Night:
Hosting your own family geography night can be an exciting and rewarding
experience. It can be as small or as large as you want. It doesn’t have to be
difficult or stressful. Included in this packet you will find ideas for activities and
set up that have been successful at one school. They may fit your school perfectly
or you may need to modify them.
Preparation
The third grade team at Mast Way Elementary School in
Lee, NH decided to take on a Geography Night for
Geography Awareness Week 2010. The theme that year
was Water.
There were four classroom teachers and three UNH
interns involved in the planning. We made a list of
possible ideas. We decided that it wasn’t always
necessary to adhere to the water theme. We came up
with the following:
Practice
It’s very helpful if you have
students practice many of the
activities before your
Geography Night. This way
when they come in that night
they can get right to it.
If you’re not able to
convince your whole grade
level to participate start
small with one or two
teachers. Once people see
how successful you’ve been
they’ll want to join in next
year.
Landform Bingo (Promethean Board)
New Hampshire Cookies
Google Earth in the Computer Lab
Geography Board Games
Geography Centers
Geography Puzzles
Geography Stories and Books
Geographic Art
Finding Locations on the Mega Map
Hall of Maps with Quiz
Where Were You Born Map
Raffles for Adults and Students
Location
Next we decided on space. Where was each activity going to be? Since it was
at night we had the run of the building. If you choose to do your event during the
day you may need to get creative about space.
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Make sure you follow
your buildings
policies for using the
building after hours.
This can be a big
headache if you don’t
do the paperwork.
We decided to use our four classrooms, the computer lab, the
hallway, the common area (you could use the library, gym or
café), and the school entryway.
In some cases two activities
could be going on in the same
space. For example one classroom
has a Promethean board and a wall-sized world
map. In that room we put Finding Locations on the
Mega Map and Landform Bingo. More involved
activities like the New Hampshire Cookies required
an entire room to itself.
Next we created a map of activity locations using a school map.
A map of the school is a great way to show families around and practice map skills.
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Welcome
Now that we had all our activities and locations we needed to work on
the specifics of how the evening would flow. We decided to set up a
Welcome Table in the front entryway of the school. Here, one of
our interns greeted families and signed them in. Each family was
given a school map. Each person was presented with a passport
and raffle ticket.
Raffle Ticket:
We held two raffles that evening; one for adults and
one for students. We drew names about every 10
minutes and announced the winners over the PA
system. Prizes for students included inflatable globes,
maps, globe super balls, geography pencils, National
Geographic Explorer magazines, geography related
picture books etc. Prizes for adults included copies of
National Geographic Magazine and books. Some of the
titles were:





Raffles are not
necessary for a
successful geography
night. They can get
expensive, especially if
you don’t have a budget.
You can always get
creative with prizes.
Written in Water: Messages of Hope for Earth’s Most
Precious Resource edited by Irena Salina
Running Dry: A Journey From Source to Sea Down the Colorado River by Jonathan
Waterman
The Map as Art: Contemporary Artists Explore Cartography by Katharine Harmon
The Atlas of the Real World: Mapping the Way We Live by Daniel Dorling, Mark
Newman and Anna Barford
Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific
Problem of His Time by Dava Sobel
Passports:
The passports were simply a way for students to keep track of the
activities they’ve completed. They turned out to be a lot more than
that. For many students it was their favorite part of the night. As
students completed each activity an adult would stamp their
passport with a geographic stamp.
With raffle tickets passed in and maps and passports in hand families
were now equipped for Geography Night.
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Activities
Landform Bingo
The Landform Bingo we developed requires a Promethean
Board and Active Inspire. There are many commercial
versions of this game available for purchase. This is not to say
that you cannot easily create your own.
Try
bingocardcreator.com
to download premade
cards for free.
Landform Bingo is played just like standard bingo. On the board a picture of a
landform is shown and its definition is read. When a student knows the landform
they place a chip over the landform on their card.
