Mapmaking 1.1: PreK/K & Lower Elementary

 Hi everyone,

This semester’s Mapmaking class got off to a great start! We started class by looking at a map of the STL Zoo, and pointing out that:

1. Maps are smaller representations of a bigger place

2. Maps don’t always show every detail of the real place (eg. on the zoo map, there’s only one giraffe, even though the real zoo has multiple giraffes). This info will be handy for understanding and drawing map legends/keys later on.

3. Maps can be useful for showing us how to get somewhere, and where things are.

I then had a big white board flat on the ground, on which I drew a picture of the church parking lot. The kids identified the major structures we needed to include on our map (church building, a couple of picnic tables, the parsonage, the garage, the dumpster, the play set, the seesaw) and each student put a LEGO structure on the correct place on the map. They did an awesome job with this! After everything was put in place, I showed them where I hid some puzzle pieces around the area. Each student got to see a spot on the map and run over to the actual structure and find the puzzle piece. Once all the pieces were found, we put the puzzle together. It revealed a message about a prize, which they all got to share (fruit-flavored Mentos).

After this, the PreK/K class sat and listened to me read “We’re Going on a Bear Hunt.” The focus in this book was on identifying the correct SEQUENCE of the obstacles (grass, river, mud, forest, snowstorm, cave). I drew simple pictures on the white board and the kids got a large piece of paper and some colored paper. They were able to draw their own map of the Bear Hunt, or cut out pictures and glue them on. I overestimated how much cutting everyone would want to do, so some of the glued on pieces were just colored squares. Then they connected the obstacles in the correct sequence.

After the white board map exercise, the LE class got large paper and drew their own 2D maps of the location (using the white board for reference, or talking it through with an adult, or just looking at the actual area) and each student got one piece of candy to hide. Then they showed a partner the map location of the candy and the partner went and found it. The maps they made were really good! We’ll be using the maps in another class, so I kept them. After the 2D map exercise, I read “Going on a Bear Hunt” and the kids had to try to remember the sequence of the obstacles. 

The focus on sequence segues into the homework assignment for next week: identify 3-5 landmarks you see between your house and co-op. Make sure you identify them in the correct sequence. We’ll be using this info for another project next week.

Overall, a great (but hot) first day! 

-Sarah B.