This is part 2 of a 5 part hands-on unit study on Explorers. Go on a compass treasure hunt, eat sailor food, jump across the parts of a caravel ship, act out Columbus’ journey, and more! My lessons are geared toward 2nd-3rd grade level children and their siblings. These are lessons I created to do with a weekly homeschool co-op group. We meet each for 2 1/2 hours and have 14 children between the ages of 0-11. Use these fun lessons with your classroom, family, homeschool co-op group, after school program, or camp!
Introduction & Continents
It’s a Big Big World by Brierly
Introduction & Continents
1) Pray. Discuss Matthew 6:33.
2) Review continents and oceans and sing continent song (sung to tune of “Love & Marriage” 2x). Point to the continents and oceans on a map as you sing the song. (I used the world map from the book “It’s a Big Big World” by Brierly.)
North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa
Don’t Forget Antarctica
Or way down under in Australia
Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Indian, Arctic, Southern Oceans
North Pole, South Pole, Equator
I know all about maps and globes
YOU WILL NEED:
- a world map such as the one in “It’s a Big Big World” by Brierly
3) Quickly review Leif Ericson and Marco Polo.
Prince Henry the Navigator
Learning to use a compass
4) Use “Prince Henry the Navigator” by Leonard Everett Fisher to introduce Prince Henry the Navigator & how he wanted to go to China but couldn’t get past the Isthmus of Suez (show on map).
- Talk about navigation school & compass.
- Briefly mention Diaz.
- Prince Henry the Navigator provided the 3 T’s that spurred on the Age of Exploration: training for sailors and captains, development of navigational tools, and provided the treasury by financing many voyages to search for an all-water route to the Indies.
YOU WILL NEED:
5) Show how to use a compass. Divide into 3 or 4 teams (led by parents or teachers) and go on a treasure hunt together (i.e. walk four paces north, fifteen paces west, etc.). Treasure will be a bag of beef jerky and raisins (sailor food).
YOU WILL NEED:
- pre-written treasure hunt directions, bag of beef jerky, raisins, cups for water
Caravel Ships
Model of a Portuguese caravel, found in the Musée national de la Marine
6) Talk about the development of Caravel ship and show pictures in a book (such as “Ship” by David Macaulay) or show the parts on a toy or model ship if you have one. Go over ship parts.
YOU WILL NEED:
- picture/drawing of a caravel ship such as one found in “Ship” by David Macaulay or a toy or model ship (any type of ship so long as it has sails)
Captain Says Game to Learn Ship Parts
Sidewalk Chalk version of caravel for “Captain Says” game
7) Go outside where Caravel ship has been pre-dawn in chalk (16×50 feet – the size of the Nina) & play “Captain says” to review places on a ship (like Simon says — so the kids will walk to whichever part of the chalk drawing you tell them to go to).
-Captain says walk to the:
Bow (front)
Stern (back)
Keel (bottom spine)
-Captain says hop to the:
Mainmast (middle mast)
Mizzen sail (back sail)
Crow’s nest (lookout at top of mainmast)
-Captain says run to the:
Rudder (in back of ship, used to steer)
Helm (steering wheel)
-Captain says skip to the:
Stern (back)
Fore sail (front sail)
Anchor
-Captain says walk to the:
Bow (front)
Mainsail (middle sail)
Keel (bottom spine)
-Captain says hop to the:
Starboard side (right)
Aft of the boat (back toward the stern)
Port side (left)
-Captain says run to the:
Amidship (middle)
-Captain says to sit on the:
Hull (main part of the ship)
YOU WILL NEED:
- sidewalk chalk
Caravel Ship Models
Caravel Ship Models
8) Have children make they own “caravel ship” using the materials provided. We allowed the children to create them however they desired.
YOU WILL NEED:
- materials for children to use to make caravel ships (Styrofoam trays, dixie cups, pieces of cloth, chopsticks or wooden skewers), play-doh or clay, tape, scissors, and glue
Christopher Columbus & Review
9) Show map of world and cover up North & South America. That’s what Europe knew of the world. Have the children take their copy of the world map and curl the map around into a cylinder shape to cover up North and South America. At the time of Columbus, people knew the world was round. They just thought it was smaller than it really is. They didn’t realize there were 2 continents (North & South America) between Europe and Asia when you sail West. Have children trace Columbus’s route on the map.
