Home Geography for Primary Grades · Lesson X · Unit 3: The shape of the land
10. God made them all (poem)
Goal: Your child reads and enjoys the poem and names the things of the earth and sky it mentions, as a start to the lessons on land.
You'll need
- The book open to the poem
- Crayons or colored pencils
- A geography notebook (any notebook kept just for these lessons) and a pencil
What's in the book
The poem "All things bright and beautiful," with a picture of the purple-headed mountain and the river running by. It names flowers, birds, mountains, rivers, sunrise and sunset, stars, trees, sun and fruits, and gives thanks for them.
The lesson, step by step
Read it aloud
Read the poem slowly while your child looks at the picture. It begins:
All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
Many families know it as a hymn; if you do, sing it together.
Find the earth in the poem
Read it again. This time your child listens for things you could find on a map or see outside: mountain, river, garden, greenwood (forest), sun, stars.
The purple-headed mountain,
The river running by,
Look at the picture
Ask: What do you see in the picture? Where is the mountain? Where is the river? Why does the poet say the mountain is purple-headed? (Far-off mountains often look blue or purple.)
Eyes to see
Read the last verse. The poet says we were given eyes to see these things and lips to tell about them. That is exactly what geography is about in this book: looking, and then telling.
Draw
Your child draws a picture with a mountain, a river, trees and a sunset, and labels each one.
Afterwards
Your child may like to learn the first verse by heart.
Tip
This poem is a Christian hymn, and Long includes it as written. Families of other faiths can read it as a poem of thankfulness for the beauty of the earth, or skip to Lesson XI.