Africa Unit Study
some contributions by Marilyn were included in these unit studies.
Note: most suitable for primary students, but can be modified
African Countries & African Animals
List all the animals you think come from Africa, a comprehensive list of animals
(with activities) can be found here - and anything students know about them.
There are also videos, activities and pictures of each animal, with related activities
on these pages. Free African themed activity books can be found here, including
Nelson Mandela, Animals, countries, maps, notebooking pages and more.
Write down everything even if you know it is incorrect. You will review this list the
last day to see which information was correct. You can refer back to the list
throughout the unit and answer any questions students may have had at the
beginning. The list should be posted in the classroom where the students can
see it.
Elephants
Hippo Tear art
Zebra
Camel
Cheetahs
paper mask
Rhino
Lion - paper plate mask
Giraffe - draw and watercolour paint
Crocodile - paper puppet
Ostrich
Antelope - importance of as a food source for predators
Monkeys - no tails
Gorilla - endangered species
Bontebok - endangered species
Aardvark - anteater
Bat-Eared Fox - Compare to other foxes
Chimpanzee - compare to monkey or gorilla
Bats - night flyer
Comprehensive list of African Animals with related activities
African animal version of Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
black mamba, green crocodile, yellow giraffe, red hoopoe (bird), brown dassie
(rock hydrax), orange hyena, black rhino, pink flamingo, purple loerie (bird), white
egret, brown impala, black wildebeest, grey elephant, blue guineafowl, red lechwe
(buck), blue crane (the national bird of South Africa), tawny lion, black eagle, tan
kudu, silver gull, white duck, striped zebra, spotted cheetah
Habitat
define and describe things you find there: food, water, shelter in Africa
-savannah
-desert
-river
-jungle
fold paper into 4 squares, draw plants and add animals to their habitats
African Countries
For an A to Z Listing of African Countries with related activities including
crosswords and flash geography puzzles click here
South Africa
Zulu tribe--wall hanging
burlap-yarn
flag and map
different tribes and languages including Afrikaans, English
Angola
Tribes & Languages
Slave Trade
Flag & Map
Nigeria
pisa houses
soda bottles-tape-straw-paint
flag and map
Egypt
hieroglyphics
plaster of paris-milk cartons (takes 2 days)
Egyptian paper beads
flag and map
Kenya
dough animals
Moja Means One
flag and map
Paper Tube Zoo
Students choose their favourite African animal and make a paper tube one using
the patterns found in the book Paper Tube Zoo. Display the zoo on a table. Cages
can be strawberry boxes.
Animals--Lion, monkey, hippo, crocodile, elephant, giraffe
Story--Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain
sequence paper quilt with animals from Africa
Story--Why Mosquitoes Buzz in Peoples Ears
story order
folk story
Story--Learning to Swim in Swaziland by Nila Leigh
This story was written by an eight year old girl.
Safari time
Make binoculars out of toilet paper tubes and yarn. Put the kids chairs in short
rows like they are on a bus and pretend to cruise around and talk about the
animals and plants you see. Have a few kids be different animals. You could
make cameras out of cardboard boxes and pretend to take pictures.
Paper mache mask of favourite African animal
Paper mache calabash (bowl)
3-D animal
Diorama of habitat with animals in shoebox
In the End: An African Party
Students could dress up like their favourite African animal or wear native African
costumes. Check your library for African music. Assign each student to bring one
food dish to share and let the fun begin!
African Recipes
Zaire
Peanut Soup
1 cup peanut butter (smooth style)
2 cups chicken bouillon
1/4 cup chopped onions
1/4 cup chopped tomatoes
red pepper (optional)
Heat bouillon and peanut butter together in a pan slowly, stirring until the peanut
butter is dissolved. Simmer about 10 minutes. Add onions and tomatoes. Simmer
until onions are soft. Pour into bowls and sprinkle sparingly with hot red pepper.
Serves four or enough for samples for 20.
Ghana
Beans and Rice
2 cups rice
1 cup dried white or red kidney beans
water
salt to taste
Cook beans according to the package directions. When firm but thoroughly
cooked, pour out excess water. Add rice, salt and water again according to
package directions. As the rice steams, check it occasionally to see that there is
enough water since the beans, too, will continue to cook and they may both
require more. Add hot water as necessary.
Ghana
Ground Beef
1 lb. ground beef
4 medium sized onions, chopped
garlic, to taste
1 teaspoon red pepper
salt to taste
1 chopped green pepper
1/2 cup cooked flat green beans
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
Heat peanut oil in a pan and fry onions, garlic and peppers for five minutes. Add
beef and brown it. Add tomato sauce and simmer for 20 minutes. Add flat beans
and allow them to heat through. Serve over rice and beans or plain rice.
