A Volcano science and global studies unit for homeschool, worldschool or just for fun.
What kid doesn't love learning about volcanoes? Fire, lava, explosions? This week had them all.
Printables
Here's this week's info, all wrapped up into an easy-to-read printable.
On the Dining Room Wall
Some images of before and after the Mt. St. Helen's explosion.
A map of the ring of fire.
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:
Everything: Volcanoes and Earthquakes (National Geographic Kids)
Other Ideas:
What Was Pompeii? (Who HQ Book)
Volcanoes & Earthquakes (DK Eyewitness)
Base Fiction Chapter Book:
Some of these books are part of a series but all of them work as standalone books.
Younger Learners:
Vacation Under the Volcano (Magic Treehouse Book #13) Jack and Annie visit an ancient civilization only to discover it's about to be wiped out by one of history's most famous eruptions.
Journey Through Ash and Smoke (Ranger in Time Book #5) This book actually had less to do with volcanoes than the name suggests, still it was cute and we love the Ranger in Time books.
Older Learners:
I Survived the Eruption of Mount St. Helens, 1980 (I Survived #14) These are action packed books that are best for older kids. We liked it especially because it's so close to us and we were able to examine our saved bottle of Mount St. Helens ash.
Other Notable Books
Have more time? Try these too.
Can You Survive a Supervolcano Eruption? (You Choose Book) As always, these books have a lot of peril and you will die in many of the endings. We love these books and always have a fun time using our knowledge from the week in our attempts to survive.
Stranded!: A Mostly True Story from Iceland (By Ævar Þór Benediktsson) This book is maybe technically a picture book, but with longer text. It's entertaining and full of information and a good story.
You Wouldn't Want to Live in Pompeii! (You Wouldn't Want To Be Series)
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: Volcano, Pompeii, Mount St. Helens, Ring of Fi
We liked these books:
Gopher to the Rescue! (By Terry Catasús Jennings)
The Princess and the Warrior: A Tale of Two Volcanoes (By Duncan Tonatiuh)
Volcano Rising (By Elizabeth Rusch)
Things to Listen to/Watch*
*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
Google ways to make your own volcano at home!
Make volcanoes out of Play Dough, Legos or clay.
Are there any volcanoes near you? Take a field trip to go see one!
End of Week Movie Night Ideas
Surprisingly, I really struggled to find any spot-on movies for this week. Here's what I came up with:
Lava (Pixar Short, 2014)
Nim's Island (PG, 2008)
Segue Ideas... South Pacific Week, Geology Week
Wrap Up
All of this material would work great for a volcano homeschool unit or, in our case, just some fun, extra learning. We still have a field trip planned, but not yet executed, for a hike around Mt. St. Helens this summer.
Final Moment
I've never seen actual, flowing lava, but I have sat and watched this volcano, outside of Antigua, Guatemala puff smoke.
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