A Map of Alaska, the Iditarod Trail, and a Bedsheet – Fun Homeschool Unit Study.

January 26, 2009

Last month, we found the Iditarod Project (thanks, Beth!), and the kids have been having a blast working on it - always a great time in homeschool life.

The first activity is to make a map of Alaska and the Iditarod Trail. After considering the daily danger to all fragile items in our boy and toddler-heavy household, I wasn’t so excited about making a large paper map. It didn’t take much imagination to see ripped map pieces, corners disolved by drool, and chunks of paint being pulled off the wall by tape gone crazy.

Good thing someone more creative than I suggested using a bedsheet to make the map.

Whalah! We did a quick math lesson on scale, made 8 x 8 inch squares out of cardstock, and the kids got busy marking a grid on the map in pencil. (Hey, that laundry in the background is clean, at least)

drawing map A Map of Alaska, the Iditarod Trail, and a Bedsheet Fun Homeschool Unit Study.

The next day, we transfered the outline of Alaska, the rivers, the Iditarod Trail, and the cities. After a discussion of map legends, my oldest designed a cool symbol for the cities, including one with a star in the middle for the capital. (Since everyone has to be involved at our house, the 3-year-old made his own unsupervised permanent marker line across the scale line – at least he didn’t get the carpet!)

legend A Map of Alaska, the Iditarod Trail, and a Bedsheet Fun Homeschool Unit Study.

We outlined everything in permanent marker. To remove the pencil marks, we washed the sheet with the regular mountains of laundry. And finally, we hung the map proudly on the banister in our entryway. (Who needs interior decorators when you homeschool?)

alaska map A Map of Alaska, the Iditarod Trail, and a Bedsheet Fun Homeschool Unit Study.