Africa Unit Study Ideas

Many years ago we started teaching our children using the Montessori Method. I love the way it taught the kids to do it themselves, and it was particularly great for our autistic kiddos. The Montessori way of teaching is something I love to this day. If it wasn’t so complicated to try and have many kids all at different levels, as well as infants and toddlers all at the same time, we would probably still use that method for teaching our kids. Even though we don’t use that as the main backbone for teaching our kids, I use many of the principles in our homeschool still today. Working on continent boxes is one of the things we still do in our house.

Over the years I have shared on the blog over the years is the many different things I put into our continent boxes that we use. So far I have shared our Antarctica, South America, and our Australia continent boxes. Today after a while of waiting I am finally releasing what is in our Africa continent box. I know some of you have waited a long time for this. Hopefully the last 2 continents won’t be such a long wait.

So what’s inside of these boxes? Well, you will find a lot of fun material. Many different items of which I have collected from the thrift store or from our Little Passports shipments that we have collected over many years now and a couple of items my grandparents gave us when they went on a safari to Africa.

The kids also love seeing money from other countries. This is how I get it for them. I find a photo of the money for that country online, print it out, laminate it and put it into our continent box. Occasionally I can purchase the coins and such from some of the countries to add in for rather inexpensively, which is so much better than printed out money, but either way, the kids enjoy seeing the money other places use.

We use the items in the boxes, studies I find online, products I have purchased, and really anything else I think the kids will enjoy learning with. I currently have kids in 3rd through 11th grade, so I have to make sure to have a wide variety of learning ideas to help them all learn from this activity. Below are going to be a TON of links. I surely DO NOT use them all. I have this list as something I can pull ideas from. Over the years I have found that all of my readers seem to enjoy the unit studies as well, so I share the list with you

 

African Online Games

• Online map quiz game of the different countries in Africa.
• Leopard survival game.
• Sheppards Software online offers many different African games for kids of all levels.
• Play the online traditional African game of Yote.
• Explore the worlds of elephants with this game Jumbo Adventure.
• Here is a link to quite a few different African games.

FREE Amazon Prime Videos About Africa

Amazon Prime sure has come a long way since it originally came out. Here are some of the great videos that are completely free to watch if you have Amazon Prime. NOTE I have not watched all of these videos so I say let your children watch with discretion as I can not say what is in every one of them.

Africa Unit Study FREE Lesson Plans and Work pages

In this list, you will find many different resources for teaching your kids all about Africa. There will be work pages, coloring pages, maps to label or color, and so much more. The pages are for younger kids through mainly middle school age. Have fun sifting through this list.

• Enchanted Learning offers this fun African animal coloring book. At the bottom of the pages, they have handwriting practice as well.
• This is such a great blank map that kids can color and label. A perfect way to practice learning the different countries in Africa.
• Animals in Africa coloring page. This is just a simple coloring page for kids.
• You could put together this FREE camel lapbook or use this page along with other animals from around Africa to make an African animal lapbook or notebook pages.
• Over 15 FREE printable animal craft of the African Savannah.
• African safari adult coloring page free printable.
• I can’t say enough good things about this hands-on unit from Pinay homeschool. There are many great Montessori ideas here I’m sure you will find some to use with your lessons.
• This great unit all about Morocco is a great way to learn more about one of the African countries. Including some great FREE printable pages.
• These C is for Camel free printable work pages are perfect for preschoolers or kindergarteners.
• Animal matching, counting activities, and more will be a fun educational experience for kids.
• History worksheets of South Africa will be helpful for kids around grade 4 level.
• You can use this free printable hidden word game for kids from about grade 1-5 for fun learning ideas.
• With over 40 different free preschool printables found on this page, you are sure to find something fun for everyone to do.
• Having flags, word practics, worksheets, posters, pottery, and mask coloring pages, and much more this is a page you could put a lesson together using.
• This teacher shares multiple different units on Africa and its countries. The worksheets are very nice and are actually free and include history pages, geography, and many other great pages.
• The amount of wonderful worksheets on this page is really amazing! They have pages that teach kids what the flags mean, general facts about some of the countries, teaching the landscapes, and so much more.

Chapter Books About Africa For Older Kids

There are so many amazing books out there for older kids. Living books are the way to teach in my opinion. Kids learn so much more and actually enjoy learning. Here are some great books about African history, their way of life, and other topics older kids need to learn about.

Africa Unit Study Craft Ideas

• Poka Dot Spot shared a great lesson plan idea as well as this simple craft for kids making a traditional Kente cloth using construction paper.
• Paper Doll African craft mask. This site is not in English, but following the directions for this great craft for kids is really easy.
• We made a few different African safari craft ideas when Gabe was in preschool, the kids really enjoyed making them.
• This African necklace craft is simple to make with paper plates.
• Safari animal corner page bookmarks are a fun and adorable craft to make.
• How to make your own African Djembe Drum, using two Styrofoam, paper, or plastic cups.
• Madagascar Weaving craft for kids.
• How to make your own Ndebele Hut using cardboard, they are colorful huts found in Africa.
• Cupcake liner Elephant craft idea. This is a super easy craft idea the would be especially great for younger kids.
• African animals using cardboard, paint, and clothespins.
• African Savannah habitat diorama using the free printable animals they have.
• Simple lion craft mask idea for kids.
• This is such a colorful African paper plate mask.
• Make a diorama of the Sahara Desert.

