Montessori knew that children learn through all their senses and the more senses involved in a learning experience, the more the children will retain. Geography materials are made to be handled and felt and are supplemented with listening to music and tasting and smelling food from cultures around the world.

The geography materials help the child learn about the facts of the material world. Working with the sensorial, language and cultural materials related to geography is an important part of the work of a Montessori Primary classroom.

The very young children are introduced early to a sandpaper globe where they can have a visual and tactile experience of the Earth. Other sensorial materials and puzzle maps are used by the children to explore the continents of our world, the countries of each continent, and the states of our own country. They also create key land and water forms such as lake, island, and peninsula.

Geography vocabulary is given both orally and with prepared nomenclature cards that are used by the children as an integrated part of their language work. The children are introduced to the diversity of international cultures by means of stories, songs, celebrations, pictures, and artifacts.

Elementary students are given key lessons on the lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere. These lessons are followed by experiments, classification exercises, and nomenclature work related to each of these areas of study. Students work with Montessori pin maps to explore further the countries, flags, and capitals of the world. They draw outline maps that isolate various physical features and economic resources. They also study time zones. The study of the interdependencies of human beings in society is begun. For example, students learn to trace an item of food from its original source through various stages of production, the flow of goods to the market, and the many people who participate in the process