YOU WILL NEED:
- world map, 1 printed world map per child, & 1 writing utensil per child
10) Read “Christopher Columbus” by Stephen Krensky or “The Story of Christopher Columbus” by Anita Ganeri.
YOU WILL NEED:
- “Christopher Columbus” by Stephen Krensky or “The Story of Christopher Columbus” by Anita Ganeri or other book on Christopher Columbus
Dramatizing Columbus’s Journey
Towels act as the ships
Columbus approaching King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella
11) (Video Record this if desired) Act out Columbus’ journey:
- Put crowns on boy & girl & post them on “thrones” (chairs) in Spain. Columbus approaches King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella wanting money for a voyage overseas.
- Christopher Columbus selects everyone else to sail with him to tell the people of China about Jesus and to get gold to repay King & Queen. Children kneel on 3 bath towels or get in boxes (the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria) placed on the floor. Place these on the carpet, the Atlantic Ocean.
- Make sure they know the year was 1492. Everyone can repeat, “In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue.”
- Stage an almost mutiny as the men lose heart but have Christopher ask them to hang in there for a few more days.
- When they discover land, everyone is so excited. Have them plant a cross on the “beach.”
- Afterward ask, “Why did Columbus call the people Indians? Why did Columbus name his discovery San Salvador instead of Ferdinand Land Or Isabellville?” (The name of the island is Holy Savior, San Salvador.)
YOU WILL NEED:
2 crowns, 1 pirate hat (a captain hat for Columbus), 3 bath towels or 3 boxes children can stand in, cross
12) Watch some or all of the DVD Christopher Columbus: Animated Hero Classics by Nest Entertainment.
YOU WILL NEED:
- Christopher Columbus: Animated Hero Classics by Nest Entertainment or other movie on Columbus
13) 5 Minute Review of what we learned.
14) Assign explorers for explorer night & explain what to prepare.
Clip from Christopher Columbus: Animated Hero Classics by Nest Entertainment
Ready for the next lesson?
Montezuma’s Crowns and Conquistador Masks from Lesson 4: Ponce de Leon, Aztecs, Cortes, & Conquistadors Lesson
Build Viking shields and swords and “sail” to Vineland with Leif Erikson, walk the route of Marco Polo (through your house) and collect the items that he saw on his journey through China, go on a compass treasure hunt, dramatize Columbus’ journey, make Da Gama Portuguese land markers, create Montezuma’s headdress, go on a conquistador hunt for gold, bake constellation bar cookies, dress up as and present on famous explorers, and more during this unit study on Explorers!
- Marco Polo and Leif Erikson Lesson – This is part 1 of a 5 part hands-on unit on Explorers. Walk the route of Marco Polo (through the house) and collect the items he came across while in Asia. Make Viking bread, Viking helmets, shields, and swords and “sail” to Vineland (America) as a Viking, and more!
- Christopher Columbus & Prince Henry the Navigator Lesson – This is part 2 of a 5 part hands-on unit study on Explorers. Go on a compass treasure hunt, eat sailor food, jump across the parts of a caravel ship, act out Columbus’ journey, and more!
- Da Gama, Vespucci, Balboa, & Magellan Lesson – This is part 3 of a 5 part hands-on unit study on Explorers. Make Da Gama Portuguese land markers, Vespucci parrot puppets, and Balboa hiding-in-a-barrel stick puppets. Search for the Pacific Ocean with Balboa (through your house). Eat “sawdust” and “leather” with Magellan and many more activities!
- Ponce de Leon, Aztecs, Cortes, & Conquistadors Lesson This is part 4 of a 5 part hands-on unit on Explorers. Create Montezuma’s headdress, act out the meeting between Cortes & Montezuma, go on a conquistador hunt for gold, and more!
- Cabot, Cartier, Drake, Hudson, and Astronomy Lesson – This is part 5 of a 5 part hands-on unit on Explorers. Bake constellation bar cookies, create star finders, act out Cartier’s expedition, and more!
