National Geographic Societys Giant Map of North America

1
National Geographic SocietysGiant Map of North
America

• Visit to Colorado Springs
• September 2009

2
Teachers at West Middle School
3
Students at West Middle School experience People
on the Move
4
Children at the Pikes Peak YMCAs after-school
program explore the map
5
Comments from Brian Kates,Facility Director
On behalf of the staff, volunteers, children and
families who were involved in various capacities
with the coordination and implementation of the
traveling map, I want to thank you and all
associated with this project for allowing us the
opportunity to play host over the weekend. We at
the community center are always lookingfor
unique ways to provide an educational, social and
physical experience to our customers and this map
successfully met all three objectives. This was
truly an, "If you build it, they will come" type
of project. My own son, who is 5 years old,
expressed to me that of all the venues at our
block party - food, inflatable slide and obstacle
course, dunk tank, music - his favorite was the
map. Another testimonial that I heard was of a
child walking on the Canadian portion of the map
when he stumbled upon called "Pickle Island". I
think you can guess where the conversation
quickly traveled at that point. The intrigue and
uniqueness of this exhibit is what I think
ultimately brought in the crowd.
6
Whole families at theSand Creek Library explored
North America with middle school teacher Barbara
Fletcher
7
Finding state capitals at the Sand Creek Library
8
Checking the course of the Mississippi River
9
Rolling the giant die atGalileo School of Math
and Science
10
Students eager to explore at Remington Elementary
School
11
Check out the suspended globe at Remington
Elementary School!
12

• Remington Elementary had a National Geographic
  Giant Map of North America come to the campus
  for a two day visit.  This was because of the
  support from the Colorado Geographic Alliance _at_
  UCCS and their fine coordinators Steve Jennings
  and Rebecca Theobald.  A BIG Thank you! to them
  for including D-49 and Remington / Patriot
  Learning Center. UCCS transported the map and
  assured us all of the resources and materials
  were available and ready for use. 
• A special thanks to Jodi Fletcher for her
  support coming out to Remington and Patriot.  She
  worked with students and teachers as they covered
  many map skills generated from grade level
  standards.
• All students and teachers had a wonderful and
  unique experience with the map.
• Sincerely,
• Mark Brown, Principal
• Remington Elementary, Colorado Springs, Colorado

13
Patriot Learning Center, Falcon, Colorado
14
Members of the COGA Steering Committee
investigate the Giant Map following their
September 19, 2009 meeting at the Fountain Branch
Library
15
Home-schooling families explore the globe in
Fountain
16

• Our students loved the activities and the map.
  They were actually engaged in seeing the places
  they were learning about on a much larger scale.
  We are anxious for the next map to visit Carmel!
• Sarah Krider, Geography Teacher

17

• Thanks for the chance to be a map minder of the
  Giant Map of North America at the Meadows Park
  Community Center this afternoon.  The map took up
  most of the floor space of the gym at the center,
  and was one of the activities for a neighborhood
  festival held there today.  I was pleased with
  how well the kids who visited understood how to
  interact with the map, and how many different
  ideas could be brought to play.  And play they
  did!  No one seems to think of Geography as a
  "school" activity when you are in your
  stocking-feet on a giant map.  While the appeal
  of physical geography is that the features appear
  on the map (lakes, mountains, landform features,
  states and capitals), with smaller groups or
  older kids, we could ask more thoughtful
  questions.  "Why is Hawaii way over there?  What
  does it mean that mapmakers have to compromise?" 
  Of course, the reason it was such fun for me is
  that it was fun for the kids.  I mean, when a
  five-year-old at a festival that includes a
  bounce-castle and cupcakes says the best thing he
  did there was play on the giant map, you really
  have something!
• - Chuck Theobald, Community Volunteer Map Minder

18
Learning about geography is appropriate for all
age groups!