Landforms we used were:
Lake
Iceberg
Fjord
Forest
Waterfall
Bay
Delta
Valley
Beach
Peninsula
Glacier
Jungle
River
Desert
Canyon
Grassland
Swamp
Hill
Plateau
Mountain
Island
Volcano
Cave
continent
You can find a copy of the
Landform Bingo flipchart for
Active Inspire on the Family
Geography Night CD. If you
didn’t get a CD you can email
me at [email protected]
to request a copy.
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New Hampshire Cookies
This activity is a real crowd pleaser. Families are challenged to decorate a New
Hampshire-shaped cookie to include the state capitol, major rivers and
mountains. Students are given a plain sugar cookie in the shape of New
Hampshire, a New Hampshire Atlas, and a variety of toppings.
Check this website for
state-shaped cookie
cutters.
www.sugarcraft.com/cat
alog/cooky/states.htm
 Green icing to cover the cookie to represent our forests
 Blue icing to make the major rivers, Lake Winnipesaukee,
and Great Bay
 Mini white chocolate morsels to show the White
Mountains
 A red hot to show the capital of our state, Concord
You will need either a very cooperative school kitchen staff or several
dedicated volunteers to bake that many cookies. To keep the number of cookies
lower we make this activity for children only. Adults may come and decorate a
cookie near the end of the evening if there are leftovers.
New Hampshire Atlases can be
purchased through the New
Hampshire Geographic Alliance
at nhga.net
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Google Earth
At Mast Way we have a full computer lab. It was very easy to set this activity
up there. If you don’t have a computer lab set this activity up at any available
computers in the areas you’ll be using. Students can complete the activity and
have their passports stamped in any room.
We decided to have this activity more focused than just going on to Google
Earth. This way we could ask participants to find specific things. The list can
easily be adjusted to fit your theme.
A printable copy is
on your Geography
Awareness Week CD
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Geographic Puzzles, Stories, and Books
The common area of our school was divided up into two spaces. One large
floor area was set up for geography puzzles and the other a comfortable place for
families to read. Students could get one stamp for completing a puzzle and
another for reading a book.
Geography puzzles
can be easily found
on-line or at most
department stores.
Check out local yard
sales and secondhand stores too.
In the reading area we place comfortable
chairs, pillow, mats, and beanbag chairs around
several bookshelves full of geography related
books.
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My
30 30
GeoGeographic
Literacy Books Literacy
MyTop
Top
Books
Ages 4-8
W is for World: A Round the World Alphabet
Kathryn Cave
2004. Frances Lincoln Children's Books
Ages 4-8
From Alfredo, Arturo, and Agostino in Mozambique to Zoe in Jamaica, W Is for World explores the lives of children across the
globe. Each letter is shown in upper- and lowercase, with a word like kite or lamps or Grandfather, followed by what that word
means in a particular country and a photograph. Featuring over 20 countries from Greenland to Vietnam, the book shows how
different the world may look to people of different backgrounds, and yet how many things diverse cultures share. Kathryn
Cave's simple text and the compelling color photographs from the relief agency Oxfam make this a distinctive alphabet book.
The Armadillo from Amarillo
Lynne Cherry
1999. Sandpiper
Ages 4-8
Sasparillo Armadillo decides to explore his native state, and travels from San Antonio to Amarillo. He's still not sure where in
the world he is, so he catches a ride on the back of a golden eagle and eventually boards the space shuttle for an even larger
perspective. Cherry's love for the environment, shown in The Great Kapok Tree (1990) and A River Ran Wild (1992, both
Harcourt), is evident in this book as well. Fields of bluebonnets and Indian paintbrushes sprawl across borderless, two-page
spreads, giving credence to the grandeur of the countryside. Indigenous plants, animals (some endangered), and unique
geographical formations are introduced via inset postcards that Sasparillo sends to his cousin Brillo in Philadelphia. An author's
note is packed with more cultural, historical, and scientific information, disclaiming some of the fantasy elements but assuring
readers that "the geographical information in the text is accurate."
