Globe Trotters
Expand your child’s knowledge of world geography.
In 1987, Congress established National Geographic Awareness Week. Since then, every November children across the country devote a week of classroom time to this important topic.
This year, National Geographic Awareness will be held from Nov. 15–21. Students will spend a week learning about the customs, languages and geographical features that lie between the Arctic Ocean and the area of South America’s Tierra del Fuego.
However, there is no reason why children can’t celebrate geography year-round.
Knowledge of geography is an essential part of a well-rounded education. An understanding of geography helps students make sense of the world. They may gain insights as to how people interact with each other and why. They may learn how one nation’s climate and mountainous regions affect the nation’s political system. They may learn how and why the issues of global warming affect us all.
In short, geography is one of the fundamental subjects that help children become well-informed adults. In addition to helping your child with classroom lessons on geography, there are steps you can take to help your child master many basic geographical concepts.
Subscribe to National Geographic Kids.
“National Geographic Kids” magazine is devoted to helping children and adolescents explore the world of geography. Each issue helps children learn about a new region of the world using maps, brightly colors pictures and text designed specifically for their understanding. “National Geographic Kids” is also available at many libraries and schools.
Pick out a region and explore it for a month.
Is your child learning French? Bring home maps of France, study the area’s chateaux; plot trips Dijon and the French Alps; then go out and have lunch at a French restaurant in your area. Steps like this may lead your child to a lifelong love of an specific region in the world, an interest that may help him become a tour guide, chef, translator or diplomat.
Participate in the National Geographic Bee.
The National Geographic Bee is an annual contest sponsored by “National Geographic Magazine.” Students from fourth to eight grades participate in local contests designed to test their knowledge of world geography. Students progress from local bees to state championships to a national contest. Over five million children participate each year. The National Bee has both a written and oral component during which students must answer questions quickly. In recent years, the contest has been televised.
This past year’s host was famed television Jeopardy host Alex Trebeck. The winning question was, ”Timis County shares its name with a tributary of the Danube and is located in the western part of which European country?” The answer (for the less-geographically aware) is Romania.
Help your child find a pen pal.
With the advent of the internet this process is easier than ever. Children may communicate with their pen pals by old-fashioned snail mail, e-mail or even low-cost international phone calls. Students may want to focus their letters on a description of their home life such as where they live, what they eat and what they wear, and how they spend their free time. A good place online to find pen pals is www.interpals.net.
Explore your personal history.
Nearly all Americans have ancestors or living relatives who arrived in America from another country. Have your child talk to her grandmother or great aunt and find out her family’s origins. Look up all that you can about your country or countries of origin. Plot an imaginary trip there. Create a collage of items from the region such as pictures and family mementos. Find out what the native dress is and design one of your own. Visit a local ethnic market and cook your family dishes from the specific region.
Read a daily international newspaper.
The Miami Herald and the New York Times are great sources of international news. Both can even be found online. Have your children follow news of a specific country such as China or India on a weekly basis. Clip on stories that you find and write up a report at the end of the month.
Get involved.
Activism should begin at an early age and does not necessarily involve raising money. Help your child understand that not all people have access to the same resources as many Americans. Many may not have all necessary immunizations or may not always get enough calories for optimum nutrition.
Have your child explore ways they can help others online. Check out nonprofit Web sites such as www.freerice.com (where children and adults can learn new words and donate grains of rice) and www.givevaccines.org (where children and adults can help fund desperately needed vaccinations).
There are other ways to show your children how to get involved as well.
Donate money.
Children can directly help fund lifesaving initiatives to other children around the world. Ask your child to donate a small amount of pocket money each week to an organization such as Heifer International.
Heifer International is a non profit organization that donates plants and animals to economically disadvantaged families worldwide. Students may help by donating their pocket money to purchase livestock such as a chicken, goat, rabbit, pig or cow that can help feed another family in rural villages. They can learn about the customs and traditions of the people they are helping. The organization emphasizes self-sufficiency, small scale giving and agricultural education. As little as twenty dollars can help change someone’s life forever.
Help your children learn about the world. The world, as well as your children, will be better for it.
Today's Parent Wire Service photo
Geographical knowledge is an essential part of a well-rounded education.
