Kindergarten Career Day

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09-11-2018 08:36 AM
AshleyBurns
New Contributor

I was asked to do a presentation for some kindergarteners and was wondering if there is something already compiled that is age appropriate?

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3 Replies
CharlieFitzpatrick
Esri Regular Contributor

Hi Ashley, I'd say the key thing to keep in mind with any audience is that they tend to comprehend things in relation to what they already know about, and scaffolding experiences helps (one step, then another). With kindergartners, they know rooms and buildings and outdoors and roads and sidewalks and birds and spiders and such. You can ask them to do things like point to you, point to the door to the room, point to where the closest bathroom is. To add difficulty, ask them to close their eyes and point. Ask them to draw as fast as possible (thus no real detail) what they would see as a spider overhead ... then as a bird flying over the school grounds. Get them to use terms indicating distance (even just nearer/farther), direction (even just "that way"), and scale, based on things they know. Help them recognize symbols ... a circle as a person from overhead, and a large rectangle as a table, and a smaller box with an X in it as a chair ... a map is a representation. For additional ideas, see http://k12.maps.arcgis.com "08.Elementary".

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KevinDunlop
Occasional Contributor III

When I did a GIS Day presentation for a kindergarten class last year, I read Dr. Suess's There's a Map on My Lap book (There's a Map on My Lap!: All About Maps (Cat in the Hat's Learning Library): Tish Rabe, Aristides R... ).    I brought in a map of each type described in the book and as we got to each, I placed that map in the center of the circle and asked the kids to tell me about the map.  I also had ArcMap set up on the projector and we created a map together.  I asked what things should be on the maps then I added each layer as the kids called it out.  Use .lyr files so you can predefined the symbology and export only the data you will use so the draw times are as fast as possible.  Roads, buildings, schools, fire stations, police stations, homes, parks, swimming pools, shopping centers where the main things the kids called out.  The teacher was very good a helping directing their ideas.  I used only the area that was in that school's zone so the kids could see things they knew.  Main thing is to keep it interactive with something they are part of. It was a big hit and the kids had alot of fun.

ShannonWhite1
New Contributor III

There are a few things I have done with GIS and mapping with kindergartners.  

  • I borrowed this activity from a blog with one class I worked with, it is a great activity to build a map of a classroom.  It took a little pre-prep on my part but using giant grid post-it notes and having kids work in groups with help from parent volunteers worked well.  They will not likely be writing so you will need to guide them in this process.  The teacher may have suggestions of how to make this work best for his/her students.
  • Create a large plotted image of their school and a bit of the neighboring area around it.  The bigger the size the better (they tend to like to wiggle and move around the map).    We close our eyes and think like a bird (kind of as Charlie Fitzpatrick mentioned in his suggestion).  Then we talk about what we see and what we don't see (sometimes there are trailers, new playground equipment etc or because they are so literal...buses and cars).  We predict what season it was when the picture was taken. We talk about how long it would take an animal (cat, horse, earthworm to get from one place to another  on the school grounds or in the building -- in relative terms, a long time vs a short time to help them think about scale.  This is also something you can leave with the teacher as decoration for their classroom.
  • Speaking of animals, if you can get them outside and have some time with them one of my favorite activities is to have them use found objects to create a "hiking" trail for an ant that the ant could do during  a relative time frame (set a relative time frame for them so they don't hyperfocus on a big trail). So they use  sticks, leaves, grass blades, etc.  A) it gets them outside B) it allows them to use their imagination C) it's another way of getting them to think about scale -- how far would an ant have to travel.   As a follow-up you can have clipboards and crayons and have them draw a rough map of their hiking trail.  I love to give them a small piece of paper with an ant clipart on it to help the ones that can't imagine a small scale.  So you can print them small on one sheet of paper and then cut out little versions of an ant.  Also it's something you can have them draw if the weather is poor (always have a backup plan)
  • If you created a geoform/survey 123 and sent it to the teacher, she/he may be able to send it out to the parents.  That way you could have a map that you could show the kids themselves on the map.  Don't ask where they live but maybe where they like where do they dream of going on vacation and why (like Disney world, the ocean to visit a dolphin, etc)    Ask for first names and last initial only (in case there are 2 Kim's).  This keeps the data away from the kids house/home and places they visit for safety reasons.  
  • If you want to give them something -- take a look at Gretchen Peterson's City Maps Coloring Book for adults and create a black and white color-able map of their school, neighborhood, town, county or state for them. 
  • Book Suggestions:
    • I love There is a Map on My Lap, that is a solid read for that age group
    •  My Town is another book for that age group
    • Follow That Map! A first book of mapping skills is a good one.  It's a picture book with some interactivity in it.   Your local library can likely get a copy for you if they don't have a copy
    • As the Crow Flies is a fun book where the animals go places and then there is a map of what they saw.  There are birds and rabbits.  you can preview it on amazon.
    • Henry's Map is a cute story about a pig who wants to map where everything is so things don't get lost.
    • My Map Book is a picture book of a lot of different childrens style drawings of different things.  Good to help give elementary kids the types of things that could be mapped (like mapping my day).
    • Mapping Penny's world is another mapping based book if you end up going to a higher elementary classroom. For future reference -- it's one of my favorites.
  • Kids love the idea of Flat Stanley -- but you could have them create their own character based on themselves and have that character take a trip around a map.  Have characters interact (if you have multiple maps that can be put on the floor then the kids can be split up and tell each other stories of where their character is going).
  • And I know others may read this post so I am including a link to a PDF that we used with Volunteers when I worked with 4-H Youth Development in Missouri as the State Science Specialist -- it gives a brief overview of where youth are at Ages and Stages of Youth Development to give some context of that age group when working with them.  

No matter what you do, the kids will enjoy meeting you and learning about what you do!  And they will all have stories and questions to ask at that age. (And be prepared to have the internet not work the day you visit  if you do an online map - if you have a back up plan-- it won't be needed).  Enjoy it!

Shannon

Shannon H. White, PhD

William & Mary

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