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The kids and I did a number of activities to help them learn the seven continents. However, making a globe was by far our favorite! This project was completed over several days, and the kids were so proud of their work.
Note: You can find more kid-friendly geography activities on my geography unit study page.
To make our globes, we gathered the following materials:
- Lots of glue
- Water
- Container to mix glue and water
- Balloons
- Blue tissue paper, cut into strips
- Paint brushes to apply the glue and tissue paper
- Newspaper to keep our work surface clean
- Montessori world map puzzle (to trace the continents for our globes)
- White paper
- Pencils
The first step was to blow up our balloons. The balloons were to provide the shape for our globes.
The next step was to mix equal parts water and glue together to form a watery glue.
Then we began soaking strips of blue tissue paper in our watery glue.
We applied our strips of blue tissue paper to our balloons. We used a paint brush to add additional watery glue to the tissue paper when necessary. We also used the paint brushes to smooth out the tissue paper as much as possible.
All in all, we added at least three layers of tissue paper to every part of the balloon, leaving only a small opening by the knot where we could eventually pop the balloon and remove it from our globes.
It took our balloons more than 24 hours to dry. In the meantime, the kids traced each continent using our Montessori world map puzzle. They then used scissors to cut out their continents.
When the balloons were dry, my kids popped the balloons inside and removed them.
Then the kids used glue to place their continents on their globes. (Their grandmum and I helped them with the positioning of the continents.)
My daughter decided to color her continents like the ones on our Montessori world map puzzle. My son, however, wanted to leave his continents white.
The kids were super proud of their finished globes. We ended up hanging them from the ceiling of their room to put their creations on display.
More geography resources
More geography posts from Gift of Curiosity:
- Books about maps and globes
- Montessori mapping activities
- Montessori directionality activities
- How to make a working compass
- Introduction to land, air, and water
- Montessori continents activities
- Montessori animals and their continents
- Montessori landform activities
- Montessori continents and world map printables
You can find more kid-friendly geography activities on my geography unit study page and my Geography Activities for Kids Pinterest Board.
I’m a first grade teacher and every time I do this,our balloons pop and the globe squishes in. Any suggestions? Thank you! Kim
It sounds like the balloons you are using may be of poor quality. It may be necessary to purchase a different brand with a better quality balloon.