Ivory Coast
Fried Bananas
4 bananas
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3/4 cup fine crushed Corn Flakes
peanut oil
black pepper
cinnamon and sugar
Cut the bananas into quarters lengthwise and then into halves crosswise, making
8 fingers of each banana. All to stand 10 minutes covered with lemon juice. Role
in crumbs and cook quickly in peanut oil 1/2 inch deep in skillet at 370 degrees
until crispy brown on both sides. Bananas may be sprinkled with pepper and
served as an accompaniment to meat or fish, or sprinkled with sugar and
cinnamon if served as a dessert.
West Africa
Fruit Dessert
1 large pineapple
banana, orange, papaya, etc.
grated coconut
sugar
water
lemon juice
Cut a large pineapple lengthwise and scoop out the flesh. Cut it into cubes, and
add diced portions of other suitable fruits, as desired. Pout over the fruit mixture a
syrup of sugar, water and a little lemon juice. Sprinkle with freshly grated coconut.
Serve chilled.
Egypt
Yansoon
for each cup desired, use the following proportions:
3/4 cup water
1 teaspoon anise seeds
2 teaspoons sugar
Boil the ingredients together for two minutes. Pour through a strainer into cups.
South Africa
Bobotie
1 onion
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 slices bread
1 cup milk
1 lb. ground beef
1 tbsp. curry powder
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1/3 cup raisins
1 tbsp. lemon juice
pinch of salt and pepper
2 eggs
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cut the crusts off the bread, break it into
chunks and soak it in half of the milk. Chop the onion. Heat the oil in a pan, and fry
the onion over a low heat for ten minutes. Add the beef, curry powder, lemon juice,
nuts, raisins, salt, and pepper to the pan. Fry until the meat is brown all over.
Spoon all of it into an ovenproof dish. Beat the eggs with the rest of the milk, and
pour over the mixture. Put it in the oven for 1 1/4 hours. The top of the bobotie
should be set and golden brown.
Baked Bananas
4 large bananas
2 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 tbsp. butter or margarine
Set the oven to 350 degrees F.
Cut the bananas in half lengthwise. Put in an ovenproof dish, with the cut sides
facing up. Melt the butter in a pan over a low heat. Stir in the sugar and the
cinnamon. Pour over the bananas. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for
45 minutes.
Resources
A Trip Around The World, Carson-Dellosa Publishing Company, Inc.
Another Trip Around the World, Carson-Dellosa Publishing Company, Inc.
The Kids' Multicultural Art Book, by Alexandra Terzian
The Kids' Around the World Cookbook, by Deri Robins
The Paper Tube Zoo, by Evan-Moor Corp
You Can Change the World: Learning to Pray for People Around the World, by Jill
Johnstone
some contributions by Marilyn were included in these unit studies.
Note: most suitable for primary students, but can be modified
African Countries & African Animals
List all the animals you think come from Africa, a comprehensive list of animals
(with activities) can be found here - and anything students know about them.
There are also videos, activities and pictures of each animal, with related activities
on these pages. Free African themed activity books can be found here, including
Nelson Mandela, Animals, countries, maps, notebooking pages and more.
Write down everything even if you know it is incorrect. You will review this list the
last day to see which information was correct. You can refer back to the list
throughout the unit and answer any questions students may have had at the
beginning. The list should be posted in the classroom where the students can
see it.
Elephants
- Draw and paint or colour differences between African and Indian elephants.
- African - Big ears, trunk is finger like and can pick up a single blade of
grass, round head, back bends down in the middle, both male and female
have tusks. - Indian - Small ears, trunk wraps around food, bumpy heads, back bends
up in the middle, only males have tusks. - Discuss conservation status of the elephant.
Hippo Tear art
- Discuss the habitat of the hippo.
- Discuss conservation status of the hippo.
- What do hippos eat?
Zebra
- Camouflage - no two zebras have the same stripe pattern just like
people's fingerprints. - Make a herd of zebras out of thumbprints.
- Zebra Paper Art
Camel
- Camels' hump is for fat storage to be used when there is little food or
water. - 2 hump vs. 1 hump
- Bactrian and Dromedary
- Camel Paper Craft
- Discuss Camel Racing
- Discuss conservation status of the camel.
Cheetahs
paper mask
- Discuss the characteristics of the cheetah compared to the lion or leopard.
