Travel in Different Ways

Travel in Different Ways


* Give your children opportunities to travel by car, bus,
bicycle, or on foot. Where you can, take other forms of
transportation such as airplanes, trains, subways,
ferries, barges, and horses and carriages.

* Use a map to look at various routes you can take when you
try different methods of transportation.

* Watch travel programs on television.


Follow the Movement of People and Things


* Play the license plate game. How many different States'
plates can you identify, and what, if anything, does the
license plate tell you about each State? You don't have to
be in a car to play. You can look at the license plates of
parked cars, or those traveling by when you are walking.
Children can keep a record of the States whose plates they
have seen. They can color in those States on a map and
illustrate them with characteristics described on the
license plates. Some States have county names on their
plates. If you live in one of these States, keeping track
of the counties could be another interesting variation.

* Go around your house and look at where everything comes
from. Examine the labels of the clothes you wear and think
of where your food comes from. Why do bananas come from
Central America? Why does the milk come from the local
dairy? Perhaps your climate is too cold for bananas, and
the milk is too perishable to travel far. How did the food
get to your house?

* Tell your children where your ancestors came from. Find
your family's countries of origin, and chart the
birthplaces of relatives on a map. You can plot the routes
they followed before they arrived at their present
location. Why did they leave their previous home? Where do
all your relatives live now?

* Have your children ask older relatives what their world
was like when they were young. They can ask questions
about transportation, heating and refrigeration, the foods
they ate, the clothes they wore, and the schools they
attended. Look at old pictures. How have things changed
since Grandma was a child? Grandparents and great aunts
and uncles are usually delighted to share their memories
with the younger generation, and they can pass on a wealth
of information.



Follow the Movement of Ideas and Information


Ideas come from beyond our immediate surroundings. How do
they get to us? Consider communication by telephone and mail,
television, radio, telegrams, telefax, and even graffiti,
posters, bumper stickers, and promotional buttons. They all
convey information from one person or place to another.

* By watching television and listening to the radio, your
children will receive ideas from the outside world. Where
dothe television shows they watch originate? What
aboutradio shows?

* Ask your children how they would communicate with other
people. Would they use the phone or write a letter?
Encourage them to write letters to relatives and friends.
They may be able to get pen pals through school or a pen
pal association. (Please see the listing in the back of
this booklet.)


Regions:
How They Form and Change


How can places be described or compared? How can the Earth
be divided into regions for study? Geographers categorize
regions in two basic ways--physical and cultural. Physical
regions are defined by landform (continents and mountain
ranges), climate, soil, and natural vegetation. Cultural
regions are distinguished by political, economic, religious,
linguistic, agricultural, and industrial characteristics.



Examine Physical Regions


* Help your children understand physical regions by
examining areas in your home. Is there an upstairs and a
downstairs? Is there an eating area and a sleeping area?
Are there other "regions" in your home that can be
described?

* Look at the physical regions in your community. Some
neighborhoods grew up around hills, others developed on
waterfronts or around parks. What physical regions exist
in your hometown?


Examine Cultural Regions


* Take your children to visit the different political,
residential, recreational, ethnic, and commercial regions
of your city.

* Go to plays, movies, and puppet shows about people from
different countries. These are often presented at
libraries and museums.

* Give children geography lessons by tying in with ethnic
holiday themes. Provide children with regional or ethnic
clothes to wear. Some museums and libraries provide
clothes children can borrow. Holidays provide an
opportunity to learn about the customs of people around
the world. You can use the library to discover how other
people celebrate special days.

* Compare coins and stamps from other lands. They often
contain information about the country. You may be able to
find stamps from other countries where you work, or your
children may get them from pen pals. Stamps tell many
different kinds of things about a country, from its
political leadership to native bird life.

* Learn simple words in different languages. Teach your
children to count to 10 in other languages. They can also
learn simple words like "hello, .... goodbye," and "thank
you." Look at the different alphabets or script from
various regions. All these activities expose children to
the abundance of the Earth's cultural treasures. Many
libraries have language tapes and books, some especially
for children.

* If you have friends who are from different countries or
have either travelled or lived abroad, invite them over to
talk with your children. If they have pictures, so much
the better. What languages do they speak? How are their
customs or dress similar to or different from yours?