If you love waterfalls, Iceland is the place to go! Visiting Iceland a few years ago was our first flight with toddlers. It started out with an unhappy red-eye flight and we remained sleep deprived for the entire week… but it was totally worth it. Iceland, we will be back!
Navigate this page: Missions, Booklists, Science, Cooking, Composer Study, Folk Dance/Music, Art Project/Handicraft, Art Study, Movie, Videos
Mapping it Out
- “Atlas of Animal Adventures”: Puffins in Iceland
- Crayola.com’s Free printable of Iceland’s Flag and Map
- Seterra.com’s Free printable maps of Europe
- Seterra.com’s Free online geography games for Europe
Missions Spotlight
- “Window on the World”: Iceland
- Prayercast.com/Iceland: Prayer Points, Country Summary, Quick Facts
**parents should preview the prayercast.com video for sensitive topics that may not be age appropriate.
Booklists
Introduction to Iceland (these series have been kid approved)
- “Iceland,” by Lisa Owing (Exploring Countries series, grades 2-5)
- “Iceland,” by Alicia Klepeis (Country Profiles series, grades 3-7)
- “Iceland,” by Barbara Somervill (Enchantment of the World series, grades 5+)
Picture Books
- “How the ladies stopped the wind,” by Bruce McMillan
- “The problem with chickens,” by Bruce McMillan
- “In the Hall of the Mountain King,” adapted by Allison Flannery
- “Iceland,” by Einar Már Jónsson and Guillaume Cannat
- “Life on Surtsey: Iceland’s upstart island,” by Loree Griffin Burns
- “Mountains of the world,” by Dieter Braun (section about Iceland)
- “Capitals: visit the world’s capital cities!” by Taraneh Ghajar Jerven (section about Reykjavik)
- “D is for Dala Horse: A Nordic Countries Alphabet,” by Kathy-Jo Wargin
- “Glaciers and Icebergs,” by Jenny Market
Chapter Books
- “Surtsey: the newest place on Earth,” by Kathryn Lasky
- “Night of the Pufflings,” by Bruce McMillan
- “Going Fishing,” by Bruce McMillan
- “Tomfoolery and 13 Yule Lads of Iceland,” by Wendy Nystrom
- NORSE FOLK TALES AND MYTHOLOGY (also listed under Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Denmark)
- “Scandinavian folk & fairy tales: tales from Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland,” edited by Claire Booss
- “Gods and Goddesses of the Ancient Norse,” by Leonard Fisher
- “The adventures of Thor the Thunder God,” retold by Lise Lunge-Larsen
- “You Wouldn’t Want to be a Viking Explorer!” by Andrew Langley
- “Norse Myths: Tales of Odin, Thor, and Loki,” by Kevin Crossley-Holland
- “The Dragon’s Hoard: Stories from the Viking Sagas,” by Lari Don
Science
Volcanoes
- “How does a volcano become an island?” Linda Tagliaferro
- “Volcano rising,” Elizabeth Rusch
- “Volcano explorers,” Pam Rosenberg
- “Diving to a deep-sea volcano,” by Kenneth Mallory
- National Geographic: Iceland’s Volcanic World
Geothermal Energy
- “Geothermal energy: the energy inside our planet,” by Laurie Brearley
- Older kids and adults might enjoy this episode on Netflix, in which Zac travels to an Icelandic power plant and learn about harnessing all that geothermal energy. I’d recommend that parents preview it to determine if their younger kids will like it: “Down to Earth with Zac Efron, Episode 1: Iceland”
The Icelandic Horse
- “Elska,” Catherine Hapka
- “My Horse of the North,” by Bruce McMillan
- “Horses!” by Kathy Wilmore (chapter about Icelandic Horse)
Cooking Icelandic Food with Kids
We had fond memories of eating the Icelandic hotdog from the famous Pylsur stand in Reykjavik, so we tried making it! The kids helped make these skewered “hot dogs.”
Icelandic Pancakes are super thin, like a crepe! I also wanted to make Astarpungar (fried dough) with the kids but they had polished off the raisins, so I have that saved for another day. I remember having them in Iceland and they were amazing. (There are more recipe links and pictures in Recipes by Country: Iceland.)
Composer Study
We listened to the music of Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg during our studies of Iceland, Norway and Sweden. For links to audios for kids, kids books and YouTube videos, visit my page: “Composers: Edvard Grieg.” For ideas of how to do Composer Study, visit my page: “Art and Music.”
Folk Dance and Music of Iceland
- Folk Dance, Rælasyrpa
- The kids just listen to our CD of “Of Monsters and Men” on repeat.
- “Little Talks” by Of Monsters and Men
- Iceland Music and Images by cre8ivmind
Art Project/Handicraft
I taught the kids to needle felt. I still had some raw wool that I had bought on our trip. Maqaroon has a tutorial of how to felt cute animals that we tried to copy.
Art Study
Iceland’s capital, Reykjavik, is the world’s most northernmost capital. It boasts a beautiful church called Hallgrimskirkja, the architecture of which was inspired by Iceland’s basalt columns.
Movie!
I know it is based on Scotland, but we watched “How To Train Your Dragon 2.” In the movie, the Vikings are flying between many islands in the northern part of Europe, some covered with ice…like Iceland!
YouTube Videos
- The Animated History of Iceland
- How to pronounce the Icelandic Alphabet
- Twintease goes to Iceland (our trip to Iceland!)
- Travel Kids, Iceland: Natural Wonders
- Geography Now! Iceland (a fun resource geared towards adults and older kids; I recommend that parents pre-watch before showing to younger kids)
