I have mentioned a few times that my son is fascinated by maps. He loves creating maps for fantasy lands to go along with stories they are reading or stories / games that they have created. And I have loved watching him create his maps and really want to encourage it but at the same time keep it fun and creative for him. So I started searching for creative map activities on educational sites and then in book form. And I must admit I did not find that many that really jumped out at me until I spotted the Get Mapmaking: How to get Creative with Maps
I was interested in this book because of all the unusual maps they use. So I requested a review copy and as soon as it arrived both my son and I were thrilled. It really is an original, creative take on maps.
Yes they do have some of the more “traditional / expected” map activities – like map your bedroom – but that is the first map activity and honestly for kids who have not done a lot of map drawing before it is a very good way to get started. And there are a few more of the expected maps – like a treasure island and a garden. But they combine the more traditional map activities with more creative maps and with totally never thought of that as a map activity before maps.
They have included a plumbing map, a map of the electric wiring, a crime scene map, secret tunnel maps, archaeological maps – there are so many different types. The variety included is incredible and it actually made the kids start questioning what makes a map, a map. (We have had some fascinating discussions about this)
For each map activity there is 1 page for the kids to practice on. But as I have 2 kids I actually gave them grid paper and they recreated their maps on the grid paper. Which also meant the kids could recreate multiple versions of the maps.
We really love the creative map side of this book but the book also has a lot of practical pages too – pages about a compass, drawing to scale, contour maps, using map legends, weather symbols, even different ways you can portray ground.
They have managed to include a wide number of interesting topics all under the great big umbrella of drawing your own fun maps.
We have not complete every single activity in the book (although I am sure we will) but we have been so impressed with this engaging map book and are enjoying it so much that I really wanted to write a post so we could HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT !
As I mentioned above I requested a review of this book because I thought it was the best available fun map activity book out there. All opinions expressed are mine and my two testers.
I do include Affiliate links. If you follow an affiliate link and go on to purchase that product, I will be paid a very small commission, however your cost will remain the same. I only include affiliate links for products that we use and love.
ofamily learning together 
Using grid paper is so practical! Looks like a great book.
LikeLiked by 1 person