The Earth

After we explored things in the sky, we thought more about the Earth. We used a map and globes to visualize how the Earth is made up of land and water. Here we are looking for water formations like lakes and rivers.

A globe is perfect for exploring the spherical shape of the Earth, and how it spins as it goes around the sun.

Land and Water Maps

I started doing this activity back when I taught Kindergarten as part of a mapping unit, and it worked really well for our preschool purposes also. We first used salt dough to build these 3-D maps, and then painted them with blue and green paint to show the land and water.

I love how engaged the kids get in this activity, and think the maps turn out so beautifully. I also love the conversations that come up as they are working and describing their maps.

We had rivers, mountains, lakes, oceans, beaches, islands, and swimming pools. :) 

Journal writing is such a great way to see what is sticking with the kids at the end of our week, and what is meaningful to them. This cute journal entry was full of great insights about our amazing planet.