On October 12, 1492, Christopher Columbus reached the Americas. The second Monday in October is Columbus Day, a holiday commemorating this event. Use the following activities to teach students about Columbus and his role in history and to help students learn new earth science content, geography skills, and art skills.
Who Is Christopher Columbus and Why Is He Important?
Today, controversy surrounds how historians judge Christopher Columbus, and people disagree whether his holiday should even be celebrated anymore. Take a moment to consider what is being celebrated on this day and how best to teach information about Columbus to children. For example, the mistreatment of Native Americans needs to be mentioned, but younger children should not hear every gory detail.
Once you have determined the content you will teach, invite children to share prior knowledge about Columbus. Then, as appropriate, discuss and share details about Columbus's life and accomplishments.
Science Activities: How People Know the Earth Is Round
- Ask children to sculpt clay Earths. Discuss their creations. Explain that a globe is a model of Earth, which is round, and that Columbus knew he could sail west to reach eastern lands because of Earth's roundness. Use a finger to trace his first route on a globe.
- Share information from How We Learned the Earth Is Round by Patricia Lauber [HarperCollins Publishers, 1992] and information about the round Earth and Columbus.
- For older children, perform an experiment that proves Earth is round. First, show pictures of a lunar eclipse. Then, in a dark room, have a volunteer hold a flashlight "sun" while you hold different objects in the path of the light beam, such as a flat circle, a flat square, a sphere, a cone, and a cube. Turn each object different ways and discuss the shadows it makes. Conclude that a sphere is the only shape that always makes a circular shadow like the one seen on the moon during a lunar eclipse.
Social Studies Activities: How to Use a Map and Compass
- Display a simple world map and discuss how and why people use maps. Provide children with copies of this map and help them trace or draw the routes of Columbus's four voyages.
- Demonstrate how to use a compass. Explain that Columbus and his sailors used a compass on their voyages. Have children practice reading the compass and using it to walk in different directions.
- For older children, draw a map of your classroom. Use masking tape to plot a simple dotted route on the floor for children to follow. Help children use a compass to figure out which direction the route is taking them at each turn and to draw in the route on their maps and write a series of simple directions for it, such as Walk north three steps. Turn left. Walk west one step. and so on.
Art Activity: Make Models of Columbus's Ships
- Look at images of Columbus's ship. Break one of the ships down into simple shapes (sail, body of the boat, mast, etc.) and cut out paper representations of each part. Glue the parts together on a paper background to make a two-dimensional picture of the ship.
- Display your paper ship. Provide children with a sheet of paper covered with outlines of all the ship parts. Have children cut out the pieces and use their observations of your model to color and glue the pieces to create models that copy yours.
- For older children: provide them with images, paper, and glue and challenge them to make ships without having your model to copy.
Columbus Day offers an opportunity to teach not only facts about Columbus, but also cross-curricular content related to exploration and his voyages. Use Columbus as a focus for teaching social studies, science, and art skills.
Renee Carver - Renée Carver has an Elementary Education degree and over ten years of experience writing and editing children's educational products.
