My school is fortunate to be located near many museums and cultural landmarks in DC. A few weeks ago we had planned a trip to the Library of Congress to explore their maps department, as part of our Social Studies Geography Unit. However, just before the trip, we found out that the maps wing was going to be under construction and we would not be able to visit. The kiddos were very disappointed; we had been building up to this trip for a few weeks.
Thankfully, the staff person who typically leads this program (the first grade has gone on this same trip for the last few years) offered to bring a few of the resources and materials to our school. I was a little apprehensive, but I think this on-site field experience was possibly even better than the original off-site version! The librarian came to the school in the morning spread out maps on the tables in our multi-purpose room. She was able to deliver her presentation to both of our first grade classes as they sat on the carpet, instead of awkwardly in the hallway of the Library of Congress.
The program focused on how maps can be made on any surface, with any type of image. We got to see maps of houses, neighborhoods, cities, states, countries, and the world. We also saw birds-eye view maps, 3-d relief maps, and color key maps. The classes' favorites were the map on a pillow, the map on the basketball, and the map on a yo-yo.
The kiddos then got to spread out around the room and explore the materials independently, with guidance from the teachers. The little guys' rotated around the room while we offered suggestions and questions to encourage them to look, read, and discover more on the maps.
This field experience is one step in the creation of our own class map of the world. I'll be posting more on that project after Winter Break.
