French Polynesia Unit Study | Geography Curriculum & Hands-On Activities for Kids

Discover French Polynesia with our hands-on, literature-based unit study that includes lessons in geography, language arts, science, music, math, and more.

Read and discuss Call It Courage, explore traditional stories from Tales of Polynesia, discover how atolls and coral reefs form, and explore the islands’ landmarks and geographical features through mapwork and notebooking activities.

Along the way, you’ll discover how Polynesian wayfinders navigated across the Pacific, explore the art of tīfaifai, experience the rhythms of Tahitian drumming and movement of ʻOri Tahiti, and bake Tahitian vanilla cupcakes.

✅ What's Included:

• French Polynesia Notebooking Page: Students record important facts, color the national flag, document their favorite discoveries, and draw scenes from French Polynesia’s geography, culture, plants, and wildlife.
• French Polynesia Mapwork Activity: Students will locate major cities, geographical features, and cultural landmarks on an outline map and are encouraged to personalize their maps with illustrations, labels, and symbols that reflect what they’ve learned about the country.
• Literature Study: Follow Mafatu’s story of courage and survival in Polynesia in Armstrong Perry’s Call It Courage and explore traditional stories from Tales of Polynesia: Folktales from Hawaiʻi, New Zealand, Tahiti, and Samoa.
• The Writing Revolution Resources: Build writing skills with sentence-based exercises that connect directly to what students are learning about French Polynesia.
• Atolls & Coral Reefs: Discover how atolls form, explore the relationship between volcanic islands and coral reefs, and complete a guided science notebooking activity.
• Elapsed Time Task Cards: Build real-world math skills by solving elapsed time problems connected to places throughout French Polynesia.
• Polynesian Wayfinding: Discover how skilled Polynesian navigators traveled across vast stretches of the Pacific by observing stars, the sun, winds, ocean swells, clouds, birds, and other clues from nature.
• Music Appreciation: Experience Tahitian drumming and ʻOri Tahiti.
• Creative Arts: Learn about tīfaifai, the distinctive quilting tradition of French Polynesia, and create a symmetrical paper design inspired by plants and flowers.
• Cooking Class: Bake Tahitian vanilla cupcakes while learning about Tahitian vanilla and its connection to the islands.

✅ Bonus Materials:

• Printable Global Explorers Cookbook Page for French Polynesia
• Discover French Polynesia: Bingo Challenge activity sheet
• French Polynesia Unit Overview Sheet
• Access to our optional digital planning tool in Notion
• Plus, more than a dozen extra printable resources, such as book passports, food chain pyramid templates, and more!

Format: Printable PDF + Optional Digital Access

Best For: Homeschoolers, co-ops, enrichment, Montessori continent studies, and classroom geography units

Why Choose Global Explorers?

At the Global Explorers Club, we believe geography should be an adventure and not just a list of places to memorize. Our secular, literature-based unit studies allow children to explore the world through living books, hands-on activities, mapwork, and meaningful cultural experiences. Designed for flexible, family-style learning, each study encourages curiosity, critical thinking, and a deeper appreciation for the people, places, and traditions that make our world unique.