Maps. Without maps in our ‘schoolroom’ my children would not feel grounded. The maps we have on the walls provide them a constant reference to where they are in relation to what they read and what we talk about. My kids run the the map to check what timezone Aunt lives in or whether her house will be impacted by an incoming storm. They look at the map each time we discuss history to see who lives in that area today. When they were little they even made up games on the world wall map. And yes, they still do…
I have tried many times over the years to move the large world map I hung near our kitchen table when the kids were toddlers, but each time loud protests and small tears ensue.
“No! How will we know where things are if you take that down?”
Atlases are great, but I cannot get either child interested in them. Globes are apparently for spinning, attaching toys to test various principles of physics, and dismantling to investigate how the thing is put together before moving off to the next project.
For my children, life is all about the wall map.
A wonderful, free source for printable wall maps is Owl & Mouse. These wall maps are pretty much any size you can imagine, up to seven feet long (if you are one of those truly lucky people with enough free wall space for a seven foot long map!).
Explore maps with your children if you don’t already, you may be surprised at how it expands their imagination.
