Customer Reviews

Mapmaking with Children: Sense of Place Education for the Elementary Years

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This is a wonderful, well-written book that will be of interest to a wide variety of people--most of whom will unfortunately probably not encounter it--such as parents and homeschoolers and child development professionals and environmental educators, as well as its (presumed by me) targeted audience of classroom teachers. It is the kind of work that uses one subject to explain much about the world, the way we think and use information. It is also a how-to manual on mapmaking with children. I came away from the book with a very clear understanding of several map projects I could do with my children. Because the book first lays the theoretical groundwork for children's understanding of maps, the actual map projects seem intuitive--experiential education at its finest. The author's passion for his subject, and his scholarship come through. There is much information and guidance on what sorts of maps are appropriate for children of different ages to be encouraged to create--from treasure hunts to classroom maps to sophisticated area maps. I am buying copies for my children's teachers!

As a water educator for a local watershed organization, getting the idea of a watershed across to elementary school students can be challenging. This book focuses on kids developmental capacities and how they relate to a place at different ages. Not only perfect for classroom teachers, this book should be on the shelves of every environmental educator.

Sobel does a masterful job at explaining how basic mapmaking is to all of us, including children. He then follows with several age-specific ideas about engaging children in the process of making maps. Ultimately, mapmaking leads to the making of meaning about our place and the world around us. I've done several of these activities with groups of children and my own, and they are always winners.