Hands-On Map and Globe Activities

Activities from Michaelis (1998) "Social Studies for Children" and Pate (1996) Social Studies: Applications for a New Century"
Recipes

---

Types of Maps

• Cover outline maps with clay.
• Highlight landforms such as valleys and hills.
• Trace rivers with ink, paint or pencil.
• Use tooth picks to make minature cities, parks, forts,camps, trees, etc

• Layer paper mache over an outline map.
• Build up hills and mountains for a relief effect.
• Form waterways.
• Make sure that the map dries and paint.

• Use state, country, or world map.
• Make an outline from a copy of a map on a piece of cardboard
• Make dough and place it on the map.
• Allow at least 24 hours for the dough to dry.
• Paint map.

• Have students trace a map on a piece of construction paper.
• Have them glue yarn onto the outline.

• 1 cup salt
• water
• 1cup plain flour

Mix equal parts of salt and flour with enough water to ensure a plastic consistency. The mixture can be placed on a map that is outlined on cardboard. Let dry. Use food coloring or tempera paint to paint in rivers. and land area.

• 3 cups plain flour
• 1 cup salt
• water

Mix together three cups flour and one cup salt. Stir and knead these materials together. Add water gradually until the mixture has the consistency of dough. Paint after throughly dry.

Papier-mache

Tear twenty to twenty-five newspaper sheets (or paper towels) into fsmall strips. Let soak for 24 hours. Knead the soaked paper by rubbing it over a washboard. Add wheat paste (or 4 cups of flour and 2 cups of salt) until mixture is of the same consistency as modeling clay. Construct landforms such as mountains, plateaus, and hills using the papier-mache mixture on the surface. Allow three to six days to dry before painting.

Paste and paper

Tear paper towels or newspapers into small strips . Put paste on one piece at a time, and stick it on the map outline. Create plateaus, hills and valleys or other land forms. Let dry and paint.

Sock Puppets

Materials

• socks
• needle and thread
• decorative material (buttons, yarn)

Take an old sock. Sew on buttons, yarn, or other materials to fit the situation.  back to top