Winter 2020 Newsletter

Geography: Inside & Out

During Week 7 & 8 at Elements, we studied our sense of space through Geography—"an essential part of cognitive, social, and emotional development. A sense of place comes from a feeling of connectedness, be it physical, emotional, or spiritual, to a specific geographic area (Relph 1976). Developing a sense of place through geographic experiences helps build the social and emotional foundation children need and will one day use as adults." (Young Children, 2015, Vol. 70, No. 3)

Nature Lessons

Week 7 - With a focus on Human Geography, our lessons during week 7 allowed the children to think about their connection to the community around them. Teachers set up learning invitations that involved driving cars over maps, drawing maps from the classroom to the library and to home, adding features of a town to the art wall, and adding details to a trail map around Sandywoods. During these lessons we used directional vocabulary, spatial awareness, and even travel time duration.

Week 8 - With the activated knowledge from week 7's Human Geography lessons, we began to study the progression, in terms of scope, of planet, continent, country, state, city, street, and one's home in terms of largest to smallest. The children thought about places they have visited and discussed their means of travel. And there were wonderful conversations of places they plan to visit someday too.

During Week 9, we will continue with geography as we tie in previously taught lessons, such as weather (climate), the water cycle, and tree identification. Click the underlined link above to read how studying human geography helps children "develop geo-literacy skills, become empowered, and see themselves as capable social beings."

Books We Read

• Make Way For Ducklings, by Robert McCloskey

• My Subway Ride, by Paul Dubois Jacobs & Jennifer Swender

• A River Ran Wild, by Lynne Cherry

• Bluebird, by Lindsey Yankey

• I Walk With Vanessa, Kerascoet

Discussion Questions to Ask Your Child

• How are maps useful?

• If you were a bird looking down at our neighborhood, what would you see if you flew over

• How do you think people make maps of their towns?

• What tools might they use?

• How do you think people make maps of the entire Earth?

• What part of the Earth would you like a map of? Why?

• Tell me about the trail that went all away around Sandywoods? Where did you begin? Where did you end? What cool things did you find in the middle?

• Sing me the Continent Song?

Yours Truly, 

Cristy, Rachel, Amy & Erin