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

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

Read Lei and the Fire Goddess, explore traditional stories from Tales of Polynesia, discover how volcanoes formed the Hawaiian Islands, and explore the islands’ landmarks and geographical features through mapwork and notebooking activities.

Along the way, you’ll meet artists Herb Kāne and Solomon Enos, explore hula and mele Hawaii, learn about the traditional Hawaiian sport of heʻe hōlua, discover the sounds of the ʻukulele, prepare sweet butter mochi, and play the traditional strategy game Kōnane.

✅ What's Included:

• Hawaii Notebooking Page: Students record important facts, color the national flag, document their favorite discoveries, and draw scenes from Hawaii’s geography, culture, plants, and wildlife.
• Hawaii 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: Read and discuss Lei and the Fire Goddess by Malia Maunakea and explore traditional Hawaiian stories from Tales of Polynesia: Folktales from Hawaiʻi, New Zealand, Tahiti, and Samoa.
• Circle Round: Listen to several folktales from Hawaii and follow up with guided writing activities based on Judith C. Hochman’s The Writing Revolution method.
• The Writing Revolution Resources: Build writing skills with sentence-based exercises that connect directly to what students are learning about Hawaii.
• Hawaiian Volcanoes: Discover how a volcanic hotspot and the movement of the Pacific Plate formed the Hawaiian Island chain, explore some of Hawaiʻi’s active volcanoes, 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 Hawaii.
• Artist Studies: Meet Herb Kāne and explore how his paintings help tell stories of Hawaiian history and Polynesian voyaging. Then discover contemporary Native Hawaiian artist Solomon Enos and explore how he combines Hawaiian culture, the natural world, and imagination in his work.
• Music Appreciation: Explore mele Hawaiʻi with musician Kalani Peʻa and learn about hula as a Native Hawaiian performing art.
• Cooking Class: Learn how to prepare butter mochi, a chewy Hawaiian local favorite made with sweet rice flour and coconut milk.
• Global Games: Learn to play Kōnane, a Hawaiian strategy game, and discover heʻe hōlua, a traditional Hawaiian sledding practice.

✅ Bonus Materials:

• Printable Global Explorers Cookbook Page for Hawaii
• Discover Hawaii: Bingo Challenge activity sheet
• Hawaii 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.