- Discuss the conservation status of the cheetah.
- Discuss the main habitats of the cheetah.
Rhino
- paper puppet
- Black and White Rhino - compare and draw
Lion - paper plate mask
- 3D Origami Lion
- Compare the African Lion to the Asiatic Lion.
- Compare the Lion to Domestic Cats of the same family.
- Discuss the conservation status of the African Lion and the Asiatic Lion.
What can be done to help? - Discuss the different roles played by the lion and the lioness.
Giraffe - draw and watercolour paint
- Discuss some interesting facts of the giraffe.
- Discuss the habitat of the giraffe.
- Discuss the conservation status of the giraffe.
Crocodile - paper puppet
- Compare the crocodile to the alligator
- Different types of crocodile
- Discuss the different habitats of the giraffe.
- Discuss the conservation status of the giraffe.
Ostrich
- ostrich egg used as bowls
- visit ostrich farm
- compare to Emu of Australia
- Discuss ostrich racing
- story starter "If I had a pet ostrich, I would ______."
Antelope - importance of as a food source for predators
- Discuss the Bontebok, and its conservation status.
- Discuss the habitats of various types of African Antelope.
Monkeys - no tails
Gorilla - endangered species
- Different sub-species of gorilla and their habitats
- Discuss conservation status.
Bontebok - endangered species
- One of many African antelope/buck. Discuss other sub-species, their
habitats and conservation status. - Why is the Bontebok endangered?
Aardvark - anteater
- Discuss the habitat and characteristics of the aardvark
- Discuss the conservation status of the aardvark,
- Discuss the similarities between the aardvark and any other similar
looking animals.
Bat-Eared Fox - Compare to other foxes
Chimpanzee - compare to monkey or gorilla
- Why is the chimpanzee endangered?
- Discuss the habitat of the chimpanzee.
- Discuss Jane Goodall and her role in chimpanzee conservation in Africa.
Bats - night flyer
Comprehensive list of African Animals with related activities
African animal version of Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
black mamba, green crocodile, yellow giraffe, red hoopoe (bird), brown dassie
(rock hydrax), orange hyena, black rhino, pink flamingo, purple loerie (bird), white
egret, brown impala, black wildebeest, grey elephant, blue guineafowl, red lechwe
(buck), blue crane (the national bird of South Africa), tawny lion, black eagle, tan
kudu, silver gull, white duck, striped zebra, spotted cheetah
Habitat
define and describe things you find there: food, water, shelter in Africa
-savannah
-desert
-river
-jungle
fold paper into 4 squares, draw plants and add animals to their habitats
African Countries
For an A to Z Listing of African Countries with related activities including
crosswords and flash geography puzzles click here
South Africa
Zulu tribe--wall hanging
burlap-yarn
flag and map
different tribes and languages including Afrikaans, English
Angola
Tribes & Languages
Slave Trade
Flag & Map
Nigeria
pisa houses
soda bottles-tape-straw-paint
flag and map
Egypt
hieroglyphics
plaster of paris-milk cartons (takes 2 days)
Egyptian paper beads
flag and map
Kenya
dough animals
Moja Means One
flag and map
Paper Tube Zoo
Students choose their favourite African animal and make a paper tube one using
the patterns found in the book Paper Tube Zoo. Display the zoo on a table. Cages
can be strawberry boxes.
Animals--Lion, monkey, hippo, crocodile, elephant, giraffe
Story--Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain
sequence paper quilt with animals from Africa
Story--Why Mosquitoes Buzz in Peoples Ears
story order
folk story
Story--Learning to Swim in Swaziland by Nila Leigh
This story was written by an eight year old girl.
- Story - Anansi Folk Tales and the morals to the stories, mini unit studies
here - African Mask colour paper
- African pattern place mat
- Wodaabe mirror pouch from Niger
- Paper Kufi from Ghana
- Kente paper weaving from the Asante people of Ghana
- Adinkra sponge stamps from Ghana.
Safari time
Make binoculars out of toilet paper tubes and yarn. Put the kids chairs in short
rows like they are on a bus and pretend to cruise around and talk about the
animals and plants you see. Have a few kids be different animals. You could
make cameras out of cardboard boxes and pretend to take pictures.
Paper mache mask of favourite African animal
Paper mache calabash (bowl)
3-D animal
Diorama of habitat with animals in shoebox
In the End: An African Party
Students could dress up like their favourite African animal or wear native African
costumes. Check your library for African music. Assign each student to bring one
food dish to share and let the fun begin!
