http://www.nationalgeographic.com/roper2006/question_01.html

I had always yearned to start a collection of something when I was young, and made it my mission to find anything bearing my name.  I wasn’t too successful, so, after taking my first trip overseas, I settled for Coca Cola cans from different countries.  I am happy to say I have a pretty extensive collection of cans from almost every continent, with some of those cans memorializing trips that I have taken (I have been to two continents thus far) and others were momentoes brought back for me by relatives, friends, and some from my fifth grade students.

On TV, I loved watching Laverne and Shirley when I was growing up.  I can always remember exactly what Penny Marshall’s character wore, because her mantra was a cursive L on the left side of her shirt.  I remember it because of my personal connection.  It was basically the closest I every came, minus the magnet I discovered in Virginia Beach when I was 14, to seeing my name anywhere, or on anything except my homework.

These days, you can personalize almost anything, and I believe that is the key to learning success.  While my program is still taking shape, I am predicting that will be the reason Family Mappers succeeds to the level I am estimating. Any time a person can make a connection with something, they are immediately drawn to it, and remember it.  My recent survey has revealed a great deal of information to me about my product, but the number one thing I am excited about is the interest of 20% of the people surveyed in knowing more about my product.  I think it is a great starting number.  I believe that is because they got the idea that their children could make a personal connection to learning more about their lives. They took it personally.

I know, once my site is up, that people will be very interested in investigating what Family Mappers will have to offer them.  It will be the diary of their geographical life and will allow them to make personal connections with what is happening in the world; their world.  People always say “Don’t take things personally,” but I am hoping many people out there take Family Mappers very personally. That will be the key to successful learning.

While National Geographic states that around 68% of 18 – 24 year olds do not know geography well, parents today can change that by continuously teaching their children geography all the time. 

Below are some things that I do for my children ages 3 and 5.  Please read the list, try some ideas, and also submit your suggestions. 

Teaching geography:

1.  Hang a map in an easily accessible location.  Refer to it when discussing trips, events, settings of the stories you are reading.

2.  Have your children look at street signs while you drive or walk to learn the names of streets in your community.  If your child can’t read, point them out as you pass them.  They will get the hang of it.

3.  Talk about your family.  Where do they live?  Have they always lived there?  Where did they live before that?

4. When taking a road trip, bring a laminated map that they can hold.  Search for license plates and place tally marks in states using a dry erase marker.

5.  When taking a trip, map the journey so that children know where they are starting, where they are ending and what direction you will be taking to get there.

6.  Record their trips in a journal.  Discuss:  Where you went, what you saw, who you saw, how long did you stay, how was the weather, and how you spent your time. Make sure to have them list their favorite stops along the way.  Also list the things that made them happy or excited and also mad or sad.

7.  When relatives call from out of state, locate that state on a map. 

8.  Before taking a trip, have your child research that state (or if they are not old enough, research on the computer with them).  Discover what you can do and see once you get there and have them help you choose activities so they have something to look forward to.

9.  Explore http://www.earthcamforkids.com .  This site will help you discover more about where you are going.  Have them determine from what they see the types of clothes they should bring.

Please provide your suggestions on successful ways to teach your children geography!  We would love to post them!

How well do you know geography?  That is the question I used to build Global Interactive Learning’s first website-to-be: Family Mappers.  A lot of people respond that they do not know it well enough.  Were any of you like me when you took your states and capitals test?  You memorized the information, but it all didn’t stay in your memory long enough.  Can you identify all the countries in South America or Africa if you were asked to?  With all the changes to Europe in the past decades, can you name the countries and their locations?

To those who don’t know me, here is my history:

My name is Leigh Goldie, and I am a teacher and a mother of two who has developed an online mapping system for children to map their lives geographically.  I want to make learning geography fun and engaging.  I currently have a patent pending.

Almost 4 years ago, when my daughter was two, I came up with the idea, as she was talking on the phone to her grandma who lives 2,000 miles away.  She wanted her to come over right now and I had to explain to her that she didn’t even live in the same state.  I showed her a map and she was able to make a personal connection to her grandma’s state.  It was my “Aha!” moment, as I had difficulty learning geography in school and my fifth grade students didn’t all grasp it as well as I expected either. 

I sat down and took everything I love, including photography, travel, family, memories, positive advertising, and educational objectives from every subject that kids won’t even realize are present, and turned all of those things into what I know will be an awesome, and worldwide interactive site. 

Tell me your experiences with learning geography.  It can be from when you were in school to now, or when you learned you were traveling for work to a country that you had absolutely no idea where it was located.  I look forward to hearing how geography has affected your life.