- Explorer Unit Presentations and Field Trip Ideas – For the culminating project we following the 5 part hands-on unit on explorers, the children dressed as explorers, made presentations, and shared “authentic” food from their explorer’s country of origin. They also sang the songs from the unit. Also included are the field trips we took during this unit.
- All my Fun, FREE Hands-on World History Lessons and Unit Studies (8 unit studies & 39 lessons): Tabernacle, Medieval Period, Leonardo da Vinci, Protestant Reformation, Explorers, China, Russia, & Africa
- Fun, FREE Hands-on Unit Studies – Looking for all of my lessons and unit studies? Over the years I have posted over 30 science and social-studies based unit studies, compromised of more than 140 lessons. For each lesson I have included activities (with photos), our favorite books and YouTube video clips, lapbook links, and other resources. I posted links to all of my unit studies and lessons at the above link.
Our Favorite Children’s Books on Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus (Step into Reading) by Stephen Krensky – Book image is from amazon.com
In addition to the books we used during the above lesson, we also enjoyed:
- Christopher Columbus (Step into Reading) by Stephen Krensky is the best picture book on Columbus and his voyage. It is brief enough to keep children’s attention and provides enough information. It also has nice illustrations.
- Christopher Columbus: Famous Explorer (Graphic Biographies) was my boys’ favorite.
- You Wouldn’t Want to Sail With Christopher Columbus! is part of from one of our favorite series. It’s written as if you’re someone sailing on the ship with Columbus and adds humor to the voyage.
- Animals Christopher Columbus Saw by Sandra Markle is a nice longer picture book on Columbus’s first voyage and includes some of the animals he saw…in addition to describing the overall voyage.
- Where Do You Think You’re Going, Christopher Columbus? by Jean Fritz, which is a longer picture book on Columbus, provides such interesting information that even my 4 year old sat through us reading the book.
- Columbus by Edgar Parin D’Aulaire has great pictures for showing to a group (so perfect if you’re teaching a larger group), but some of the information is not consistent with what I’ve read in other books.
- The Story of Christopher Columbus (DK Reader Level 2: Beginning to Read Alone) by Anita Ganeri is also good.
- Adventures of the Treasure Fleet: China Discovers the World by Ann Martin Bowler tells of the impressive voyages of Chinese Admiral Zheng He 85 years before Columbus set sail. It’s not about Columbus, but it’s fascinating to learn about what China was doing well before Europe.
- Christopher Columbus: Adventurer of Faith and Courage (Sowers) by Bennie Rhodes is a Christian children’s chapter book about Columbus. It’s perfect for upper elementary to to use as a read-aloud.
- Columbus, Finder of the New World by Ronald Syme – This is the chapter book my 2nd grader read with me. We love Ronald Syme books! They are about 80 pages and contain illustrations. After each chapter my boys either wrote 1-2 sentences or drew what the most important event was from that chapter.
- Columbus & Cortez by John Eidsmoe is great! It’s for you, the parent or teacher or for a high schooler. I learned so much from reading this. The author goes through various primary documents to show the strong Christian faith of Columbus, which is often left out of most modern books on him.
Our Favorite Video Clips
Need More Activity Ideas?
- Pedro’s Journey
Free Lapbook for “Pedro’s Journey”, a book about Columbus’s voyage - Columbus & Food
The Role of Food on Columbus’ Journey - Columbus Lesson Plan
Excellent lesson on Columbus
Video Clips on Prince Henry the Navigator
KONOS Curriculum
KONOS Volume II
Would you like to teach this way every day?
I use KONOS Curriculum as a springboard from which to plan my lessons. It’s a wonderful curriculum and was created by moms with active boys!
© 2010 Shannon
Who Do You Think We Should Credit As Having Discovered American and Why? – Or just leave me a note. I love getting feedback from you!
Karla on April 06, 2017:
Getting ready for CC C3 and found you!! Great resources thank you for all your work.
Fay Favored from USA on August 26, 2012:
A good question for a classroom debate.
anonymous on March 24, 2011:
I love the idea of acting out Columbus’ journey. I’m sure your children will really remember that now!
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