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WHAT IS A MAP?
A map is a picture of a place. There can be many different maps of the same place. A map cannot show everything about a place. For a map to communicate clearly, it must show a limited number of things. In this activity, you will get to make a map that shows the things that make your community a special place to live.

Maps are made for different reasons. Different maps show different information. For example, some maps are made to show property lines and other maps show us how to get where we want to go (like road maps). Pirates used maps to find buried treasure. There are also weather maps which show precipitation (rain, sleet, snow) and cold fronts in a particular region.

The most important function of a map is to show location—where certain things are. Maps also show the characteristics and features of a place which make it unique and different from other places. Another feature a lot of maps have in common is that they show distances between things.

Materials you will need: 12x18 inch black construction paper (any large drawing paper will do), a light-colored pencil, and an assortment of cray-pas (or markers).

Getting Started: Before you start drawing, make a list of the places and things in your community that you want to include on your map? Think about places you go to regularly in your community (like your school), places where relatives or friends live, and your favorite places. How do you get to these places? By bus? car? bicycle? What roads or paths do you take? What kinds of things do you see along the way?

The Activity: Create a map of your community. Include places and things on your map that you feel make your community a special place to live. Show the roads or pathways you use to get to these places. Your map doesn't have to be exactly how it is in real life. You can add more things to see to make your map fun to look at.

  • On a large sheet of black construction paper, draw (with a light-colored pencil) pictures of the places or the things you decided to include on your map. Then lightly draw in roads or pathways that show how you get to these places. Make sure that you label all the features of your map so that others can tell what they are.
  • Next, fill in the shapes of the places and roads with light-colored cray-pas. Try using two or more colors on each feature of your map. You can blend these colors to make you map more interesting to look at.
  • Using darker colors, fill in the areas between the features and roads on your map. You can also blend these colors to make you map more interesting to look at. Every area of your map should be filled in with color. When your map is finished, sign, date and title it in the bottom right-hand corner. Show it to your friends or family members to see what they think of it.

Want To Do More?
Read My Map Book by Sara Fanelli (1995). Learn more about maps and mapmaking as you visit Maps: Finding Our Place in the World. Check out the Community Maps Project web site. If you're looking for even more to do, try these map-making activities:

  • Invent an instrument to map something invisible.
  • Make a map of something you cannot see.
  • Create a map for a heart surgeon.
  • Make a map of your bedroom.
  • Make a map of your backyard.
  • Create a treasure map.