Lesson 2: Maps of All Kinds

There are many ways of mapping an environment, and you've explored only a few of them in these activities. What other kinds of maps can you imagine? What unique needs would those maps serve?

Think about a route that you or your family travel on a regular basis. This could be the trip from your home to the home of a friend or relative, the route you take to the library, the route you take to a favorite park, or some other regularly traveled route. Find a local road map (you can usually find an inexpensive local road map at a gas station, or you can use an online mapping tool) to identify your usual route. Using the map, plan an alternative route that might save time or mileage, allow you to visit another place along the way (for example, how could you drop off your library books on your way to the park?), or let you try a road you've never taken before. Write out directions for this route using your map and ask a parent if you can take that route sometime just for fun. You can find out more about road maps on pages 33-34 of The Geography Book.