Christopher Columbus Unit Study Resources

Whether you are celebrating Columbus Day or you are studying Early American explorers, you are sure to find some great resources in this list! I have gathered the best Christopher Columbus books, lesson plans, and activities I could find all together in one place.

History is my favorite subject. I love teaching History to my kids and I love learning about History on my own. History is the “story” of men and women that have gone before us. It is the story of how God has been working in relationship with man since the beginning of time. It is exciting to make history come alive to my kids and to help them learn from the people who lived long ago! The people we know the most about are the ones who were brave and courageous, who did things that changed the world. These are the ones who bravely forged on when others thought they were crazy. The explorers who faced unknown dangers and went anyway.

One of America’s most famous explorers is Christopher Columbus, and since next week is Columbus Day, I wanted to share my favorite books, resources, and activities for a Hands On History Unit about Christopher Columbus.

Just a note: I understand that Christoper Columbus did not treat the native Americans very well. This is a discussion I will have with my kids as they get older. I still think we can learn from this historical figure and not focus only on his shortcomings.

Christopher Columbus Books:

Books in the Public Domain:

 Lower Elementary:

Upper Elementary:

Middle School:

Unit Studies and Lesson Plans:

Christopher Columbus Unit Study from Learning with My Boys – I just came across this blog, and she has a great unit study for elementary students based on the D’aulaire book.Click on each day to see the activities, reading and discussion questions for that day.

Columbus Unit from Royal Baloo – A great printable pack for PreK – 3rd grade.

High School Unit Study: The World of Columbus and Sons – Tina has so many great unit studies, and I have linked to her blog before. But if you have a middle school or High school student, this series will give you lots of printables to go along with your study on Columbus.

Crafts and Activities:

Columbus’ Voyage: Map and Ships – This is a great geography lesson from Enchanted Learning. Create the map and build three ships to trace the voyage route.

Columbus Map and Letter – This cute creative writing activity is perfect for the younger kiddos!

22 Columbus Day Crafts – A great roundup of crafts for Columbus Day!

Make your own compass – This unit is a perfect time to learn about longitude and latitude and how a compass works. Then when you are done, learn the science behind why a compass works by making your own.

Christopher Columbus – Who was he? – This page has some really great activities for Columbus Day… and a couple of freebies!

Columbus Day Writing Prompts and Coloring Pages – These writing prompt pages are great for up to 3rd grade. Really cute!

Now it’s time for the What to Read Wednesday Link-up!

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Our hosts will share a themed selection of our favorite books each week.

This list has our book themes for 2016, but you don’t have to stick to that to link up–any family-friendly posts are welcome. So, come on! Join in the fun!

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