Get ready to explore the whole world from the comfort of your couch! The Seven Continents Family Unit Study invites children to discover the continents through meaningful, hands-on fun and engaging learning adventures filled with exciting continents activities for kids.
Did you know that the continents used to be joined into a supercontinent called Pangaea? Or that while there are five oceans on Earth, they are all connected and are really one large mass of water? How about that while 90% of the world’s ice is found in Antarctica, it is the driest continent in the world and meets the criteria for being a desert!
And that is just the tip of the iceberg! Get ready to learn all about our seven continents.
What is a Family Unit Study?
But first… what exactly is a Family Unit Study?
The Seven Continents unit study for kids, like all of our ever-growing library of unit studies, takes one big theme—The Continents—and breaks it down into ten manageable, bite-sized learning topics filled with engaging activities for kids. This format gives you the freedom to dive into learning at a pace that works for your family. Perhaps you do one topic per day, perhaps one per week. Whatever suits your fancy! You can learn about the continents and explore a topic from start to finish in about 1-2 hours each.
Dive in and watch the sparks of wonder ignite. Watch the child-led learning take off. Watch what happens when children are engaged in what they are learning!
Each of the 10 topics includes:
- an interesting fact,
- a discussion question,
- informative information,
- a curated YouTube video,
- a recommended book,
- a math or literacy enrichment question (with three difficulty levels),
- and an ultimate-can’t-be-beat hands-on activity!
Plus, all subjects are covered across the 10 topics! Geography, History, Science, Social Studies, Music, Art, Health, Literacy, and Math.
When everything connects across subjects, learning just makes more sense. Kids remember more, understand better, and actually enjoy the process. It’s the kind of learning that really sticks. 🙌
Before we set off on an adventure across the seven continents, I wanted to share a little something to make your homeschool days just a bit easier (because we all need that, right?).
Our Mini Homeschool Toolbox is a simple, go-to resource filled with helpful printables – like math charts, number lines, and writing supports – to keep your days organized and your lessons running smoothly.
It’s completely free and so handy to have on hand as you move through your homeschool routine. Simply enter your email address below, and a copy will be instantly delivered to your inbox.
Learn About the Continents
Now, let’s journey around the world with The Seven Continents Family Unit Study and explore some of our favorite continents activities for kids!
Topic #1: The Earth: Past and Present
Long before the world looked the way it does today, all of Earth’s land was connected in one enormous supercontinent called Pangaea. Over millions of years, the Earth slowly shifted and changed, breaking apart to form the seven continents we know today. It’s like the world’s biggest puzzle – only the pieces are still moving! In this hands-on activity, you will create a flip-style model showing Earth in the past and present, exploring the layers of the Earth and discovering how tectonic plates helped shape our ever-changing planet.
Topic #2: The Seven Continents
From icy Antarctica to the busy cities of Asia, each of the seven continents is filled with its own amazing animals, landscapes, cultures, and wonders to discover. While the continents are all part of the same planet, each one is uniquely different – making our world a pretty incredible place to explore! Using continent puzzle pieces, children will build and arrange their own giant world map while becoming familiar with the shape and location of each continent.
Topic #3: Mapping
How do maps help us find places anywhere on Earth? Invisible lines called latitude and longitude work like a giant grid across the globe, helping us pinpoint exact locations. Using homemade salt dough, you will have fun creating a colorful 3D world map while exploring compass directions, latitude, and longitude.
Topic #4: Asia
Did you know Asia is home to more people, languages, and cultures than any other continent on Earth? With thousands of languages spoken across Asia, the Mandarin writing system is especially fascinating because it uses characters instead of an alphabet like English. Using salt and a paintbrush, have some fun exploring Mandarin characters in a creative, sensory-rich way.
Topic #5: Africa
Africa is home to some of the most amazing animals on Earth! If you live in North America, you may only see many of these animals in a zoo or on a screen, which makes learning about them even more exciting. In this topic, you will solve African animal-themed math questions, using time and problem-solving skills to follow the journeys of animals across the savanna.
Topic #6: North America
North America is home to some of the world’s most famous natural wonders, including the powerful Niagara Falls! Every second, enormous amounts of water rush over the falls, creating enough energy to produce electricity. Using simple materials, you will build a spinning water wheel to explore how moving water can create power.
Topic #7: South America
South America is home to the Amazon Rainforest, the largest tropical rainforest in the world, and one of the most diverse places on Earth! Filled with towering trees, colorful plants, and incredible wildlife, the rainforest is bursting with life. To explore this amazing ecosystem, you will create your own rainforest terrarium – a miniature rainforest growing right inside a jar.
Topic #8: Antarctica
Antarctica is the coldest, windiest, and iciest continent on Earth – a frozen world covered in snow and ice! Even in such harsh conditions, amazing animals like penguins are able to survive and thrive. To explore this icy continent, you will create a beautiful penguin suncatcher inspired by Antarctica’s snowy landscape.
Topic #9: Europe
Europe is filled with famous landmarks, ancient buildings, and incredible history that attract millions of visitors each year. From the Eiffel Tower in France to Stonehenge in England, many of Europe’s landmarks have been standing for hundreds – even thousands – of years! In this activity, you will design and build your own European landmark models using toothpicks and marshmallows.
Topic #10: Australia
Australia is home to some of the most unique animals and landscapes on Earth, from hopping kangaroos and sleepy koalas to the red sands of the Outback and the colorful Great Barrier Reef. It is also rich in Indigenous Australian culture and traditions that have been shared for thousands of years. In this activity, you will have fun creating and playing your own homemade didgeridoo inspired by traditional Aboriginal instruments and art.
And there you have it, the 10 bite-sized learning topics and hands-on continents activities for kids that make up our great big Seven Continents Unit Study! I hope you will pop on over to check it out and consider purchasing it for you and yours.
The Seven Continents Family Unit Study
https://shop.howweelearn.com/products/family-unit-study-the-seven-continents
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Thank you so much for reading, sweet friend!
xo
Sarah
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