Websites to support with Geography

Television Broadcaster Websites:

BBC Weather – up to date weather forecasts

Newsround – current affairs

 

Mapping Websites:

DigiMap for Schools - Digimap for Schools is an online mapping service Wigton Moor subscribes to. It is used to provide easy access to a range of current and historical Ordnance Survey maps and aerial photography. Logins can be provided to pupils if needed.

Ordnance Survey - A useful, child friendly website. An introduction for key stage 2 on how maps work and how to interpret them. It includes these 8 sections: starting mapping, symbols, compasses and directions, grid references, understanding scale, measuring distance, relief and contour lines and compass bearings.

Street Map - Search for local street maps by postcode, OS grid reference, place name or street name. Maps are extendable in eight compass directions.

Google Maps - Online mapping site which includes eye level ‘Streetview’

 

Places, Images and Photographs:

Geograph: The Geograph Britain and Ireland project aims to collect geographical photographs and information for every square kilometre of Great Britain and Ireland, and you can be part of it.

Travel Images: Photographic images of countries which can be selected by continent then by country.

 

Virtual Travel:

Kids World Travel Guide: Excellent website: children-friendly, unique ‘Kids World Travel Guide’ for all. It tells you about countries and people and will provide great tips and advice for your family holidays around the world.

Google Arts and Culture: Dreaming of a day out by the sea or a trip to a museum? With Google Arts & Culture Places you can explore the world from the comfort of your sofa (and without the jet lag and plane ride, too!).

 

Geographical Facts and Information:

Primary Homework Help

DK Find Out!

National Geographic Kids

 

Geographical Games:

National Geographic Kids: Fun Geography games and quizzes for children!

Map Zone: Highly recommend! A variety of games, trivia quizzes and help with map skills, plus you can delve into some fascinating topics about the world around you.

World Geography Games: Brain-engaging geography map games: Test and learn countries of the world, capitals, flags, US States, continents, oceans, mountains, rivers, islands, landmarks and much more. You can play in different languages too, if you fancy an even bigger challenge! Games are free to play so you’ll be a geography whizz by the end of the month!

Zoomtastic - A game about learning geography. You have 30 seconds to identify the country in this game! A satellite image with a “zoomed-in” map appears on the screen. As it slowly zooms out, once every three seconds, additional information comes into view, such as the name of a river or town. After 10 seconds, you are given four possible choices from which to choose the correct answer. The novelty of this game draws you in, and it’s a fun way to learn more about the world’s countries, physical feature and bodies of water!

 

Apps to support with Geography:

Geo Challenge App (Android, iPhone, iPad but with in-app purchases and adverts – Age 7+)

Geo Challenge is a fun and challenging world geography quiz game with beautiful graphics and animation to test your geography knowledge of the world. This exciting geography game comes with 4 mini-quiz to test your knowledge in 4 categories: country flags, country borders, major cities of the world and famous landmarks around the world.

GeoBee Challenge by National Geographic (iPad, Android – Age 9+)

The application from National Geographic is targeted at kids around the age of 9-13 years. However, this application is not suitable for beginners as some of the quizzes might be a little challenging. This amazing tool provides an excellent platform for testing the learner’s knowledge of world geography. It also allows them to pinpoint the exact location of various cities in the world.

Map of our World (iPhone, iPad – Age 12+)

‘Maps of our world’ is not only an entertaining educational game but also a valuable reference tool for people of all ages looking to expand their Geography knowledge. In fact, this is the first geography app for the iPad that offers comprehensive physical maps with features like rivers, mountains and deserts of the world!  Upon entry of Our World, you are presented with some interesting facts like the number of countries in the world, the total population and the area of the globe in km squared.  Political map is a plain map where countries are shown by clear and distinct lines. Here you learn where the top countries and cities are located around the world. Physical map is the most challenging. Here you have an image of the world in its natural, geographical state with faint lines separating countries and one has to learn where the top rivers, lakes, seas, mountains and deserts are located. 

Planet Geo  (iPhone, iPad – Age 3+)

Planet Geo - geography App is a game and information app that tests children’s knowledge of many countries, dozens of cities, and UNESCO's World Heritage Sites, in eight language. Children are given the option to play up to 6 interactive games.

Geo Touch: Learn Geography (iPhone, iPad – Age 5+)

Geo Touch: Learn Geography app takes a kinesthetic approach to app learning, players place countries into a map like pieces in a puzzle. Geo Touch is good for learning the countries of the world, but doesn’t have every single country in the world. The quizzes reinforce the new and old info as they are cumulative. The app also allows you to learn capitals and flags of various countries.

Mobo Kids Puzzle World (Android, iPhone, iPad – Age 2+)

Puzzle World is an app designed to help your child with geography. The app has a number of countries to discover each with colourful illustrations and fitting puzzle parts, related to the culture and iconic features. Children learn about national traditions, geography, anthems, country flags and monuments. 

The curriculum content may appear daunting, but don’t panic — you are already an accomplished geographer! Your daily life constantly provides you with rich geographical experiences, information and understanding. You think and act geographically, often without realising it. It comes naturally … as you navigate your way around your home and neighbourhood; as you make sense of local and world news; as you respond to the weather forecast, as you decide on a holiday location and how to get there.

When out and about in your local area, you can help your child geographically by chatting about local physical features, attractions and activities. You might even like to develop this idea by asking them to provide a tourist guide for their local area for visiting relatives.

On a journey, you can share the road map or map phone app with your son or daughter so they can follow the route while you talk about where you are going. Alternatively, ask them to draw a map of their journey to school or the local shop, including any natural or man-made features along the way.

Holidays are an ideal opportunity to compare the location with their home area — you might ask your child to talk through five similarities and differences, for example. Holidays also provide an opportunity for a museum visit or a trip to a tourist attraction.

Closer to home, use anything at your disposal! Magazines, TV, films and even some computer games can provide your child with a view of distant places. They enable your child to be transported instantly to another place. Prompt their thinking with questions, such as: What might the weather be like in this place? Why might the road have been built where it is? The list of questions is endless and will lead to all sorts of discussions which will really help to develop curiosity about, and understanding of, the world.

By the end of Year 6, children will be able to:

Locational knowledge

• Locate the world’s countries, using maps to focus on Europe (including the location of Russia) and North and South America, concentrating on their environmental regions, key physical and human characteristics, countries, and major cities
• Name and locate counties and cities of the United Kingdom, geographical regions and their identifying human and physical characteristics, key topographical features (including hills, mountains, coasts and rivers), and land-use patterns; and understand how some of these aspects have changed over time  
• Identify the position and significance of latitude, longitude, Equator, Northern Hemisphere, Southern Hemisphere, the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, Arctic and Antarctic Circle, the Prime/Greenwich Meridian and time zones (including day and night)

Place knowledge

• Understand geographical similarities and differences through the study of human and physical geography of a region of the United Kingdom, a region in a European country, and a region within North or South America

Human and physical geography

Describe and understand key aspects of:

• Physical geography, including: climate zones, biomes and vegetation belts, rivers, mountains, volcanoes and earthquakes, and the water cycle
• Human geography, including: types of settlement and land use, economic activity including trade links, and the distribution of natural resources including energy, food, minerals and water

Geographical skills and fieldwork

• Use maps, atlases, globes and digital/computer mapping to locate countries and describe features studied
• Use the eight points of a compass, four and six-figure grid references, symbols and key (including the use of Ordnance Survey maps) to build their knowledge of the United Kingdom and the wider world
• Use fieldwork to observe, measure, record and present the human and physical features in the local area using a range of methods, including sketch maps, plans and graphs, and digital technologies.