A River Ran Wild
Lynn Cherry
2002. Sandpiper
Ages 4-8
In the 15th century, when native people first settled on the banks of the river now called the Nashua, it was a fertile and
beautiful place. By the 1960s, the river valley had been ravaged by many years of serious pollution, and fish, birds, and other
animals were no longer seen in the area. Through the efforts of Marion Stoddart and the Nashua River Watershed Association,
laws were passed that resulted in the restoration of this river and the protection of all rivers. The author gets high marks for
documenting the negative impact of industry on the environment and for highlighting the difference one determined person
can make.
My Map Book
Sara Fanelli
1995. Harper Festival
Ages 4-8
In non-narrative form, Fanelli (Button) challenges the concept of "map" as she earnestly
demonstrates that places aren't the only things that can be charted. Exploring everyday aspects of a
child's world, the author mixes the expected, such as "Map of My Neighborhood," with more
conceptual subjects: "Map of My Family," "Map of My Day," "Map of My Heart" and even "Map of
My Dog."
G is for Granite: A New Hampshire Alphabet
Marie Hall
2002. Sleeping Bear Press
From Robert Frost and Sara Josepha Hale to the Old Man of the Mountain and Tuckerman's Ravine - "G is for Granite" shares
information on the history, geography, and state symbols of New Hampshire from A to Z.
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One World, One Day
Barbara Kerley
2009. National Geographic Children's Books
Ages 4-8
This beautiful photo book follows the course of one day in our world. Sunrise to sunset is captured in the essential things we all
do daily, wherever we live in the world, and in the different ways we do them. The first meal of the day will take on a whole
new dimension for American kids as an American pancake breakfast is contrasted with porridge in North Korea and churros in
Spain.
Geography from A to Z: A Picture Glossary
Jack Knowlton, Harriet Barton
1997. Harper Collins
Ages 4-8
Sixty-three geographical terms are simply defined and illustrated. Clear, uncluttered illustrations with bright contrasting colors
and black outlines help clarify the meaning of each term. Little prior knowledge is expected of readers.
The Wicked Big Toddlah
Kevin Hawkes
2007. Knopf Books for Young Readers
Ages 4-8
One snowy day in Maine, the stork delivers an enormous newborn to an astounded family. Narrated in a
laconic New Englander's style by his sister, this episodic look at the gigantic baby's first year of life is milked
for every ounce of its illustrative worth. Diaper changing requires hazmat suits, fire hoses, and talcum
powder dispensed via helicopter; knitting hats and booties for the nipper sends a kindly lady with bandaged
hands into catatonia; real boats become the toys in each ocean bath, and eating ice cream means
swallowing the truck as well as its wares.
Pecos Bill
Steven Kellogg
1992. Harper Collins
Ages 4-8
The anecdotes associated with Texas' fabled cowboy hero burst from the pages in rapid succession, Kellogg's robust
illustrations enlarging and enriching the choppy, energetic text that is seasoned with Texan expressions. In dramatizing Pecos
Bill's life story, Kellogg also conveys a sense of place, of the rugged, expansive physical beauty of the American West in pioneer
days.
Maps and Globes (Reading Rainbow Book)
Jack Knowlton, Harriet Barton
1986. Harper Collins
Ages 4-8Maps and globes can take you anywhere -- to the top of the tallest mountain on earth or the bottom of the deepest
ocean. Maps tell you about the world: where various countries are located, where the jungles and deserts are, even how to find
your way around your own hometown. If you take a fancy to any place on earth, you can go there today and still be home in
time for dinner. So open a map, spin a globe. The wide world awaits you.
A New England Scrapbook: A Journey through Poetry, Prose and Pictures
Loretta Krupinski
1994. Harper Collins
Ages 4-8
Brief descriptions, lively verse by a handful of poets and, most importantly, Krupinski's stunning art together answer the
question "What is New England?" Each spread focuses on a characteristic associated with the region, such as old stone walls,
barns, maple syrup, fog, lobster and lighthouses.
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Make Way for Duckings
Robert McCloskey
1966. The Viking Press
Ages 4-8
The busy Boston streets are too dangerous for eight little ducklings! But with a little help from a friendly policeman Mrs.
