Did you know that there are people in the world who’s job is to create maps; maps of cities, countries, parks, and more? The science or practice of creating maps is called cartography, and it can be a fascinating way to look at our world.
If cartography is something that’s interesting to you, check out these links and resources to find out more.
Books
Maps and Globes by Jack Knowlton is a perfect introduction to maps, globes, and all the essentials fo becoming a great cartographer.
Recommended ages: Preschool and Elementary
Mapmaking with Children by David Sobel is a great resource for all sorts of mapmaking projects and lesson plans. Starting with things close to home, Sobel uses maps to help children lear more about the world around them.
Recommended ages: Parent resource for K-5
Videos
Maps for Kids | Clarendon Learning – This is a great introduction to maps, teaching you everything you need to know about reading and using maps.
Running Time: 00:09:10
Recommended Ages: Elementary and Middle School
The Cartographer’s Delima – Making a flat map of a round planet is a challenge all mapmakers have to deal with. Watch this video to learn why every map projection has some distortion.
Running Time: 00:02:24
Recommended Ages: All Ages
A Brief History of Cartography and Maps – We haven’t always had images of our whole world. Throughout history the way people have perceived the world around them has been affected by religion, region, and much more. This video takes you on a short tour of the history of mapmaking.
Running time: 00:07:03
Recommended ages: Middle School +
Master Cartographer Shares His Craft – Take a look at the art of cartography through the eyes of Dave Imus, master Cartographer.
Running time: 00:04:12
Recommended Ages: 3rd grade +
Day at Work – Follow Wesley C. for a typical day of work as a cartographer and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) analysts in the public health sector.
Running Time: 00:04:15
Recommended Ages: Middle School +
How to be a Modern Day Cartographer | Kshitij Khandelwal | TEDxYouth@Lovedale – Kshitij Khandelwal, explains how history and geography came together for him through maps. His passion began as he realized how much maps of worlds like Narnia and Middle Earth helped him connect more deeply with the works of fiction he loves. He soon realized that maps help us see more than meets the eye.
Running Time: 00:17:44
Recommended Ages: Middle School +
Modern cartography and the 3D Map Revolution | Rachel Hwang | TEDxPenn – Rachel Hwang explores how the development of 3D mapping technology impacts the world of cartography across the entire field.
Running Time: 00:16:32
Recommended Ages: Middle School +
Websites and Articles
Cartography Facts for Kids – From history to design, this is a fantastic place to begin your journey learning all about maps and cartography.
Recommended Ages: Grades 2+
DIY.com: Cartography – Are you ready to dive full force into cartography projects? Check out all of these fantastic projects and challenges ranging in difficulty from easy to hard.
Recommended Ages: All Ages
*Parents will need to set up accounts for their children to access full instructions.
Is there an awesome resource we haven’t included? Feel free to let us know in the comments below or via e-mail so we can add it to this post.
This blog post is a supplemental Deep Dive mini unit that corresponds with activities in Volume one of our Ticket to the world curriculum. Find out more about our full homeschool geography curriculum here.
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