I am always trying to find new ways to interact with my son and make our time together fun, interesting and educational. This type of interaction does not come natural to me, and I am always struggling to find activities that interest him and allows me to use my natural talents.

I hope that other parents can find some inspiration from these posts as other bloggers have inspired me.

"Young Cartographers" Activities

Objectives

1) Choose a location that is well known to you and your children, then have the child or children draw, colour and label the map.

2) Let them use their imagination to populate the map with drawings, figures and stickers.

3) Create a map that can be used both as a play set and a stage for storytelling.

4) Draw on a child's visual and creative abilities to discuss the importance of the points of interest on the map.

Skills Used

Map creation uses many skills including spatial relation, memory, and interpretation.

Choose a location for your map

The location should be a place that your child recognizes and is able to visualize.

Examples of these can include your home, a park, zoo, safari, school or neighbourhood.

Remember to ask your child questions as you move through the map, such as:

1. What animal lives here?

2. What is the colour of that house?

3. Which room is your playroom?

Supplies

Paper Base

The first thing that you are going to need is a large piece of white paper.

You will want to use a heavier stock of paper, so that it stays flat on the ground. Thicker stock also increases the amount of wear and tear the map can sustain over time.

An arts and crafts store will have a large collection of bristol board or form core for you to choose from.

If you do not have thick enough paper, you can use a child's table as a base and tape the paper to the table as you create your map.

Tips:

You might want to use smaller squares and draw a road that connects the pieces together. Then you can have every child create their own map. Once everyone is done, the squares can be reconnected to make one large map.

Toys

If you plan to use the map as a play set, you will want to base the size of the roads, pathways and buildings on the size of the toys you plan to use on the map.

· Zoo -- large enough to place animals in habitats

· Streets - Large enough to drive toy cars around

· House - Large enough to place furniture and figures

Felt - Multiple colours

You can eliminate the colouring of large areas of the map if you use fabric coverings.

It adds texture to the map and can highlight green spaces, water ways and sand.

Stickers

Stickers are a great way to quickly decorate a map and fill in gaps. Younger children may find this the best part of the activity and secure their wavering attention span.

You can add favourite cartoon characters, messages, and animals to a map.

Coloring Material

Base the colouring material on the competence, attention span and age of your child.

Thin Markers and Pencil Crayons are great for tracing and outlining. Larger crayons or thick markers have the benefit of covering large areas in a short amount of time and offers consistent coverage.

Paint is a great choice because it can give a map a nice depth and texture. But, it is messy and less precise than crayons or markers.

Advanced Materials

1) Modeling Clay and Play-doh - You can use this material to create mountains, hills, and other three-dimensional objects on the map.

2) Glitter Glue or Coloured Sand - To add texture and make a map a little more realistic.

3) Sticky Tack - A great way to temporarily glue pieces to the board as you are building the map or using it as a play set.

4) Pebbles and sea shells.

The best part of this activity is that it can be as simple or as complicated as you would like it to be and will be a great keep sake as it represents an important place for both you and your child.