Getting cabin fever while you are waiting for summer vacation? Just because you can't go on a big trip right now doesn't mean you can't plan one for some time in the (hopefully near) future!
We'll plan a whole trip today - make it a day trip or take an entire month.
Books
Let's set the mood for our trip first, with:
9780374301941
You can read a full description and my review here. If you haven't been on many trips away from home, your kids may have some anxiety or questions about what to expect. Pout-Pout Fish's story should help relieve those fears and get them excited about your upcoming adventures!
Now let's take a look at maps in general. This one has some good simple descriptions of map symbols and how they are used, but make sure you take a good look at the 912 section of your local library - that's where you will find all sorts of atlases and map reading materials!
9780375810992
The Cat in the Hat introduces beginning readers to maps–the different kinds (city, state, world, topographic, temperature, terrain, etc.); their formats (flat, globe, atlas, puzzle); the tools we use to read them (symbols, scales, grids, compasses); and funny facts about the places they show us (“Michigan looks like a scarf and a mitten! Louisiana looks like a chair you can sit in!”).
Finally, as we plan our trip, take a look at:
9781579908652
To children, the world can seem huge, filled with exciting places to visit and new things to experience. But how can they start uncovering the many treasures that await them? This fun and informative guidebook—the first in a new series—invites kids to embark on an exhilarating scavenger hunt that opens their eyes to things they’ve never imagined before. And there’s no need to go far or plan a big, expensive vacation to see this great stuff. In fact, some of the places may be quite close to home. They can take a peek at what actually goes on at their parents’ office, experience another culture’s cuisine at an ethnic restaurant, immerse themselves in the beauty of nature at a wildlife preserve, or get the inside scoop on what really happens backstage at the theater…or even in the teacher’s lounge! And the ideas are just general enough to provide a gentle push in the right direction, while allowing young dreamers to use their imagination and fill in the specifics.
In addition to tons of fun facts, lists of little-known sites, and more than 250 color photos, there’s a bonus fold-out map of North America and stickers, so youngsters can mark where they’ve been.
Helping to plan the trip and pick your stops can only build excitement and enthusiasm. Jot down all the things you want to see, then:
Social Studies
Yes, we know, your phone can just tell you where to turn...or can it? Many an Amazon delivery person has found themselves lost in the mountains near where I live, unable to get cell service. Everyone needs to know how to navigate by map!
Grab a road map (or make a photocopy to start out with), and start plotting your course. Take time first to look at the map key and go over what you learned in the books you chose about how to read it. Mark your stops with colored dots, stickers, or mount the map on a foam board and use push pins. Decide how far you want to travel each day, and when and where you want to stop to eat. Now draw out your route, or make a step by step set of directions.
Next step...decide who gets to navigate!
Math
So much math in maps! Work on:
Drawing to Scale - Before you go on your trip, use graph paper to draw out a room in your house and mark where each piece of furniture is. Measure the chosen room first and decide how that should translate to the paper (i.e. two squares = 1 foot?) When might this skill be useful? How about when you are laying tile, and need to figure out how many you need of each size?
Develop the basic understanding that a map can't show things the size they actually are, but the proportions need to be the same. (This is also easily transferred to cooking, see below!) Then transfer this understanding to a map, where an inch, for example, might equal 100 miles.
Measuring, adding and multiplying - Roads on a map are seldom in one straight line. Show kids how to measure each section and add up the parts, then multiply by the number in the key to find the total distance.
Division and averages - Keep track of the miles you travel in between stops for gas, then figure out how many miles per gallon your vehicle is getting. Does the average change when you are in different terrain? On long trips vs around a town with frequent stops?
Money and graphing - not quite using the map, but have the kids keep track of expenses for the trip. Make a graph to show what categories you spent the most on (gas, food, lodging, entry fees, souvenirs, etc.)
Cooking
Okay, so we learned all about proportions, now let's use them to double a recipe! (Ooh, fractions!) Here is one for a single batch of Snickerdoodles - can you double each measurement so that the proportions stay the same? Then bag up the results and bring them on your road trip to snack on! Filling and just a little bit sweet.
Cream:
1 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup butter
Beat in:
2 eggs
Sift together, then stir into sugar mixture:
2 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
Chill for one hour, then roll into 1-inch balls. Roll balls in cinnamon sugar and bake at 350 until just golden brown on the edges. (If dough is still too sticky to roll after chilling, knead in a little more flour).
Science
In your journal (see below), make note of the flora and fauna wherever you go. Even in a short distance, that can change with the altitude or by how heavy the human population. What do you think is different about each area that may cause the changes in nature? Draw or take pictures of new things so you can identify them from books when you get home. (Don't just say it's a lizard or a butterfly - what kind of lizard or butterfly? Can you tell by markings whether it is male or female?)
Take a look at topographical maps and notice how they differ from road maps. What is the purpose of each? Can a topographical map help answer some questions about habitat?
Speaking
Don't just pass through, get to know some locals wherever you stop. Have your kids prepare a list of a few questions to ask people before you even start your trip. Some great open-ended ones might be, "How long have you lived here? What brought you here? Why do you like living here? If someone comes to visit you, what is the first thing you take them to see or do? When is the best time of year to be here?" Teach your kids to ask follow-up questions.
Writing
Write it all down! Keep a journal of your travels (I always think I will remember names, details, feelings, etc., but when there is a lot going on, the details can get lost!) When you get home, put together a little visitor's guide to each place you stop, be it a town or a store or a tourist attraction. Make sure you include information from your interviews!
Art
Don't forget the camera! Let the kids borrow a digital camera or buy them their own - they are pretty inexpensive these days, and can be used in almost every aspect of your home schooling, letting them keep their own records of what they have learned. Let them play around with pictures at first, then take a look at what they have come up with. Where is the eye drawn first in each shot? Can you frame it another way, so that the eye goes to something different? What if you got closer to your subject? Further away?
Photo credit: Christopher, who had not learned how to change the date on his camera yet.
Select some of your best shots to add to your visitor's guide!
Final instructions: be sure to post in the comments about your adventures, so I can travel vicariously through you!
Other Web Sites to Explore
First and foremost, look on the web sites of all the places you want to visit. many are offering virtual tours while kids are stuck at home!
http://amomssparetime.blogspot.com/2015/04/jones-kids-on-loose-day-one.html
https://driving-tests.org/beginner-drivers/reading-a-road-map-lost-art/
http://www.homeschoolingkidsmagazine.com/read-a-roadmap-day-april-5th.html
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