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!