This Yom Ha’atzmaut I wanted to teach my students, and my own little kids, about how diverse the geography of Israel is and this Color by Number Israel Map is a wonderful and simple way to do so!
From the Torah stories our little ones learn, so many of the kids think Israel is one giant desert! It’s great to be able to share with them that Israel has beaches, mountains, deserts, and lakes. The topography of Israel is so different and also functions as a great introduction to talking about the diversity of the people in Israel as well.
Using a map like this Color by Number Israel Map is also a fun way to talk about different locations that take place in the Torah, or that family members and friends have talked about or visited, or that we have talked about in class or in the home for holidays and other activities.
What You’ll Need
- Map of Israel Printable
- Glue
- Different materials that are blue, green, orange and brown. We used blue construction paper
, green dyed rice, orange salt, and brown pinto beans.
, green dyed rice, orange salt, and brown pinto beans.
Putting It Together
1.Print the Map of Israel Printable. If you have heavier paper, like cardstock, that would work better because the glue can weigh down normal printer paper. But if all you have is printer paper, that’s fine too! It’s what we used in the classroom and everyone went home happy.
You could also print out the map on card stock or printer paper, then glue it to thicker paper, like poster board, construction paper or card stock.
2. Walk your students or children through the map of Israel, explaining how diverse Israel is, in topography as well as people. This map can help show that. Help them connect the different numbers with the right color and material to use, especially if they are pre-reading.
3. Have the kiddos glue the different materials to the paper corresponding to the number and color.
Finished & Loving It!
This map is super simple and can be used with whatever materials you have on hand. Using different materials like beans, rice and salt make the whole experience a very sensory-friendly activity. If you don’t have these colored materials, using crayons or markers are just fine!
Using a color-coded map like this one makes explaining the diversity of regions so visual to our little learners. It helps them see the shape of Israel and where all these different places we talk about–the Dead Sea, the Wailing Wall, Tel Aviv–are actually located.
Looking for more resources for Yom Ha’atzmaut? Check out these sites below:
Yom Ha’atzmaut: Israel Independence Day by MyJewishLearning.com
Yom HaAtzmaut History and Customs from ReformJudaism.org
What did you teach your little ones this Yom Ha’atzmaut?
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great for kids to learn
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