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nnie-the-Pooh and
The Wizard of Oz, contain fanciful maps. These can be
models for children to create and plot their own stories.
* Keep a globe and a map of the United States near the
television and use them to locate places talked about on
television programs, or to follow the travels of your
favorite sports team.
Additional Activities
Children use all of their senses to learn about the world.
Objects that they can touch, see, smell, taste, and hear help
them understand the link between a model and the real thing.
* Put together puzzles of the United States or the world.
Through the placement of the puzzle pieces, children gain
a tactile and visual sense of where one place is located
in relation to others.
* Make a three-dimensional map of your home or neighborhood
using milk cartons for buildings. Draw a map of the block
on a piece of cardboard, then cut up the cartons (or any
other three-dimensional item) and use them to represent
buildings. Use bottle tops or smaller boxes to add
interest to the map, but try to keep the scale
relationships correct.
* Use popular board games like "Game of the States" or "Trip
Around the World" to teach your children about location,
commerce, transportation, and the relationships, among
different countries and areas of the world. Some of these
games are available at public libraries.
* Make paper-mache using strips of old newspaper and a
paste made from flour and water. If children form balls by
wrapping the strips of paper-mache around a balloon, they
will develop a realistic understanding of the difficulties
in making accurate globes. They can also use paper-mache
to make models of hills and valleys.
Place:
Physical and Human Characteristics
Every place has a personality. What makes a place special?
What are the physical and cultural characteristics of your
hometown? Is the soil sandy or rocky? Is the temperature warm
or is it cold? If it has many characteristics, which are the
most distinct?
How do these characteristics affect the people living
there? People change the character of a place. They speak a
particular language, have styles of government and
architecture, and form patterns of business. How have people
shaped the landscapes?
Investigate Your Neighborhood
* Walk around your neighborhood and look at what makes it
unique. Point out differences from and similarities to
other places. Can your children distinguish various types
of homes and shops? Look at the buildings and talk about
their uses. Are there features built to conform with the
weather or topography? Do the shapes of some buildings
indicate how they were used in the past or how they're
used now? These observations help children understand the
character of a place.
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