Week 2 : Geography of our Wildspace

This weeks activity before we headed outside to discover what area we would be using for 1 of our wild spaces was looking at the geographical landscape round about Fairlie and maps.
We looked at what a map is and what are different maps used for -
We discovered that maps have been around for millions of years and are very important?
o Maps tell you what is around you
o Maps were drawn by cave men drew on walls – they are a blueprint of our history
o The process of using our eyes and engaging our brains leaves us with memories and knowledge (something google maps and sat navs cant do!!)
o Maps show complicated information in an easy to see graphical form.
o Map skills help you learn spatial awareness skills – where things are in relation to other things.
o A map can save your life if out in the wilderness – your phone might not even get a signal

We looked at an Ordnance Survey Map (OS) of Fairlie and the surrounding area, it showed us 2 main types of features-

• Physical features – rivers, hills, beaches
• Human features– homes, shops, churches, roads

On the map we could see -
o Hilly landscapes. We can see steep hills, with narrow rivers, forests, villages and steep roads.
o Flat landscapes. We can see flat land, rivers, farms, towns and different roads.
o Coastal landscapes. We can see beaches, the sea and tourist towns.

We looked at different uses for land around Fairlie and identified lots of map symbols and played a game of 'Symbols Bingo'!!!

We then went outside with a clipboard and pen to take notes to draw a sketch map of the wildspace next to the school and mark things around it we might see on a map.