Mapping...

[annaz]

For mapping (in Bigger for now) I'm having a problem finding marked areas that are historical, like the Cumberland Gap. I know where it is, but where can you find a map that would contain historical era locations marked that would also include the states? I have a 2 wall maps from our map store and neither contain this. They're very general. And it may not even be the Cumberland Gap in particular, just more detail. Would that be a political map or where could I get more detail? Any place to order?

[Tmisek]

We will be using Bigger next year, so I am curious about this, too. I just looked in my old Rand McNally Road Atlas and it was in there...maybe an atlas of some sort would have more detail. I will be waiting for a good answer with you!

[Himfirst01]

I would also welcome any mapping help with Bigger. This has been the only aspect of this program that I have not been partial to. Particularly better maps for my daughter to copy from. I am not that great at geography myself and some of the maps have been fine for reference but difficult for us to use to do the mapping exercises. Any suggestions? (Sidenote: We are thrilled with Bigger, just had to skip a couple of map drawing activites) Thanks Ladies

[Carrie]

Ladies,

We're traveling right now, so I don't have my Bigger Hearts guide on hand but I am thinking that the mapping activities all either referenced a page in A First Book in American History, or Journeys in Time, or utilized a plain globe or a flat map of the world? When writing Bigger Hearts, we worked hard to ensure that kiddos would have easy reference for doing the mapping activities (as I've had quite a few struggles with many other programs in the past in the mapping area myself and wished to avoid that in Bigger Hearts)!

I can't remember struggling with the geography part of Bigger Hearts with my sons off-hand. Perhaps if you had a certain day from Bigger Hearts that you were looking for help with, those who are using Bigger Hearts could jump in to give help and guidance with the plans?

Blessings,
Carrie

[eazbnsmom]

Since First Book of American History is Public Domain, I found it on the Baldwin Project Website (http://www.mainlesson.com/display.php?a ... _contents_). I copied and pasted the map to my paint program and erased the labels. (I tried making the color match as much as possible). I then printed it out for her to label.

[my3sons]

We just used our globe and the history books utilized in Bigger Hearts. I don't remember having difficulty finding the places mentioned in the plans. We are now enjoying Bigger Hearts a second time around with our middle ds. I've always liked that the mapping matches the history - definitely seems to be retained better that way. Anyway, on the rare occasion you may be unable to find a location in your resources, I'd just look for it on a globe, try to find it on Wikipedia, or skip it - but that's just me .

In Christ,
Julie

[threegreatkids]

My dd had a tough time with the mapping assignment from Journeys in Time where she was supposed to keep adding different routes to the same basic map. I finally let her create a new map each time and she was happy as a clam. She kept finding that she already had writing in the place she needed to draw or write, so for her this was a good solution.

We've also struggled with copying the maps from the red book. The perspective didn't match our other maps and my girls found it hard to visualize and draw. Again, it worked OK when we found other maps to help them along---sometimes to copy, sometimes just to label.

I can honestly say that these were the only assignments in the whole Bigger program that we had any trouble with, so no complaints at all. I have been curious to see how the mapping in Preparing Hearts compares, but I've not yet taken the time to look through the manual.

[annaz]

I can't say that I'm having a problem really. I just like to see the locations on a bigger scale in relation to where we live, like the Delaware River/Trenton. None of my maps or globe has this river labeled. It would be neat to see it in relation to the US as a whole instead of an inset. I can show dd the general vacinity, but really would like more details. But I have yet to find a historical map

That Baldwin Project site is great for copying anything we need instead of using the book. Thanks for that link!

[Carrie]

I agree that it's good to see the big picture for mapping too! A good globe or world map is an invaluable tool for this, but it doesn't always have every river and city. Any activity that piques your interest enough to send you digging deeper for maps does have its upside! I can't remember ever being interested enough in geography in my school days to search for a map, unless it was assigned. Learning geography through history has that effect. It makes you want to better understand the history by getting a closer look at the geography of where the history happened. I've found myself map hunting too.

Throughout Beyond Little Hearts and Bigger Hearts we bounce back and forth between the big picture on the globe and the more area focused maps found within the readings. The map drawing exercises in Bigger are meant to give kiddos some practice in drawing and copying maps with an eye to the scale and perspective of the map, which is a valuable skill (and a tough one too). It's also meant to make them think about how the geography of the area affected that period in history.

Within Preparing Hearts, we mainly use the globe for our geography activities. It gives kiddos a global perspective of where the various world history events/struggles took place and a bigger perspective of each country's size and relation to the bodies of water and other countries that surrounded it.

Then, within CTC we move toward a living books style geography through Geography of the Bible Lands. It connects the rich history of the Bible Lands to these same areas today. The kiddos do label maps in this study too, but the focus is more cultural and history-based.

By the time kiddos get to RTR, they will have had practice with many different types of maps, map reading, map drawing, and familiarity with geography terms. Within RTR, we utilize both the pinpointed view of places in history (through Map Trek Volume 2) and the broader perspective (through The World History Atlas). Kiddos will often be comparing the maps from the two sources to one another to see a different view. All maps will be linked to the history study, and I have to say that I personally find this fascinating. We hope you will too!

Anyway, I just wanted to give you a brief tour through our thinking in the area of mapping and geography.

Blessings,
Carrie

[annaz]

Very interesting and helpful. Thanks Carrie!

[lmercon]

My ds has really risen to the challenge of copying the maps assigned in Bigger. I agree. They are challenging. We had a good discussion one day about the difference in perspective between the maps in "Journeys Through Time" and the other history books used in the program. The "Journeys" maps are bird's eye and the other history books are more of a eye-level perspective. We set up some things on a table and first looked down on them while standing on the chair. Then we got down close to the level of the table and looked at the items that way. He could see how close things looked bigger and got smaller as they went towards the horizon. It helped him understand the difference between the two books and the way the maps are drawn. It helped his drawings as well.
Laura


Edited to add: Oops, I guess this post is more directed for the one poster who added thoughts later about having trouble with the mapping assignments. I'll leave this post just in case it helps someone.

[Himfirst01]

My dd had a tough time with the mapping assignment from Journeys in Time where she was supposed to keep adding different routes to the same basic map. I finally let her create a new map each time and she was happy as a clam. She kept finding that she already had writing in the place she needed to draw or write, so for her this was a good solution.

We've also struggled with copying the maps from the red book. The perspective didn't match our other maps and my girls found it hard to visualize and draw. Again, it worked OK when we found other maps to help them along---sometimes to copy, sometimes just to label.

I can honestly say that these were the only assignments in the whole Bigger program that we had any trouble with, so no complaints at all. I have been curious to see how the mapping in Preparing Hearts compares, but I've not yet taken the time to look through the manual.

I could have written this myself! This was the only problem we have had as well. I really agree with Carrie, that being interested enough to seek out another resource isn't a bad thing! We do use the globe for most of our seeking and we travel a lot, so we have A LOT of maps around. It's just not always convenient, to find a better map to "Copy" for a child who is less than enthusiastic about geography. But, this has only occurred 2 or 3 times throughout the whole program, so no big deal. We just discussed it, understood the concept, and skipped the drawing. I also like the idea of using the book online and printing it out, that could help.


Honestly, I hate to say anything remotely negative, because I am so thrilled to have purchased HOD. I have spent the last ten years purchasing every curriculum under the sun and I have finally found a God-honoring, easy-to-implement full choice. Thank you Carrie, for all your hard work! And, thanks to all the helpful insight from all you other lovely ladies!