African Recipes
Zaire
Peanut Soup
1 cup peanut butter (smooth style)
2 cups chicken bouillon
1/4 cup chopped onions
1/4 cup chopped tomatoes
red pepper (optional)
Heat bouillon and peanut butter together in a pan slowly, stirring until the peanut
butter is dissolved. Simmer about 10 minutes. Add onions and tomatoes. Simmer
until onions are soft. Pour into bowls and sprinkle sparingly with hot red pepper.
Serves four or enough for samples for 20.
Ghana
Beans and Rice
2 cups rice
1 cup dried white or red kidney beans
water
salt to taste
Cook beans according to the package directions. When firm but thoroughly
cooked, pour out excess water. Add rice, salt and water again according to
package directions. As the rice steams, check it occasionally to see that there is
enough water since the beans, too, will continue to cook and they may both
require more. Add hot water as necessary.
Ghana
Ground Beef
1 lb. ground beef
4 medium sized onions, chopped
garlic, to taste
1 teaspoon red pepper
salt to taste
1 chopped green pepper
1/2 cup cooked flat green beans
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
Heat peanut oil in a pan and fry onions, garlic and peppers for five minutes. Add
beef and brown it. Add tomato sauce and simmer for 20 minutes. Add flat beans
and allow them to heat through. Serve over rice and beans or plain rice.
Ivory Coast
Fried Bananas
4 bananas
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3/4 cup fine crushed Corn Flakes
peanut oil
black pepper
cinnamon and sugar
Cut the bananas into quarters lengthwise and then into halves crosswise, making
8 fingers of each banana. All to stand 10 minutes covered with lemon juice. Role
in crumbs and cook quickly in peanut oil 1/2 inch deep in skillet at 370 degrees
until crispy brown on both sides. Bananas may be sprinkled with pepper and
served as an accompaniment to meat or fish, or sprinkled with sugar and
cinnamon if served as a dessert.
West Africa
Fruit Dessert
1 large pineapple
banana, orange, papaya, etc.
grated coconut
sugar
water
lemon juice
Cut a large pineapple lengthwise and scoop out the flesh. Cut it into cubes, and
add diced portions of other suitable fruits, as desired. Pout over the fruit mixture a
syrup of sugar, water and a little lemon juice. Sprinkle with freshly grated coconut.
Serve chilled.
Egypt
Yansoon
for each cup desired, use the following proportions:
3/4 cup water
1 teaspoon anise seeds
2 teaspoons sugar
Boil the ingredients together for two minutes. Pour through a strainer into cups.
South Africa
Bobotie
1 onion
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 slices bread
1 cup milk
1 lb. ground beef
1 tbsp. curry powder
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1/3 cup raisins
1 tbsp. lemon juice
pinch of salt and pepper
2 eggs
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cut the crusts off the bread, break it into
chunks and soak it in half of the milk. Chop the onion. Heat the oil in a pan, and fry
the onion over a low heat for ten minutes. Add the beef, curry powder, lemon juice,
nuts, raisins, salt, and pepper to the pan. Fry until the meat is brown all over.
Spoon all of it into an ovenproof dish. Beat the eggs with the rest of the milk, and
pour over the mixture. Put it in the oven for 1 1/4 hours. The top of the bobotie
should be set and golden brown.
Baked Bananas
4 large bananas
2 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 tbsp. butter or margarine
Set the oven to 350 degrees F.
Cut the bananas in half lengthwise. Put in an ovenproof dish, with the cut sides
facing up. Melt the butter in a pan over a low heat. Stir in the sugar and the
cinnamon. Pour over the bananas. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for
45 minutes.
Resources
A Trip Around The World, Carson-Dellosa Publishing Company, Inc.
Another Trip Around the World, Carson-Dellosa Publishing Company, Inc.
The Kids' Multicultural Art Book, by Alexandra Terzian
The Kids' Around the World Cookbook, by Deri Robins
The Paper Tube Zoo, by Evan-Moor Corp
You Can Change the World: Learning to Pray for People Around the World, by Jill
Johnstone
 |
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About
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Africa
Alphabet
Bible
Colour & Activity
Contact
Crafts
Curriculum
Calendar
Dolch Words
Freebies
Gallery
Games
Health
Homeschooling
Kids Fun Pages
Language
Links
Maths
Menus4Moms
Nursery Rhymes
Parents
Phonics
Pre-K
Services
Site Map
South Africa
Spelling
Surfnet Kids
Teens
Themes
WAHM