Mallard and her family arrive safely at their new home. The public garden was no place for ducklings when they were first born,
but now they are old enough to brave the raucous crowds and swim with the giant swan boats.
Ashanti to Zulu: African Traditions
Margaret Musgrove
1992. Puffin
Ages 4-8
Artists Leo and Diane Dillon won their second consecutive Caldecott Medal for this stunning ABC of African culture.
How to make an Apple Pie and See the World
Marjorie Priceman
1996. Dragonfly Books
Ages 4-8
In this whimsical, geographical shopping journey, a young baker thinks of how to proceed if the market is closed. She directs
readers, via various modes of transportation, to gather seminola wheat in Italy, a chicken (for its egg) in France, bark from the
kurundu (cinnamon) tree in Sri Lanka, a cow (for butter) in England, salt water and sugar cane in Jamaica, and apples in
Vermont. Processing the worldly ingredients is quickly handled, a pie is baked, and friends are invited to share. A look around
the table reveals children from all of the countries in which the foods have been found. A recipe for apple pie appears on the
last page.
How to Make a Cherry Pie and See the U.S.A
Marjorie Priceman
2008. Knopf Books for Young Readers
Ages 4-8
A spunky young baker is in the mood for cherry pie. She has the ingredients this time, but she's missing the equipment (bowl,
pan, rolling pin, etc.) needed to get the job done. Traveling back and forth across the United States according to instructions
that are given recipe style (and can be followed on the endpapers' map), she gathers natural resources from various regions
(e.g., cotton from Louisiana to make pot holders) and heads home to manufacture the required objects. Smelting, spinning,
weaving, carving, and glass making, the girl works until she has everything ready. The pie is a welcome addition to a July 4th
celebration, where floats showcase the places she has visited.
Somewhere in the World Right Now
Stacey Schuett
1997. Dragonfly Books
Ages 4-8
What's happening around the world when it is one o'clock a.m. in England? Lots! Exploring this fascinating
concept, this story takes children around the world to show what's going on at the exact same moment in
other areas. A time-zone map on the endpapers, which includes the times and names of places shown in
the pictures, allows readers to follow the action around the globe.
How I Learned Geography
Uri Shulevitz
2008. Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Ages 4-8
Shulevitz provides a note and early drawings to source this story based on his own childhood experience. A small boy and his
parents flee Poland in 1939. They travel to Turkestan (modern-day Kazakhstan) where they live in one room in a house made of
"clay, straw, and camel dung" with strangers. When the narrator's father returns from the bazaar with a huge map instead of
bread to feed his starving family, his wife and son are furious. But the map turns out to provide food for his spirit as the
youngster becomes fascinated by its every detail. Using his imagination, he can transport himself to all of the exotic-sounding
places on it without ever leaving the dreary room in which it hangs.
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On the Same Day in March: A Tour of the World's Weather
Marilyn Singer, Frane Lessac
2001. Harper Festival
Ages 4-8
Singer and Lessac circumnavigate the globe exploring similarities and differences. Here, the intrepid travelers tackle the
weather. With carefully crafted, childlike illustrations and a succinct, engaging text, the weather in 17 locales that include Paris,
New York City, the Nile Valley, Darjeeling, Northern Kenya, and Patagonia is touched upon. The closing refrain on each doublepage spread, "On the same day in March-," is sure to encourage listeners to join in. Inhabitants are depicted engaged in
activities and attire appropriate to that area in March, though the Arctic, Antarctic, and the Texas Panhandle (during a tornado)
are illustrated sans humans. An author's note offers a brief explanation of the Earth's orbit and the seasons, and a map of the
world indicates the places visited in the book.
If the World Were A Village – Second Edition: A Book about the World’s People
David J Smith, Shelagh Armstrong
2011. Kids Can Press
Ages 4-8
First published to wide acclaim in 2002, this eye-opening book has since become a classic, promoting "world-mindedness" by
imagining the world's population all 6.8 billion of us as a village of just 100 people. Now, If the World Were a Village has been
newly revised with updated statistics, several new activities and completely new material on food security, energy and health.
