Around the World in 80 Montessori Activities

Geography and social studies are subjects Montessori homeschool parents often find challenging to teach. Many families browse the internet and see beautiful baskets full of items from around the world. While those are lovely, they can be cost-prohibitive. Educating children to be good global citizens is an important calling, and it begins with a genuine understanding of our world.

🧮 What Montessori says about geography, cultural studies, and the cosmic curriculum: Maria Montessori placed geography and cultural studies at the very heart of education for children aged six and older. She called this the cosmic curriculum: the idea that children at this stage are ready to understand their place in the universe, in history, and among the peoples of the world. Montessori believed that a child who understands the interconnectedness of all life and all cultures develops a natural sense of responsibility, empathy, and global citizenship that no textbook lesson can produce. She wrote that the child who has truly studied the world will never be indifferent to it. Research on global and cultural education (Banks, 2014, An Introduction to Multicultural Education) found that children who engaged in culturally diverse learning experiences showed significantly stronger empathy, perspective-taking, and civic engagement than peers in monocultural curricula. A 2020 study in International Journal of Early Childhood confirmed that Montessori-style cultural studies, including geography, art, food, and language exploration, produced measurable gains in children's global awareness, vocabulary, and intrinsic motivation to learn.

Homeschool Geography Curriculum Made Simple and Cost-Effective

An excellent homeschool geography curriculum does not have to cost much. Head to your local library. Hundreds of beautiful books exist to help your children immerse themselves in different cultures. From the comfort of their own room, they can travel the world. Book characters are an easily relatable way to learn, and children identify with them naturally.

Studying international cuisine is fun too. Try sampling different herbs and spices from other nations. Visit an international market for a whole new experience, or add a trip to a restaurant for a real taste of international flavor.

This is why we worked hard to bring you this activity pack. At nearly 100 pages, it is one of our largest activity packs. Unlike our previous packs, this one is designed to last at least a semester. With 80 activities, you could make it last up to two years.

Travel the World With 80 Montessori-Inspired Activities

This pack is full of high-quality content. It requires minimal preparation on your part, though we do recommend reading through it before you begin. This will give you a sense of how you would like to plan, what supplies you will need, and which activities you will want to return to or repeat.

🌎 What is inside the pack

📚 80 activities: books, recipes, art, and Montessori works

The pack includes 40 books, 10 international recipes, 11 art projects, and 19 Montessori-inspired works. There are a number of ways to incorporate this pack into your homeschool, and you will find ideas within the welcome letter.

🕮 A curated book list for all ages

We have books for preschoolers through teenagers, covering some of the best-loved geography and cultural studies titles available. These make excellent read-alouds and shelf books alike. A few also include additional homeschool geography and social studies activities.

🌎 Classic and unique Montessori works

Me on the Map, Nomenclature Cards, Pin Punches, and more classic Montessori activities are included alongside our own original works. Children will love making continent boxes, researching international jewelry, and exploring other languages.

🎨 Exploration through art

Art projects from every continent are included, with information to make them accessible for a wide range of ages. These are great projects for older students to work on alongside younger ones. Several projects may spark a new passion, a gift idea, or even a small business. You may also want to consider a field trip to an art museum as an extension.

📚 Related ShillerLearning lessons

For families using ShillerLearning materials, we have listed related lessons to enhance your studies. Students enjoy returning to lessons multiple times, and repeating them alongside new cultural content helps reinforce concepts in a meaningful way.

🍳 Ten international recipe cards

Cultural studies are not complete without something to eat. Ten perfectly sized recipe cards take your family from savory to sweet, spanning every corner of the world.

📷 Beautiful printables

As always, we are bringing you the most beautiful printables available. We recommend laminating the recipe cards and world map, printing the Grammar Cards, Nomenclature Cards, and Matching Cards on cardstock, and keeping multiple copies of the Continent Research page on hand. To save on ink, keep the instructions on your phone or e-reader and print only the recipe cards and printables.

🛍 High quality and affordable

Only a few inexpensive craft supplies are needed, and most are things you already have at home.

📚 If you plan to use library books, put them on hold ahead of time. Some of the most popular titles may have a wait list.

The ShillerLearning team has loved creating this pack and we think you will love this homeschool geography curriculum. Explore the world from the comfort of your home, and share what you have been working on with us. Tag us on Instagram @shillerlearning with your completed projects and shelf set-ups.

Happy Travels!