Mona MELisa Geography Maps

An Easy Way to Make Geography Lessons “Stick”

How do you teach geography? Like you were taught – with a lot of memorization?

Or are you the homeschooling parent we all aspire to be – the mom (or dad) that spends hours creating maps, labeling, cutting and more, with the goal of making your geography lessons the best lessons ever?

If that’s you – I have some GREAT news for you – you can put down the scissors and glue gun!

Instead of spending hours creating lesson materials that focus on geography, you can use Mona MELisa reusable maps (PEEL, PLAY & LEARN ) to teach geography with little or no prep (I repeat – with little or no prep!).

Mona MELisa Maps

The map pictured above is the Mona MELisa extra-large U.S. map. The company also offers a world map, a map of North America, and/or a map of Central/South America.

You can purchase the maps in a variety of sizes (the mini-sets are great for road schooling, hanging out in the waiting rooms of doctor offices, etc.).

The Materials

As a parent, you’ll appreciate the materials:

• The fabric is cleanable (yah!) – all you need is a little rubbing alcohol
• It’s durable too
• No BPA, lead or PVC in the fabric
• The extra-large maps are really big (the extra-large US map is 29.5″ x 44″ when put together)
• The maps are manufactured in the U.S.

The Mona MELisa U. S. Map Teaches Many Skills

Specifically, the U.S. map teaches:

• State capitals
• State geography
• Map reading
• Compass readings and direction
• Bodies of water recognition and geography
• Mountain range recognition and geography
• U.S. landmarks
• State crops and exports

The maps have bright and colorful graphics which makes them perfect for visual learners.  Kinesthetic learners enjoy touching the pieces and moving them from place to place. And when you add verbal instruction, you can satisfy auditory learners as well. Really, these maps offer something for everyone!

Educational Activities

There are an abundance of educational activities you can do with any or all of the Mona MELisa maps.

With the U.S. map, you can:

1. Play “Name That State” with family and friends.
   What better way to get the whole family together than a game for kids of all ages. You can work in teams or alone to identify states and challenge family members in lightning fast rounds.
2. Use the compass and have children describe where states are in relation to one other.
   Let your kids take turns directing each other around the country by using the directions on the compass. They can walk their fingers from east to west and from north to south looking for the correct state.
3. Guess and reveal state capitals by peeling away the brightly colored shapes.
   The easy to peel states with state capitals hidden underneath provide a great way to ditch the flashcards and make learning a little more fun.
4. Keep track of where you’ve been, where you’re going, and where loved ones are.

Where does Grandma live? Where are you going on your summer vacation? What’s the best way to get there? There are so many ways you can make Mona MELisa maps personal and relatable.

What are Homeschoolers Saying about the Maps?

• I started homeschooling my son. This is great to document all the places that we travel to. My son is really learning his states. It is very durable and so much fun in our homeschool! I highly recommend it to other homeschoolers.   Charlie H
• I bought this for all 3 of my children to use (ages 7, 11, 13) for their geography review in Classical Conversations. This is a great way to learn placement and fun facts about the continents. I would recommend for elementary and middle school children. Jennifer B
• The map added so much to our studies. Adding each sticker was like a reward for studying a particular state or country. I wish there was one for every continent, especially Europe. I would buy them all!   Roberta N

Whether you’re new to homeschooling, or a homeschooling pro –

I encourage you to try out a Mona MELisa map!

Did you like this review? We really enjoyed writing it for you. You can check out our other reviews here: https://howtohomeschool.com/curriculum-reviews