By exploring the lives of the 100 villagers, children will discover that life in other nations is often very different from their own.
The Lorax
Dr. Suess
1971. Random House Books for Young Readers
Ages 4-8
The now remorseful Once-ler--our faceless, bodiless narrator--tells the story himself. Long ago this
enterprising villain chances upon a place filled with wondrous Truffula Trees, Swomee-Swans, Brown
Bar-ba- loots, and Humming-Fishes. Bewitched by the beauty of the Truffula Tree tufts, he greedily
chops them down to produce and mass-market Thneeds. ("It's a shirt. It's a sock. It's a glove. It's a
hat.") As the trees swiftly disappear and the denizens leave for greener pastures, the fuzzy yellow
Lorax (who speaks for the trees "for the trees have no tongues") repeatedly warns the Once-ler, but
his words of wisdom are for naught. Finally the Lorax extricates himself from the scorched earth (by
the seat of his own furry pants), leaving only a rock engraved "UNLESS." Thus, with his own colorful
version of a compelling morality play, Dr. Seuss teaches readers not to fool with Mother Nature. But
as you might expect from Seuss, all hope is not lost--the Once-ler has saved a single Truffula Tree
seed! Our fate now rests in the hands of a caring child, who becomes our last chance for a clean,
green future.
Me on the Map
Joan Sweeney
1998, Dragonfly Books
Ages 4-8
A nameless child introduces the world of cartography. Using the premise that simple drawings can be maps, the book begins
with crayon drawings of the floor plans of the girl's room and house. The concept becomes progressively more complex, as her
horizons expand from home to street, to town, to state, to country, and finally to the world. Colorful illustrations show a
composite of the entire area that is being charted on the facing page. On each successive page, the child points out her street,
hometown, state, and country. The process then reverses as she finds the U.S. on a world map and works back down the scale
to her own room again.
Show Way
Jacqueline Woodson
2005 Putnam Juvenile
Ages 4-8
Soonie's great-grandma was only seven when she was sold away from her parents in Virginia and sent to South Carolina. All she
had was a piece of muslin from her mother, two needles, and bright red thread. She was raised by Big Mama, who cared for the
plantation children and at night whispered stories of freedom. Big Mama taught great-grandma how to sew messages and
directions into quilt patterns, a Show Way. The quilt-making tradition is passed down through successive generations of women
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in the family. Finally, readers meet the narrator, who grew up to become a writer and tell the stories of many people's Show
Ways. A poignant trail at the end of the book shows eight generations of women and the author's baby painted against the
background of quilt patterns. Show Way is a sophisticated book that introduces readers to the passage of time, family
traditions, and the significance of quilts and their patterns in African-American history.
Roanoke the Lost Colony: An Unsolved Mystery from History
Jane Yolen and Heidi Elisabet
2003. Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
Ages 4-8
In 1587 John White was chosen by Sir Walter Raleigh to lead a new colony at Roanoke off the Atlantic coast. After bringing
many men, women, and children to the new land, White went back to England to gather supplies for the long winter. But when
he finally returned to the fort almost three years later, he found that all of the colonists had vanished. The only signs of life left
were the letters CRO carved into a tree and the word CROATOAN carved into one of the fort's posts. Some people think that
the Spanish army captured the colonists; some people think that the local native people murdered them; others think that the
colonists went off to live with the native people and start a new life. Still others think that the colonists tried to sail home to
England and were lost at sea. No one knows for sure.
Become a detective as you read this true story, study the clues, and try to figure out the fate of the lost colony of Roanoke. The
Unsolved Mystery from History series is written by acclaimed author Jane Yolen and former private investigator Heidi Elisabet
Yolen Stemple. Read carefully and check your clues. You might be the first to solve a puzzle that has baffled people for years.
Letting Swift River Go
Jane Yolen
1995 Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Ages 4-8
This is the bittersweet story of the Quabbin Reservoir. It was made by flooding a valley and several towns in central
Massachusetts between 1927 and 1946. Yolen's poetic narration, in the voice of a woman who was six years old when her
family learned they would have to give up their home, recalls the tranquility of a rural community where children fished in the
river and picnicked in the graveyard. Then, ``it was voted in Boston to drown our towns that the people in the city might drink.''
