Ready-to-Go Geography Lessons from Educents!

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Ready to Go Geography Lessons 

World Maps are so exciting to explore. The best way to engage a student learning about the world, is to ask them to label it. The Mini Peel & Play World Map Set on Educents provides students all the materials they need to explore and label a world map. Better yet, the map is small enough to stick onto the car window while you’re traveling. It’s also easy to move the map from room to room in your house – the map has a safe adhesive that allows students to stick the map to a surface over and over again.

The Map In Action

Check out the Mini Peel & Play World Map in action during this video.

Click here to find the Mona MELisa Mini Peel & Play World Map at a discount on Educents!

Activity Ideas

Looking for ways to make the Mini Peel & Play World Map interactive? 

Use these activities:

Label the oceans – use the labels to point out oceans around the globe.

Ask your student to match the sticker with its continent. What does your student see in that continent? What is the climate there? Is that continent above or below the equator?

After your student has placed all the sticker labels on the globe, s/he can refer to the map while responding to these writing prompts:

• Name all of the oceans in the world.
• Locate your home on the map. If you wanted to visit Australia, which direction would you need to travel?
• How would you travel to Europe – by foot, by boat, or by plane?
• Which direction does a ship need to sail to travel from South America to Africa?

Click here to find the Mona MELisa Mini Peel & Play World Map at a discount on Educents!

About the Sets

Mona MELisa Mini Peel & Play Sets go beyond the World Map. Learn about all the themes and ways to use the sets in your lessons.
 

Theme options: Math, science, geography, spelling, counting

Great for: all ages, visual learners, kinesthetic learners (kids will love touching the pieces and moving them around from place to place), auditory learners (sets can be combined with verbal instruction)
Parents: Stick your sets to a car window, on any wall at home, or on your child’s bathroom mirror to practice counting while brushing teeth.
Teachers: This tool will save you hours preparing any of your lessons. The labels are made and ready to go!
Homeschoolers: Provide hands-on lessons for your students! Visual learners will love the colorful map, and kinesthetic learners will enjoy sticking and unsticking parts of the map.
 
What’s included?
The Mini Peel & Play sets are fabrics with a safe, adhesive backing. They sets measure 11 by 17 inches.

Bonus!! You can download ready-go-to lessons to accompany the Peel & Play sets. Check out the World Map Teaching Guide.

Click here to find the Mona MELisa Mini Peel & Play World Map at a discount on Educents!

Little Passports Subscription Make Great Holiday Gifts!

Disclosure: The links in this post are affiliate links and I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on my link.

Give Them the World with Little Passports

The excitement of holiday gift giving doesn't have to end with the last unwrapped package! Why not treat your little ones to a trip around the USA or around the world this holiday season. Beginning with a box full of expedition materials, Little Passports will take your children on a learning adventure to two new states (USA edition) or a new country (World edition) every month, in which they travel along with Sam and Sofia, exploring cultures and gathering important geographic knowledge along the way. Whether you sign up for a month-to-month plan or a year subscription, your kids will love to run to the mailbox to see where Little Passports will take them on this month's journey! Simply sign up for a monthly plan ($11.95/month) or a one year subscription ($10.95/month) and let the adventure begin!

Here's just a peek at what the Little Passports World edition can bring to your door:

Explore the Little Passports World Edition

• Travel suitcase and letter from globetrotting characters Sam and Sofia
• World wall map
• Fun stickers, an activity sheet, and access to online games…and so much more!

Celebrate Little Passports' 5th Birthday with 15% OFF

Little Passports 15% Off Sale!
Did you know that Little Passports was co-founded by two moms who believe in raising our children to be compassionate and knowledgeable on world cultures and people? Pretty sweet business philosophy! Each month, the imaginary characters of Little Passports, named Sam and Sofia, travel the globe on their magic scooter and share their experiences with your child. This birthday sale, which allows you to take 15% off your total subscription package, will give your child a personalized package in the mail that includes an adventure letter, fun souvenirs, activities and access to their online Boarding Zone full of activities and games. (with that sort of deal, I feel like it's my birthday!) Click on the link below or banner above to sign up for your subscription today and get 15% off by using the code: HAPPY5 from today through Tuesday, 4/8.

15% Off New Subscriptions at Little Passports Now - 4/8 with code: HAPPY5

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links.

Little Passports Printable Valentine's Day Cards!

Little Passports has Valentines Day Cards for Everyone!
Think it's too early? It's not! Valentines day will be here before you know it and I have some Little Passports Valentines Day Card Printables that your child can share with his/her friends. These are perfect for home school groups too!

Have you ever wondered how to say ‘I love you’ in German? How about in Tagalog? Little Passports Valentine’s Day cards include ‘Love’ and ‘I love you’ in languages from around the world! To share the love, simply download, print, and pass one to your valentine! Here are some Little Passports "I Love You" Translations From Around The World!:

Jeg elsker Dig: Danish
Ik Hou Van Jou: Dutch
Te Amo: Spanish
I love you: English
Je T'aime: French
S'agapo: Greek
Sarang Hae Yo: Korean
Ech hun dech Gaer : Luxembourgish
Mahal Kita: Tagalog
Iay Ovlay Ouyay: Pig Latin
Saya Cinta kamu: Indonesian
Mina Rakastan Sinua: Finnish
Ich Liebe Dich: German
Wo Ai Ni: Chinese
Ya Tebya Liubliu: Russian
Aishiteru: Japanese
Hum Tumhe Pyar Karte hae: Hindi

Little Passports enables you to teach your child about the hundreds of different cultures around our world and around the USA! Each month, a package addressed to your kids (which they LOVE) arrives full of little goodies like stickers for their own passport, activity sheets that teach them about major landmarks around the world and gets their brain going with fun word scrambles! Little Passports even shares fun recipes that you can cook up with your kids to turn them into little chefs who know all about foods from different cultures. Subscriptions start at just $10.95/month which is another bonus! This is also the perfect resource for anyone who homeschools out there. Let me know what you think after you get set up with your own Little Passports subscription.

