A Sahara global studies unit for homeschool, worldschool or just for fun.
Sometimes I have a rhyme or reason when I pick a topic and sometimes I just look a map and think about which region we haven't touched on in awhile. This was one of those times. Our week went great though with a lot of learning about deserts, desert animals and Northern Africa.
Printables
All of this week's information in an easy-to-read printable.
On the Dining Room Wall
A photo of Timbuktu from and old daily calendar.
The tear-out section from our Who HQ book.
Books
One from each category plus an assortment of picture books is usually just perfect.
Not all book series are as good as the next. Get the scoop on some of our favorites here.
Library Haul
Not all of these books will get read. Most library systems allow you to browse online and put books on hold. They'll round them up for you and deliver them to your local branch. It's a big time saver!
Base Non-Fiction Books:
Read every word or simply flip through and reach what catches your eye.
Top Pick:
Where is the Sahara Desert (Who HQ Book) I love these books and find them to be a lot less dry (pun intended!) than the ones I've listed below which read more like books intended to be used for school reports.
Other Ideas:
The Sahara Desert (Deserts Around the World)
Sahara Desert (Getting to Know Our Planet)
Base Fiction Chapter Book:
Some of these books are part of a series but all of them work as standalone books.
Younger Learners:
52 Days by Camel: My Sahara Adventure (By Lawrie Raskin) We didn't actually read this one but it was included on several other sources as a good option.
Older Learners:
A Long Walk to Water (By Linda Sue Park) This book is considered a must-read for older elementary school students and I can see why. It includes a lot of good information about very important topics. It does include hard topics such as war and violence.
Other Notable Books
Have more time? Try these too.
Surviving the Marathon des Sables Run (You Choose) We love to end our week with a You Choose book.
The Sahara Is Cold at Night, and Other Questions About Deserts (By Jackie Gaff)
Picture Books
Library inventories vary so much with picture books. Rather than wasting time tracking down specific ones, I like to do keyword searches and just grab what's available.
Search these keywords: Sahara, Desert Animals, Algeria, Chad, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Sudan, Tunisia
We liked these books:
Things to Listen to/Watch*
I couldn't find an end of week movie this week but here are three episodes of kid's TV shows that I found.
Mouk: Season 2, Episode 23: The Kid
Mouk: Season 2, Episode 7: Music in the Desert
Super Wings: Season 1, Episode 6: Sahara Sled
*Always vet material before watching it with your kids, especially if they are sensitive viewers. I try to note any potential issues but everyone has different parenting thresholds of what they consider appropriate.
Interactive Learning: Crafts, Food, Activities
Are there any deserts near you that you could visit? Or sand dunes?
Make desert animals or sand dunes out of Legos, Playdough or clay.
We did this cute camel race craft activity.
Segue Ideas... Serengeti Week, American Southwest Week
Wrap Up
All of this material would work great for a Sahara homeschool unit or, in our case, just some fun, extra learning. Here's a picture of our on-topic weekend breakfast. It's desert sand pancakes!
Final Moment
We haven't been to the Sahara but here is a picture of my girls in a desert outside of Dubai when they were little.