Graves are moved, trees cut, homes bulldozed, and the river dammed to cover the little towns and create a new, quite
beautiful landscape.
Ages 9-12
Sea Clocks
Louise Borden
2004. Margaret K. McElderry Books
Ages 9-12
This handsome, well-researched picture book introduces John Harrison, the 18th-century English carpenter turned clockmaker
who spent more than 40 years perfecting a device that solved the centuries-old problem of determining longitude. Beginning
with Harrison's childhood, Borden presents biographical tidbits that bring the man to life, show how he differed from "most
other village folk," and set the scene for his later accomplishments. With no formal training in clock making, he followed his
instincts and used trial and error to build innovative timepieces. The narrative next describes the difficulties involved in
determining east/west positioning at sea, explaining that captains could calculate longitude if they had an accurate shipboard
timekeeper (a task impossible for 18th-century pendulum clocks). The prize offered by Parliament for a solution to the problem
is also mentioned. The rest of the book details Harrison's dedication, perseverance, and ingenuity, as he struggled to build and
perfect an accurate sea clock and fought to have his invention acknowledged by the Board of Longitude.
Paddle-to-the-Sea
Holling Clancy Holling
1941. Houghton Mifflin. Boston.
Ages 9-12
A toy canoe is launched in Lake Nipigon by the Indian boy who carved it and in four years travels thru all the Great Lakes and
the St. Lawrence River to the Atlantic. A picture of the shore life of the lakes and the river with full page pictures in color and
marginal pencil drawings.
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This Child, Every Child: A Book about the World’s Children
David J Smith, Shelagh Armstrong
2011. Kids Can Press
Ages 9-12
This Child, Every Child uses statistics and stories to draw kids into the world beyond their own borders and provide a window
into the lives of their fellow children. As young readers will discover, there are striking disparities in the way children live. Some
children lack opportunities that others take for granted. What is it like to be a girl in Niger? How are some children forced into
war? How do children around the world differ in their home and school lives? This Child, Every Child answers such questions
and sets children's lives against the rights they are guaranteed under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
If America Were a Village: A Book about the People of the United States
David J Smith, Shelagh Armstrong
2009. Kids Can Press
Ages 9-12
As in If the World Were a Village, Smith and Armstrong help children understand large statistical numbers by collapsing the U.S.
population of 300 million down to a village of 100. For example, "82 people in our village speak English as their first language,
10 speak Spanish. 1 speaks Chinese, 1 French and 1 German." Other languages that represent less than one whole person are
also mentioned. Topics explored include family make-up, religions, jobs, ages, wealth, items owned, energy and water use, and
health. Comparisons are sometimes made with historical data to show change and with worldwide numbers for contrast.
One Well: The Story of Water on Earth
Rochelle Strauss
2007. Kids Can Press
Ages 9-12
Looking at all the water on Earth—in the atmosphere, the oceans, lakes, ponds, rivers, and rain as
"One Well" into which all life dips to survive—Strauss presents a timely discussion of the use and
abuse of a not-so-limitless resource. Liberally sprinkled with interesting facts—"It took about 130 L (34
U.S. gal.) of water to make your bike"—the readable text informs children of growing demands on a
finite supply; increasing pollution; and the intensifying urgency for the conservation, preservation, and
protection of a unique chemical combination more essential to all life than the air we breathe.
How to Build Your Own Country
Valerie Wyatt, Fred Rix
2009. Kids Can Press
Ages 9-12
How to Build Your Own Country is an interactive and totally original learning experience that shows kids how to build their very
own country from scratch. This book, the only one of its kind, offers children the expertise and advice they'll need to plant their
flag in the backyard, in the bedroom or online. Kids will be amazed to discover that anyone can do it. Nation-building advice is
peppered with examples of events that have shaped countries throughout history, teaching young readers about government,
elections, geography and global issues.