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links.

How We Stay Fit All Around The World with Little Passports!

All around the world, people are ushering in their fitness goals as well as personal goals to make 2014 great. We have a blog post with some fun information about sports from around the world for you to share with your readers who might be looking for something new to try this week. Use this easy copy and paste post today, your affiliate links are embedded! If there is too much information here, feel free to only choose a few or write about your favorite sports and include a Little Passports text link.

How We Stay Fit All Around The World with Little Passports
January is the time of year when people all over the world make resolutions, and that’s exactly what Sofia and Sam of Little Passports are doing! This year they are promising to be more active. Join us as we travel the world discovering new sports and activities that will make you want to move around every day.

Australia
The majority of Australia’s population lives near the coast, so guess what sport is popular in this country? Surfing! Australia’s surfing culture is inspired by the surrounding waters. They enjoy the Southern Ocean in the South, the Indian Ocean in the West, the Pacific Ocean in the East, as well as the Timor, Tasman, Coral and other seas. Australian children learn early on how to respect the water and look for any dangers. Their beautiful beaches and big waves are a surfer’s paradise!



China
All you need is a net, a table, a small white ball, and two paddles to try one of China’s favorite sports: ping-pong (also called table tennis). China has one of the highest ranked players in the world and won many gold medals in table tennis at the 2012 London Olympics. Nearly 300 million people play this fun sport in China – that’s almost as many people as the entire US population! The game is fast, competitive, and takes lots of coordination. You can start out playing on your kitchen table (but please ask your mom or dad first).



Brazil
Brazilians go nuts for one sport in particular: football. Sam and Sofia have told you a little bit about this before. We even have a football game on our website! If you remember, this isn’t the kind of football that requires helmets and pads. All you really need to play is your foot and a ball. Sound familiar to you? You bet it does! We call it “soccer” in the United States. Brazil’s national football team is the most successful in the world, and they are scheduled to host the 2014 World Cup, football’s biggest tournament. Wouldn’t it be fun to visit Brazil during the World Cup?



India
Have you ever heard of cricket? No, not the loud bug! We’re talking about India’s favorite sport. Cricket was brought to India by the British, and it is still very popular in both countries. Cricket is a bat-and-ball game that requires players to bat, score runs, hit sticks called “wickets,” and get the opposing player out. The teams take turns called “innings,” but cricket games have been known to go on for days! Children in India love to play cricket on the street, the park, the beach, or the school playground.



Canada
Ice hockey is the national sport of Canada. As its name implies, it’s a sport that’s played on ice. The game involves two teams of six active players each, who use a hockey stick to shoot a puck across the ice while trying to score a goal. The puck is similar to a ball but is flat on the bottom to help it smoothly glide across the ice. Every player has to have balance, coordination, and know how to ice skate very well. Although it is most popular in colder climates like Canada, ice hockey is now played all over the world. It is played here in the United States from Los Angeles to Chicago, and even in sunny Florida! Do you have an ice hockey team in your town? Or perhaps an ice skating rink nearby where YOU can learn to skate?



Sam and Sofia are ready to try all of these new sports! Which one would you like to try? Bring Little Passports into your child's life in 2014 to teach them about all of the fascinating cultures around the world!

Disclosure: This post was created/written by Little Passports. It may contain affiliate links.

Boxing Day Traditions Around the World with Little Passports

Boxing Day Traditions around the World with Little Passports
While the exact origins of Boxing Day aren't completely known, one of the more well-known traditions of this holiday started several hundred years ago in England. At this time, Boxing Day -- the day after Christmas -- was when the wealthy landowners would bring gifts of food or other necessities to the homes of people who worked for them. Many countries have continued this tradition of being generous to those who are in need at this time of year, but Boxing Day around the world has also changed to include other festivities and events.

In the Bahamas, they celebrate with a festival -- called Junkanoo -- dating back to the 16th or 17th century. On December 26th, Bahamans celebrate with a large and colorful street parade during which people wear magnificent costumes, masks, and headdresses, and dance, sing, and play music as they proceed through the streets. There's even a Junkanoo museum in downtown Nassau (the capital of the Bahamas) where visitors can see costumes from past festivals. 

 

New Zealand is another country that celebrates Boxing Day during their summer weather. Taking advantage of the nice weather, some New Zealanders may choose to go swimming in the ocean or the lakes and rivers. Others might decide to hike and have a picnic on the trail. Those families who just want to stay home and take it easy after the Christmas celebrations might flip on the television to watch cricket and grill up some Christmas dinner leftovers. Other families might go to the Ellerslie Boxing Day Races. These are horse races that have been held on Boxing Day for over 150 years at the Auckland Racing Club.

Australia is another country that has sports-centered Boxing Day traditions. On the day after Christmas, Australians can either watch the Boxing Day Test match featuring Australia’s cricket team or they can cheer on sailors competing in the Sydney-to-Hobart yacht race. The Sydney-to-Hobart yacht race, which is thought to be one of the most difficult yacht races in the world, starts in the harbor of Australia’s largest city, Sydney, and finishes in Hobart, the capital of the Australian island Tasmania. 

Although we don't celebrate Boxing Day in the United States, Sam, Sofia, and the team at Little Passports will be honoring the tradition by helping those in need in their local community. How does your family give back during the holidays?

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links.