Create activities for kids about maps, Google maps

Card is a unique tool that can be used to count a variety of purposes. Google maps is a perfect resource for many of these activities, but in some cases, Google Maps doesn't offer all the features of functionality may be required for some items like diving into the science behind climate change, or explore important social issues as population.

Fortunately, in addition to Google Maps, there are also sites that offer so-called "Google Maps Mashups, which are essentially additional funds which have been" mashed up with Google maps to provide a bit of extra functionality or information to Google Maps. Some of these mashups are wonderfully creative and extremely useful in the classroom environment.

The following list shows the six creative ideas for activities you can do with your kids in the classroom, using Google Maps, or Google Maps mashup.

When most people think of Google Maps, they think about trying to reach some destination. However, there are a lot more Google Maps than just simple navigation.

For example if you want to explore the area of the world with students often, Wikipedia is an excellent resource. Fortunately Google Maps included the Wikipedia layer, so that you can actually access Wikipedia articles that apply to the region of the world that you are browsing with Google Maps.

Wikipedia layer in Google maps

This is a great way for students to do research about the region in a format that allows the student to see where geographically applies these articles and described history.

This can not only help students learn more about the history of the world in a way that is interesting and fun, but it also improves the skills of geography, so that students will be more easily recognizable regions around the world much more easily.

Wikipedia articles on Google maps

Whenever you hover your mouse over any of the icons on a Google map on Wikipedia, you will see a pop up an excerpt from an article on this area. If you want to read more, all you have to do is click on the link for the full article.

You will find that almost every inch of the world is filled with interesting and informative Wikipedia article. This is your personal guide to this part of the world.

Another similar method to explore the world without having to spend a fortune on the trip is to use "photo" layer in Google maps. Enabling layer photo will show all the photos that other people have made and Posted to Google maps when visiting this part of the world.

The great pyramids on Google maps

What better way to learn more and see more natural, beautiful wonders of the world than looking through a kind of photo slideshows that you can find on Google maps?

In one of the best mashups is flares. The site's motto: "global health. Local knowledge. "this is because the study of global issues through healthy and epidemics, students can learn more about how local communities around the world need to react to the threat of disease and other health problems.

Outbreaks recently, violation tagging mashup health events, such as where the clusters or outbreaks of disease.

HealthMaps Mashup

Each pin is overlaid on top of the Google Map represents a health event. Clicking on any of the links, you'll see a pop-up window that provides event date, and other details, such as a specific disease or illness, location and sometimes a source of information.

The bottom of the homepage lists hundreds of outbreaks of the most recent alerts that you can scroll through to find out more about the latest disease outbreaks and health crisis worldwide.

If you teach your students about climate change, one big mashup of Google Maps, use this map.

This tool allows you to jump to any continent in the world by clicking on one of the links at the top of the page. Then change the drop-down list of sea-level rise from 0 m to 60 m and watch as the sea-level rise will affect the shoreline and Islands around the world.

Sea level rise map

The good thing about this Google map mashup is that you can zoom right in local areas and watch how the sea level rise might affect local communities. Students will be fascinated to see how towns and cities that could be visited virtually wiped off the map by the rising ocean waters.

This exercise will do well is followed by an analysis of climate forecasts, and what scientists say could be the reasons for these dramatic climate changes.

Another great resource for Science class where discussion can be various cloud types, will DaylightMap.com the clouds mashup.

This tool shows the weather conditions around the world using data from Google Earth Weather layer, NASA Earth Science Bureau and xplanet in the cloud layer.

Watching the clouds

The amazing thing about this card is that it is updated regularly, so the clouds that you and your students are observing very likely looked like no more than six hours in the past.

This is a great tool to use to observe cloud patterns with children and teach them how to identify cloud types, not only on land but also on the overhead satellite photos, such as this.

Fascinating Google Maps mashup to explore with students is a tool of earthquakes last week.

The website overlays layer marker on Google maps earthquake, with token types, showing the magnitude of the earthquake that occurred in this place for the past week.

View recent earthquakes

Earthquakes, featured on the map all the last seven days, so students can expect to see markers for many earthquakes, that they probably even read in the news.

This is a great tool to use when you teach your students about the fault line, eruptions and interactions between elements of the Earth, the earth itself.

As you can see, maps can be an invaluable educational tool if used in concert with other educational materials in the classroom. Google Maps Mashups are especially useful because they give students an understanding of the world in an interactive way, hopefully make the lesson more memorable.

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