There are certain kinds of information that youngsters need in
order to function adequately as competent members of
society. One of those areas is geography. Recent
studies, even of college students, show that a
surprising number of high school and college students
have a remarkably poor understanding of geography-even a
reasonable understanding of where major cities and
countries are located in relation to one another.
Where to begin? Start early with a basic investment of
at least four maps that can be hung in your child's
room: a map of the world, the USA, your own state, and
one of your local region. Check with your local library
if you have any difficulty locating the maps you need.
If you are willing to go even one step further, invest
in relief maps. These are particularly helpful when
youngsters hear, for example, information such as "The
Mississippi River basin drains two/thirds of the United
States." By noting the location of the Rocky Mountains
on the western third of the continent and the contours
of the eastern slopes of the United States, the child
can readily see why this fact is true. On such maps it
is also obvious why populations are concentrated more in
some areas of the country than others and why parts of
the country lend themselves more to farming and ranching
than industrialization, as well as the importance of
ports and river ways, and so on.
Once the maps are mounted, identify the four major
points of the compass-north, east, south, and west Make
large, clear labels for these and put them on the maps.
(A note-the top of a map is always north.)
Basic facts about the local area should be taught. Your
child should know adjoining or nearby cities and that
they are "to the east of' or "north of" his city of
residence. With the massive highway connections in this
country, youngsters can "fix" some locations by their
proximity to major thoroughfares.
Virtually a day doesn't pan that some event of
consequence isn't reported from some place on the globe.
These countries and cities can be marked with little
flags.
With many families separated because of jobs and other
factors, a map can be used to show San Francisco where
Aunt Susan fives, or Tallahassee where Uncle Jim fives,
or Washington, DC, where Grandma lives, or Boston where
Cousin Ed works. An effort should be made to give the
child a sense of key spots that can serve as
"anchors"-for example, "Connecticut? That's the state
next to Massachusetts where Cousin Ed works."
Next to the bathroom, the kitchen is the most commonly
used room in the house. Don't overlook placing a large
map on one wall. As news of consequence about problems
in specific parts of the world turmoil, earthquakes,
floods, monsoons, famine, oil-arise, their locations can
be flagged for everyone's benefit.
Every home should have an Atlas of fairly recent
date-one that, like a dictionary, isn't stored on a
shelf collecting dust but is used for frequent
reference. An atlas makes a noteworthy birthday or
holiday gift. In addition to the locations of countries
and cities, a tremendous amount of other important
information is given-products, resources, populations,
languages spoken, and so on.
If your child really gets turned on to maps, introduce
the concept of "scale. " Every map has a scale that
shows how many inches equal a mile. The smaller the map,
the more miles will be squeezed into an inch. Get out a
ruler when figuring distance and ask your child to
determine the approximate number of miles from one place
to another. This activity can take on added meaning if
the family is planning a trip, and the number of miles
involved is important. (If you really want to get your
child involved and interested, tell him how many miles
to the gallon your car uses in highway travel. See if he
can figure out the number of gallons of gas that will be
needed for the trip. He can then multiply that figure by
the price of a gallon of gas to estimate the cost of the
trip.)
Make good use of your local area map. What are spots of
interest to your child-places he knows or likes to go,
such as the football field, the city hall, the city
park, the zoo, the sports arena, the civic center? Mark
these with "flags" to relate them to "Flag #1" (your
home).
If time permits (and often it doesn't in busy households
in the morning families prepare for school and work) the
morning news shows on the major television stations show
a considerable number of news, political and weather
drawings and maps. Just from repetition alone, a certain
amount of geographical information will "stick" aside
from the other valuable and timely information.
There are puzzles of maps of the United States and the
world that add yet another dimension to becoming
familiar with our country and world. These range from
very simple to complex and should be selected based on
the child's current ran & of knowledge-too easy would be
insulting; too difficult would be frustrating. If a
puzzle of a map at the proper level cannot be found, it
is possible to make one at home by mounting a map on a
stiff piece of cardboard and cutting it into puzzle
pieces. (This is something a brother or sister might
make to give the child as an inexpensive birthday or
holiday gift.) In some commercial maps of the United
States and the world, the actual shape of the state or
country forms the pieces. This is an excellent way for
the child to learn the size and shape of his own state
and country and how they relate in size to other states
and other countries.
Just memorizing states and their capitals doesn't teach
geography. Such information has to be linked into other
facts-facts that have special meaning for the child. For
example, knowing and locating the home cities of the
major football and baseball teams or places of general
interest, such as Philadelphia (home of the Liberty
Bell), Boston (the Boston Tea Party), New York (Statue
of Liberty), Hollywood (where motion pictures are made),
et cetera.
Before taking a family outing or trip, lay out the route
on a map. "Let's take U.S. Highway 101 south from San
Francisco to San Jose. Then we'll take Highway 17 to
Santa Cruz and be at the beach." Let your child be the
"map keeper" with the responsibility of watching road
signs as the trip is made.
One thing all youngsters should do, either as a
government class project or with the family, is to visit
their own state capital and arrange to visit legislative
sessions-and to contact in advance their local state
representatives. This is one sure way that they will
team and remember the name of their state capital and
its location relative to other cities. But a trip to the
state capital should involve a bit of advance study.
Along the way, whether it is by car, train, or bus--or
even airplane--certain key spots (rivers, historical
locations, and cities) will have to be passed. Knowing
these in advance will "lock in" additional geographical
information.
On a family outing, keep a record of mileage and time so
that your child understands the distance involved. If
you are taking a trip that might involve more than an
hour, record the starting and ending mileage.
A great source of geographical information that is
bright, colorful, and well designed is any local Chamber
of Commerce. A phone call or letter requesting printed
materials will unfailingly bring a response. Another
source is your local travel agency whose representatives
will be glad to share their information brochures.
Almost every major airline has a fine magazine tucked
into the pocket in front of the seat. These publications
are a treasure of geographical information, including
maps that show air routes. If a family member or a
friend is scheduled to make an air trip, ask that person
to bring back one of these magazines.
Another valuable resource is an automobile club. If you
or a family member or a friend is a member, check out
their ample supply of maps, both local and otherwise.
Such clubs will also provide "strip maps" with routes
plotted which are models of clarity and will interest
and fascinate the child.
While knowledge of the locations of various places
around the globe is almost second nature to most adults
it can occasionally be perplexing and confusing to
children. Stimulating talk about the news and why, for
example, an early frost in Brazil will raise the price
of coffee, or how difficulties in the Middle East can
affect the price of oil, or why a strike in the
automobile industry in Michigan may affect the cost of
can will, little by little, help youngsters get a better
grasp and sense of geography.
