Kindergarteners Go Around The World: Week 16 ~ Ukraine

Around The World in 28 Weeks For Preschool Through First Grade Collage Button 2 OK2We are more than half-way through our Around the World Series! I hope you have enjoyed the posts so far. Please let me know if the series has been helpful to you – and any comments or suggestions are welcome!

This post is part of the series “Around the World in 28 Weeks: Art, Literature & Geography Lessons for Kindergarten.” For an introduction, overview of the entire course, and links to more lesson plans, please click here. Thank you for visiting Cotton Ridge Homeschool!

Introduction to Week 16

This week you will be returning with the children in your class to the continent of Europe and traveling to the country of Ukraine. You can do the lesson plan activities in the order that you prefer.

Below is a Printable Lesson Plan Schedule for the entire 28 weeks, a blank lesson plan grid, and  printable supply and book lists. Just click on the thumbnails below to open and view. For best results, download to your computer or open in Adobe Reader before printing.

Lesson Plans Around the World in 28 Weeks Kindergarten Lesson Plans Around the World Blank Template Around the World in 28 Weeks Kindergartener Supply and Book Lists

Prep Work

  • Decide on art project (two choices given below)
  • Gather books and supplies (see checklists below)
  • Print out handouts and 3-hole punch them for notebooks (see checklists below)

Thanks for joining us!

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.

Berezhnytsya, Ucrania by Juanedc on flickr

Week 16 Lesson Plan

Date and Destination

Date: Fourth Week of January**
Continent: Europe
Country: Ukraine

Pretend Passport: Please see Week 2 for suggestions on how to use the Play Passports during your lesson. Below are free printable Passport Stamps. Please click here for free Airline Tickets, and Cruise Ship Tickets printables. Just click on the thumbnails below to open and view. For best viewing/printing results, open in Adobe Reader.

Passport Stamps

Reading (10 – 15 minutes)

Story: The Mitten by Jan Brett

Discussion: Ask questions to determine reading comprehension; tailor these to your children’s ages and abilities. Depending on the size of your class and as time permits, try to allow each child to participate. Don’t drag this part on too long or your kids will lose interest. Here are a few to get you started:

  • Did you like the story? Why or why not?
  • What was your favorite part?
  • Questions based on the Who?, What?, Why?, When?, and How? of a story are great for getting kids thinking.

Geography (5 – 15 minutes)

Globe or Wall Map Activity: With your class,

  • find the Continent of Europe
  • find the country of Ukraine
  • find the capitol of Ukraine: Kiev.

I have been allowing the kids to take turns putting little dot stickers on the country we visit on our wall map each week. They have really enjoyed this little extra!

Map Handout*: Pass out the Map Handout to your class and allow them to color the page as time permits. You may want this to be the last activity of your class so they can be kept busy until the next class starts or until their parents pick them up. Have the kids place their handouts in their World Traveler Notebook (3-ring binder) before they leave.

Below is a free printable Map Handout in PDF format. Just click on the thumbnail below to open and view. For best results, download to your computer or open in Adobe Reader before printing.

 Ukraine Map

Completed Paper Bag Books!

Art (30 – 40 minutes)

Option #1: Crystal Watercolor Snowflake from Global Art: Activities, Projects, and Inventions from Around the World by MaryAnn F. Kohl and Jean Potter. Read the “Did You Know?” sidebar on page 39, then explain the process to your children, following the project instructions.

You Will Need:

  • White Paper
  • Watercolor paints
  • Paintbrush
  • Water in a jar or cup
  • Table Salt or Rock Salt in a shallow dish or salt shaker

Option #2: Paper Bag Book for The Mitten by Jan Brett.  Click here for complete free instructions including photos and printables.

You Will Need:

  • Lunch-sized paper bags (2 per book)
  • Hole punch
  • Yarn, narrow ribbon, or string
  • Wider ribbon scraps
  • Computer printer (black and white)
  • Printer paper (white or colored)
  • Crayons, colored pencils, or markers
  • Glue stick
  • Stapler
  • Construction Paper (optional)

Other Activities (10 – 15 minutes)

Facts and Flag Handout*: Pass out these handouts to your class and allow them to color the pages as time permits. You may want this to be the last activity of your class so they can be kept busy until the next class starts or until their parents pick them up. Have the kids place their handouts in their World Traveler Notebook (3-ring binder) before they leave.

Just click on a thumbnail below to open and view. For best results, open in Adobe Reader before printing.

Ukraine Facts and Flag


*If there is not time in class, provide these as handouts for the kids to do at home. The pages can go in their World Traveler Notebooks as a record of their journeys.

**Our homeschool coop begins during the last week of August, but the Around the World course can be started at any time of year. Some re-arranging of the weekly plans may be necessary due to holidays, but with a little planning ahead of time, this should be very manageable.

Supply Lists

General Supply List

Week 16 Supply List

Week 16 Art Supply List

Option #1: Crystal Watercolor Snowflake 

You Will Need:

  • White Paper
  • Watercolor paints
  • Paintbrush
  • Water in a jar or cup
  • Table Salt or Rock Salt in a shallow dish or salt shaker

Option #2: Paper Bag Book 

You Will Need:

  • Lunch-sized paper bags (2 per book)
  • Hole punch
  • Yarn, narrow ribbon, or string
  • Wider ribbon scraps
  • Computer printer (black and white)
  • Printer paper (white or colored)
  • Crayons, colored pencils, or markers
  • Glue stick
  • Stapler
  • Construction Paper (optional)


Copyright 2015 Kathryn Depew

Image of Berezhnytsya, Ukraine from flickr.com used under the Creative Commons license. Image credit: Juanedc.

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