Map Skills

Maps are everywhere.  Maps help us find our way through airports, around subway systems, and in locating stores in malls.  In our study of Life and Social Sciences, maps assist us in understanding migration patterns, population studies, changing national boundaries, and in many other ways.

Learning how to follow maps give children the opportunity to navigate in their world with confidence. This was very clear during our introduction to using maps.  During a trip to County Farm Park, last week, the children used the posted maps to navigate their way on a more than 1 mile trail through the park. The children looked at the map to determine where the blue trail started and which directions to turn. They found marker posts along the way that helped them stay on track. 

This week we read My Map Book by Sara Fanelli.  The book is full of colorful maps. Some of the maps are semi-traditional maps of: a bedroom and a neighborhood.  Other maps are less conventional such as: a map of her heart, her dog, and her stomach. The maps inspired the children to make their own maps which are posted on the wall outside our classroom.