This week in Forest school we are re-exploring our school grounds.  The children will be noticing the Spring plants that are particular to our woods and are beginning to emerge and mapping where they are.  They will also be completing an orienteering course around school, with clues based on natural and manmade landmarks around the area.

Setting a treasure hunt for someone else is a great way of noticing what is around you.  Perhaps you go on a regular walk, or you could ‘map’ an area of your house or garden.  Draw a map of the place or the journey including the landmarks that you think are most important.  Then leave clues, or ask someone to answer questions about the places your map takes them.  Or you could draw an imaginary map, of a made up world, and write a list of questions about the places for someone else to answer.

One of my favourite literary map makers is EH Shepherd, the illustrator of the Winnie the Pooh stories written by AA Milne, do you recognise this map from any of the books?

Cressida Cowell (author of How to Train Your Dragon and The Wizards of Once) also draws maps of her imagined places…

Here are some illustrated walks and maps of local places- have you been to any of them? Do you recognise any of the local landmarks?

I drew a map of our school grounds for our treasure hunt- can you work out what the different symbols mean?

 

More about map reading with children, if you are interested…   http://https://www.getoutwiththekids.co.uk/family-hiking/teaching-kids-map-reading/

And finally, if you have enjoyed this, ask your adults about finding out more about Geocaching, a worldwide treasure hunt that is EVERYWHERE and for EVERYONE! https://www.geocaching.com/