Africa Hands-On Learning Activities

Fun and enjoyable hands-on learning ideas all African themed of course. From sensory bins to flag poke maps, cutting strips and so much more.

• Looking for some fine motor activities for kids? This is a wonderful list of Africa themed fine motor activities for kids to do.
• African activities for tots and preschoolers with free printables from Every Star Is Different.
• African safari small world play idea using cardboard tubes, boxes, paint, etc a great way for kids to have some Safari fun.
• Make an African flag using Lego’s. While there isn’t a post about this, the photo in this Pinterest pin gives an example that would be easy to follow.
• This tabletop Safari pretend play sensory bin would be a fun way for the little kids to enjoy learning while playing.
• Match the flags of Africa to their correct countries using this printable flag set. Just attach the flags to toothpicks for a fun way to learn the flags. This set is $2.50, but worth it in my opinions.
• We made a fun African sensory bin using cornmeal with our curriculum that the kids of all ages loved!
• We love lapbooking different topics, and these FREE lapbook resources for Africa are a perfect way to do that.
• You can find a TON of great printables all FREE that is about ancient Egypt, African tribal houses, and so much more.
• Use these African animal cutting strips as a great fine motor activity while you are reading books, driving, or need something to keep your kiddo busy.

Africa Books

 

Africa Recipes

Eating foods from different cultures is always a favorite thing to do. Here are some great and delicious dishes from Africa.

• Bobotie
• 5 Different African soup recipes.
• Traditional South African banana bread.
• South African Pampoenkoekies.
• African chicken stew.
• 15 Different African snacks and recipes.
• African lemon meringue tart.
• Malva Pudding.
• African Rice and Beans.
• Mushroom curry.
• Cheese scones.
• Mandazi African Donuts.
• East African Chapati.
• West African Vegetable Stew in peanut sauce.
• Impossible Pie.

 

FREE Kindle Unlimited Books About Africa

 

Independent Study Topics About Africa

One of the things we enjoy doing is having each child choose a couple topics to learn about. Each child will choose a place and an animal to learn about. They will research those topics and do a presentation about them. This way they are learning about a particular place and animal pertaining to the country, but they were able to choose their topic. This makes both of us happy and helps them learn best. Below is the list the kids get to choose from on Africa. If they know of a topic or find a topic not on this list I will add it, but for now, there is a lot of topics to choose from.

• Giraffe
• Table Mountain
• Sahara
• Djemaa el Fna
• Victoria Falls
• Mountain Gorilla
• Sossusvlei Dunes
• Spitzkoppe
• Pyramids of Gaza
• Nyika Plateau National Park
• Great Rift Valley
• Aberdare Mountains
• Draa Valley
• Makgadikgadi Pans
• Sphinx
• Nile River
• Flamingos
• Lanzarote
• Mount Mulanje
• Riding Safari’s
• Serengeti National Park
• Canary Islands
• Rhinoceros
• Giraffe
• Lower Zambezi
• Bazaruto Archipelago
• Botswana’s Nxai Pan National Park
• Fish River Canyon
• Mount Kenya
• Ostrich
• Nxai Pan National Park
• Solio Reserve
• Nyiragongo Volcano
• Elephant
• Mount Kilimanjaro
• Lake Malawi
• Ngorongoro Conservation area
• Kruger National Park
• Nyika National Park
• Gran Canaria
• Hurghada
• Johannesburg

Countries in Africa To Study

• Algeria
• Burundi
• Comoros
• Djibouti
• Eritrea
• Ethiopia
• Kenya
• Madagascar
• Malawi
• Mauritius
• Mayotte
• Mozambique
• Reunion
• Rwanda
• Seychelles
• Somalia
• Tanzania
• Uganda
• Zambia
• Zimbabwe
• Benin
• Burkina Faso
• Cape Verde
• Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast)
• Gambia
• Ghana
• Guinea
• Guinea-Bissau
• Liberia
• Mali
• Mauritania
• Niger
• Nigeria
• Saint Helena
• Senegal
• Sierra Leone
• Togo
• Botswana
• Lesotho
• Namibia
• South Africa
• Swaziland
• Egypt
• Libya
• Morocco
• South Sudan
• Sudan
• Tunisia
• Western Sahara
• Angola
• Cameroon
• Central African Republic
• Chad
• Congo
• Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Equatorial Guinea
• Gabon
• Sao Tome and Principe

Misc Resources For Learning About Africa

We have accumulated quite a few resources over the years. We usually will use some of the pages in them for different studies, I don’t think we have ever used every lesson in an entire book. Nor would I purchase them all at once, the cost would be too great. With our homeschool budget, I make sure to add in a couple extra items each year.

 

 

Virtual Tour Of Africa On YouTube

One of the things that help my kids really learn about a country is to see what it looks like. What life is like in the country and just immersing them in the country as much as possible. These field trips will give kids a look into the country. There is a video that shows how far they have to walk in Africa to get water, this was an eye-opener for my kids. Letting them see something so simple for us is so hard for other places.

 

 

Still looking for more ideas for your South America study? Head over to my Africa Pinterest board.
Follow Mama Of Many Blessings’s board Africa on Pinterest.