A continent box (or bag) is simply a container filled with information and other items that represent a specific region of the world. There are seven different boxes that represent the seven continents: North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania and Antarctica. Continent boxes are an easy Montessori geography lesson and are a fun way for your children to learn more about the world. Depending on what you and your child choose to put in them, they can be an excellent multi-sensory experience.
To get started choose what containers to use, shoe boxes work great. You can paint them any color you want or you can go with traditional colors: South America- Pink, North America- Orange, Europe- Red, Asia- Yellow, Africa- Green, Antarctica- White and Oceania- Brown. Once you and your child have painted and decorated your boxes, you’re ready to get started!
Here are some ideas of things you and your child can find to put in your boxes.
– Pictures of animals from the area
– Maps
– Flags from specific countries
– Pictures of food items
– Pictures of landmarks from the area
You and your child can put whatever you would like in your boxes. The idea is to find items, and talk with your child about each one, to learn about different areas of the world. Most importantly, have fun with your continent boxes!