These books have
accompanying lessons
on the Family
Geography Night CD
For more book ideas
check the book list
on the Family
Geography Night CD
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Finding Locations on the Mega Map
For this station you’ll need a very large map.
We call them mega maps. In one of our
fourth grade classrooms we have a wall-sized
mega map. This map is wallpapered onto the
wall. If you don’t want to commit to a
permanent map you can always use a tile map
from National Geographic.
You can find the map
wall paper on-line at
Amazon.com.
The tile maps are printed on 8.5 x 11 inch paper and put
together like a puzzle. You can go to
www.nationalgeographic.com/geography-action/index.html
to print your own or you can borrow a preprinted and
laminated one from the New Hampshire Geographic Alliance
at www.nhga.net.
nhga.net
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Mega Maps are perfect for teaching many skills. However, for this station we
used one to reinforce finding locations using latitude and longitude. Once at the
map families found a box with about a hundred small cards. Each card had a
picture of a UNESCO World Heritage Site on one side. On the other side we
printed the coordinates, the name and a brief description of the site.
S50 W73
The Los Glaciares National Park is an area of
exceptional natural beauty, with rugged,
towering mountains and numerous glacial
lakes, including Lake Argentino, which is 160
km long. At its farthest end, three glaciers meet
to dump their effluvia into the milky grey glacial
water, launching massive igloo icebergs into the
lake with thunderous splashes.
Families then used this information to find the location of the site and tape the
card directly to the map.
We also included a write up of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites program and a
tutorial on how to use latitude and longitude.
All the information you’ll need about the World Heritage sites can be found at
whc.unesco.org
The World Heritage List
includes 936 properties
forming part of the
cultural and natural
heritage which the World
Heritage Committee
considers as having
outstanding universal
value.
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Geo Art
There are many books and websites where you can easily find geography
related art projects. It’s important that whatever you choose doesn’t take too
long to complete. Families have to make it through all the other stations
Remember to keep it simple.
A few ideas:
 Paper plate and tissue paper Earths
 Cover a ball Styrofoam ball with clay to make a globe
 Design your own compass rose
 Coffee filter Earths
Search on-line to find many inexpensive and easy projects.
A Few Good Books:



Global Art: Activities, Projects, and Inventions from Around the World
MaryAnn F. Kohl
Around the World Art & Activities: Visiting the 7 Continents Through Craft
Fun
Judy Press
The Kids Multicultural Craft Book: 35 Crafts from Around the World
Sarah Rakitin Cole
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Board Games and Geo Centers
There are many geography-themed board games available. Start with one or
two and over the years you can add to your collections. It helps if students are
familiar with the games before coming to Family Geography night. They can
teach their families how to play.
Geo Centers
For this station we used the book Take It To Your Seat: Geography Centers.
We put together seven centers:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
The World on a Globe
The World on a Map
Name That Landmark!
A Map Grid
Bodies of Water
Introducing North America
Earth’s Landforms
These centers were review of skills taught in school and were self-guided.
Answer keys were inside each folder. Families could stamp their own passports.
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Extras
Contacts
Hall of Maps
To Create the Hall of Maps we pulled together any maps
we had and hung them all in one hallway. We tried to vary
www.census.gov/ge
the types of maps we used. We chose 10 maps from the
o/www/maps/
group and labeled them A-J.
Print your own
Then we developed a question for each of the lettered maps
maps
and created a quiz.
Families were asked to do the quiz together and to hand in
one copy for a raffle ticket. At the end of the evening a ticket was chosen for the
grand prize, a basket full of geography related prizes for the whole family.
Where Were You Born?
We hung up a world map and a United States map and asked people to mark with
a sticker where they were born.
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Have Fun
Hosting your own Family Geography Night can be a fun and rewarding
experience both for you and your students. Hopefully it will become a well-loved
tradition at your school. Remember it’s a good idea to start simple. Your
geography night can grow a little each year. Good Luck. Contact us at the New
Hampshire Geographic Alliance at:
nhga.net
New Hampshire Geographic Alliance
@NHGAGAW
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