S. Kay Gandy

Western Kentucky University

Children learn their place in the world at an early age

Exploration is the beginning of a child’s understanding of human-environment relationships

Parents and teachers lay foundations for geographic concepts by:

-understanding what is developmentally appropriate

-encouraging playful activities that build skills and knowledge

Geography learning begins at home and can be taught to those as young as 2 & 3

Activities: Use directional terms in everyday language Dress paper dolls for seasons Find places in the news on maps Plan family vacations

Concepts are more memorable if done outdoors Activities:

go on a field trip around the block and reconstruct what was seen and heard

demonstrate how to use a compass or orient a street map

tour school grounds and draw a map representing the landscape

create a grid using pegs and string on the lawn

Activities: Play games like Hokey Pokey, Bingo,

and “Toss the Globe” Read children’s literature that teaches

basic geographic concepts Make models of the Earth using balloons,

paper maché, or grocery bags Build communities with milk cartons

Activities: use compasses, GIS, and GPS to find

location read and interpret images, pictures, and

maps with Google Earth, Topzone, MapQuest, and ESRI websites

use Tom’s Synder’s Neighborhood Map Machine to make 3-D models

Geography is more than studying maps, it allows students the chance: to understand where they come from to explore where they live to explore places surrounding them

As awareness of the world grows, children use geographic skills to feel a connection with: people they have never met places they have never been

Most importantly…GEOGRAPHY MAKES THE WORLD

ALIVE TO STUDENTS!