North America is home to a variety of biomes, each with its unique characteristics and ecosystems. From the frigid tundra of Alaska to the lush rainforests of the Pacific Northwest. From the arid deserts of the Southwest to the grasslands of the Great Plains, there is an incredible diversity of biomes in North America.
Learning about biomes is an important part of early childhood education, as it helps preschoolers understand the natural world around them and their place in it.
By exploring the unique characteristics of each biome, children can learn about the plants and animals that live there, as well as the ways in which humans interact with and impact these environments.
Additionally, teaching children about biomes can help foster a sense of environmental stewardship from an early age. By learning about the importance of conservation and preservation, preschoolers can develop a greater appreciation for the natural world and the need to protect it for future generations. By introducing biomes in a fun and engaging way, teachers and parents can help spark a lifelong love of nature and the environment in young children.
Below, follow the instructions for how to use our North America Biome Map Design File to create a paper biome map for your classroom! And of course you can customize the color, material and size to suit the individual needs of your students.
Step by Step Directions
The below directions will walk you through the step by step process from download to finished product. The steps may vary slightly depending on what type of material you choose to cut on your machine.
Getting Your Images Into Design Space
If you are an experienced Circut user and know how to get the images into Design Space, feel free to move to the next part of the tutorial!
- Download the zip file you purchased.
- Open the location of the download and Extract All
- In the pop up window, click Browse and choose the location on your computer where you want to save the individual layers. Make sure the “Show extracted files when complete” box is checked. Then click Extract. This will pull the layers of the biome map from a zipped file into individual SVG’s in the location you chose.
- Open Cricut Design Space (this should also work with other cutting machines as it is just an SVG file of different layers!) and click on New Project in the upper right hand corner of the home page.
- Once the blank canvas is opened, click on Upload on the left navigation, then Upload Image. Navigate to the location where you saved the map layers and choose the first layer to upload. Click Moderately Complex under image type, then next.
- The image will pop up, Click on the background and Remove Background. Click Apply & Continue.
- Under Select Upload Type click on the left image that says Cut Image. Click Upload. You can also create a “Collection” in the right hand navigation if you plan to upload and cut many different biome maps.
- Now your first layer is uploaded. Do this for the remaining layers. Once all are uploaded, you can move to the next step.
Creating the Biome Map
Once all layers have been uploaded into Design Space, you are ready to start cutting your biome map!
- Add all layers into your canvas. Be sure not to change the size of any individual layers or they won’t fit in with the other layers!
- Customize each layer’s color to match the corresponding biome you are cutting out. To make it easier, I have provided an example of the colors I used for each layer.
- Ensure the file is the right size before moving to the next step. If you need to adjust the size, simply select all of the layers at once and resize them simultaneously. It’s important to resize them as a group to ensure that the final map fits together seamlessly. For my example I am making one that fits on a 12×12 mat so I don’t have to slice anything.
- Once you feel confident in the sizes and colors, click on Make It in the upper right hand corner. You can either cut the paper down to the right size as you go, or cut all of the paper before you start to make the process go more smoothly (and decrease your chances of choosing the wrong color for a biome!) I cut mine to size before starting the “Make It” process and this is what it looks like. I also like to take photos of the colors I am using so I can be sure I use the same colors on my other biome maps for control of error.
- After the cut is done, you should have all of your biome pieces and can start putting them together! The islands are a bit small so I do recommend gluing those to their base as you go so you don’t loose them. The rest you can glue in the below order:
- Base
- Polar: Tundra & Tropical: Dry Broadleaf Forests (the islands)
- Polar: Rock & Ice
- Polar: Taiga
- Temperate: Grasslands
- Tropical: Dry Broadleaf Forests
- Dry: Desert
- Temperate: Coniferous Forests
- Tropical: Coniferous Forests
- Temperate: Broadleaf Mixed Forests
- Tropical: Grasslands
You can see the general progression below. However, I accidentally put the Tropical: Coniferous Forests in after the desert when it should have gone down before. So when looking at the below, the light green at the bottom of the map needs to be placed BEFORE the peach desert.
To purchase this design file, please click on the product below!
