What is a Map? And when did you use a route map lastly? oh, and what does math has to do with maps? Well, lets see.
Long long ago, actually not so long ago, before the google map and GPS we still travelled.👍
We found our way through, in unknown places and yes People discovered places...
The most important tools which we used were The Sun, Moon and the Stars and of course the Cardinal Directions (East, West, North and South). Simple right!.
Focus Points
This is a beautiful concept to develop the observational skills among children. I always use the “count and recollect the objects game” for kids. In this game a specific number of things (say 20) are displayed in a room. Kids can observe the object for 10mts and to list them down in a paper, without seeing. Well, one must be conscious about their surrounding right! Now in this concept, you do not just list them down. You draw them out!!! Excellent.
Age old traditions use nature as relative constant. The Sun, The Moon and Yes “The Pole Star”, which has been the sailors’ compass to reach shores safely (That is opportunity for an interesting narration/story). Where is the north of your classroom and how would you identify that? Once you have done that you can draw the floor map of your classroom, then your school, your community, state, country and what not! But if you do a map without marking your north, what can go wrong?
Ok, I got my North right. Its time to put down things in paper. There are different things here. Like the door which is bigger than the window. The benches and chairs and things big and small. How does my eyes perceive them? How can I help other see this in a drawing? Yup get your creative skills do the task. There is no right or wrong, good or bad… just the intention to communicate through picture. Imagine you are helping a new student to navigate your class, now the challenge is you should do this only through drawings.
It’s a drawing right, so we put down biiiiiiiiiiiiiiig spaces (I mean length and breadth) in small paper. But be careful with which one should be long/short… have you ever thought, Why are rooms invariably rectangular spaces? (Golden Ratio)
So, Did you discover the “Still Life Artist” in you today?
The key factors to logically approach a destination in the shortest possible time (yup the math of movement) lies in positioning things relatively, with symbols for reference. When kids are taught with these two factors and use natural reference, we are teaching them a survival skill.
Key points to focus
1. Compass rose/Cardinal directions (East, West, North and South)
The figure used to represent the orientation of the cardinal directions, in a map. It can be as simple as just an arrow marking the North, or a elaborate one like this giving all the eight directions. Without a compass rose, your map will not be valid.
Doing a class activity on map symbols will be fun. Visualisation is a very important skill to understand the language of Nature.
Food for Thought!!!
Indian topography is very ancient. The main sources of ancient Indian geographical works are the Vaidikas, the Ramayana, the Mahabharata, the work of Buddhists, Jains and the Puranas.
The rishis of Rigveda initially formulated the principle of four directions, i.e., Purva (east), Paschima (west), Uttar (north) and Dakshina (south).
By adding Zenith (Meru) and Nadir (Badavanala), it was raised to six. Afterwards eight and ten directions are frequently mentioned in the Puranic literature.
Long long ago, actually not so long ago, before the google map and GPS we still travelled.👍
We found our way through, in unknown places and yes People discovered places...
The most important tools which we used were The Sun, Moon and the Stars and of course the Cardinal Directions (East, West, North and South). Simple right!.
Focus Points
·
Visualizing objects/space and representing them in a paper
This is a beautiful concept to develop the observational skills among children. I always use the “count and recollect the objects game” for kids. In this game a specific number of things (say 20) are displayed in a room. Kids can observe the object for 10mts and to list them down in a paper, without seeing. Well, one must be conscious about their surrounding right! Now in this concept, you do not just list them down. You draw them out!!! Excellent.
·
Orientation – Relative position of objects in space w.r.t cardinal
directions
Age old traditions use nature as relative constant. The Sun, The Moon and Yes “The Pole Star”, which has been the sailors’ compass to reach shores safely (That is opportunity for an interesting narration/story). Where is the north of your classroom and how would you identify that? Once you have done that you can draw the floor map of your classroom, then your school, your community, state, country and what not! But if you do a map without marking your north, what can go wrong?
·
Idea of dimensions (representing big/small objects in picture)
Ok, I got my North right. Its time to put down things in paper. There are different things here. Like the door which is bigger than the window. The benches and chairs and things big and small. How does my eyes perceive them? How can I help other see this in a drawing? Yup get your creative skills do the task. There is no right or wrong, good or bad… just the intention to communicate through picture. Imagine you are helping a new student to navigate your class, now the challenge is you should do this only through drawings.
·
Idea of distance (and scale)
It’s a drawing right, so we put down biiiiiiiiiiiiiiig spaces (I mean length and breadth) in small paper. But be careful with which one should be long/short… have you ever thought, Why are rooms invariably rectangular spaces? (Golden Ratio)
So, Did you discover the “Still Life Artist” in you today?
The key factors to logically approach a destination in the shortest possible time (yup the math of movement) lies in positioning things relatively, with symbols for reference. When kids are taught with these two factors and use natural reference, we are teaching them a survival skill.
Key points to focus
1. Compass rose/Cardinal directions (East, West, North and South)
The figure used to represent the orientation of the cardinal directions, in a map. It can be as simple as just an arrow marking the North, or a elaborate one like this giving all the eight directions. Without a compass rose, your map will not be valid.
2. Symbols (Pictorial representation of Physical Landmarks)
3. Map Key or Legend (helps to understand the map)
(https://clipground.com/images/key-mapping-clipart-3.jpg)
Doing a class activity on map symbols will be fun. Visualisation is a very important skill to understand the language of Nature.
Food for Thought!!!
Indian topography is very ancient. The main sources of ancient Indian geographical works are the Vaidikas, the Ramayana, the Mahabharata, the work of Buddhists, Jains and the Puranas.
The rishis of Rigveda initially formulated the principle of four directions, i.e., Purva (east), Paschima (west), Uttar (north) and Dakshina (south).
By adding Zenith (Meru) and Nadir (Badavanala), it was raised to six. Afterwards eight and ten directions are frequently mentioned in the Puranic literature.
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