Around the World in 28 Weeks: Art, Literature & Geography Lessons for Kindergarten – Introduction
A Trip Around The World
Updated March 2015
I’m excited about teaching one of my daughter’s homeschool coop classes this coming year. It’s only June, but I am planning ahead! The class I’ll be teaching will be centered around our favorite things to do: reading and arts & crafts. We also love to find the places we read about on a map. We are going on a trip around the world, would you like to come along?
I am designing the lesson plans for our once-per-week one-hour class sessions. However, I will include additional resources and ideas for those of you who have longer class times or more sessions per week, or who would just like more options to choose from. Our class is medium-sized (10 children), and the age range is late 4’s to 6. We start during the last week of August, so my schedule takes that into account, and it also works around several holidays.
You can customize the order of lessons plans as you see fit, and substitute books and activities as well. The ideas in this post and following “Around the World” posts are presented to spark your imagination! (If you do not live in the U.S., you will want to start your students from your country at the beginning, and return to your country at the end of the year.) I welcome comments and suggestions for additional books and activities!
Disclosure: The books and supply links below lead to products on Amazon. I am an affiliate and will receive a small commission if these links are used to make a purchase.
Getting Started
Free Printables
Each week’s session will include a detailed lesson plan. To get started, though, an overview of the entire year at-a-glance is helpful for planning ahead! Following are three free printables in PDF format. Just click on the thumbnails below to open and view. For best results, download to your computer before printing.
- Printable lesson plan overview for the year. (Updated July 10, 2014)
- Blank printable lesson plan (if you’d like to create your own).
- Printable list of general supplies needed and the books that I used to create the lesson plans.
NOTE: THE LESSON PLAN OVERVIEW AND BOOK LIST PRINTABLES BELOW NEED TO BE UPDATED. I WILL POST THE UPDATED PDFs ASAP!
General Supply List
Specific supplies for each week’s session will be listed in the weekly lesson plan.
- Globe
or large World Wall Map
- 3-Ring Binder
for each child for handouts, 1-1/2″ size
- Computer and Printer (color printer
- 3-Hole Punch
- Date Stamp
- Markers, crayons, and/or colored pencils
- Roll of paper towels and/or wet wipes
- Art and Story Books (see lists below)
Book Lists
When I last checked, all but one or two of these books were available on Amazon. They also may be available at your local library. If you cannot borrow them, you can also try your local bookstore or half.com (be mindful of shipping costs).
Art Book List
- Global Art: Activities, Projects, and Inventions from Around the World
by MaryAnn F. Kohl and Jean Potter
- Five-Minute Art Ideas: Print Scissors Glue Paint
- Ed Emberley’s Complete Funprint Drawing Book
Storybook List (in order needed)
- How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World
by Marjorie Priceman
- The Lion Storyteller Bedtime Book
by Bob Hartman and Krisztina Kallai Nagy
- The Paper Dragon
by Marguerite W. Davol
- Grandfather’s Journey
by Allen Say
- Take Care, Good Knight
by Shelley Moore Thomas
- Follow the Dream: The Story of Christopher Columbus
by Peter Sís
- Aesop’s Fables
- Cool Time Song
by Carole Lexa Schaefer
- Stories from Africa
(optional)
- The Story of Thanksgiving
by Nancy Skarmeas
- In Coal Country
by Judith Hendershol
- Favorite Christmas story and/or Hanukkah story
- The Mitten
by Jan Brett
- Very Last First Time
by Jan Andrews
- The Story of Abraham Lincoln
by Patricia A. Pingry
- The Umbrella
by Jan Brett
- The Story of Saint Patrick
by James A. Janda
- The Clown of God
by Tomie dePaola
- You Are Special
by Max Lucado (Large picture book version)
- Favorite Easter story and/or Passover story
- How to Make a Cherry Pie and See the U.S.A.
by Marjorie Priceman
- Mirette on the High Wire
by Emily Arnold McCully
- Where Do Balloons Go? An Uplifting Mystery
by Jamie Lee Curtis
Lesson Plans Overview For The Year
As I publish each week’s lesson plan, I will post the link below. Check back during the year, as I will be adding pictures of completed projects and let you know if the kids enjoyed the lesson and any changes I would make for next time. Thanks for joining us!
- Week 1: United States
- Week 2: India
- Week 3: China
- Week 4: Japan
- Week 5: England
- Week 6: Scotland
- Week 7: Spain & Italy (Columbus Day Lesson)
- Week 8: Germany
- Week 9: Greece
- Week 10: Russia
- Week 11: Tanzania
- Week 12: Nigeria and Zambia
- Week 13: United States (Thanksgiving Lesson)
- Week 14: United States (Ohio)
- Week 15: Israel (Christmas and/or Hanukkah Lesson)
Christmas/New Year Break
- Week 16: Ukraine
- Week 17: Canada
- Week 18: United States (Abraham Lincoln Lesson. In 2015, President’s Day is on February 16.)
- Week 19: Puerto Rico
- Week 20: Bolivia
- Week 21: Australia
- Week 22: Ireland (St. Patrick’s Day is on March 17.)
- Week 23: Italy
Spring Break
- Week 24: Israel (In 2015, Easter is on Sunday, April 5.)
- Week 25: Wemmicksville
- Week 26: France
- Week 27: United States
- Week 28: Conclusion
Text Copyright 2015 Kathryn Depew
Images from flickr.com used under the Creative Commons license. Credits: R’lyeh Imaging and Karen Cox.
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