Yerba Buena kids use big map to explore Africa




SAFARI—Students play a geography game on giant map.

SAFARI—Students play a geography game on giant map.

Students at Yerba Buena Ele mentary School in Agoura Hills recently explored Africa in a big way—with the world’s largest map of the continent.

The map, measuring 35- by-26-feet and weighing 102 pounds, is designed as large board game to introduce students to the power of maps and the diverse geography of Africa.

The map was at Yerba Buena Elementary School from Jan. 3 to 7 as part of National Geographic’s Giant Traveling Maps program, organized by National Geographic Live, the public programming division of the National Geographic Society.

The map’s colored, smooth vinyl surface accurately illustrates Africa’s oceans, seas, rivers, mountains, countries and capitals.

Designed for grades K- 8, the map comes with interactive activities, games, books, videos and music that teach students about the physical characteristics of the continent as well as its history and various cultures.

Working in teams, students marked the equator with ropes. A relay race helped them learn all the countries. Scavenger hunts and safaris introduced them to the continent’s wildlife.

The map was first featured as a standard pull-out map in the September 2005 issue of National Geographic magazine, a special issue devoted entirely to Africa. National Geographic enlarged the map—the biggest one ever created by the Society—for educational tours through National Geographic Live.

Since the introduction of the Africa map in 2006, the program has expanded to include maps of Asia, North America and South America.

In the 2010-2011 school year it is estimated that more than 300,000 students will interact with at least one of the giant maps.

In addition to school visits, the maps appear at National Geographic Live events around the country.

The Giant Traveling Maps also showcase My Wonderful World, a multiyear National Geographic led campaign to improve geographic literacy.

The campaign at mywonderfulworld.org is designed to improve the geographic literacy of young people ages 8 to 17 by motivating parents and educators to make geography more available and accessible in school, at home and in the community.

For more information, go to www.nationalgeographic.com/ giantmaps.


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