Create and use local maps related to the theme of a unit to help develop concepts and skills. Orienteering lessons can be done with the maps. A map of an orchard or a grocery store could be used with a unit about apples.

Examine thematic units you would like to teach. What maps could be developed for orienteering exercises?

One farm family made a map of their home orchard and the trees surrounding it. They had found the labels on the trees they recently purchased were coming off. They also needed to know what varieties they had and which ones produced well.

They had planted a number of small seedlings that had grown from fruit cores and seeds scattered in their pasture land and hay field. They planned to use the sturdiest of these as rootstock for grafting known varieties.

The map helped them keep records when they began their grafting.

Dates after the names in the map index gave the owners some idea of when the trees were purchased or transplanted into the orchard. Names in quotation marks were seedlings that had already produced apples and were named by the owners. All others were commercially grown varieties.

Activities can be developed for maps of local areas such as playgrounds, parks, preserves, areas of town being studied, or the interior of a building. Here are activities for the "Home Orchard Map." How could these activities be modified to go with other maps?

1. Give children a list of tree names. Have them place a marker on each one as it is found.

2. Match a tree name to a picture card.

3. Give directions for movement around an orchard. Tell participants to go north, east, south, and west or at angles if intermediate directions are to be taught.

4. A student identifies a tree but does not reveal its name to others. Others ask questions about the tree to determine which one it is. (Examples: Is it north or ? Is it southeast of ?)

5. Make personal maps of an imaginary orchard. Read about varieties of trees and plant a limited number of favorite trees. Write a story about the map.

6. Prepare sets of cards. Place index information on one and names on the others. Play games in which matching pairs of cards are collected. Place markers on the map to show which cards have been obtained.

7. Place people, animals, or other objects on the map. Write about events taking place in the orchard.

8. Make a model apple orchard and then draw a map of it. Create an index for it.

9. Visit an apple orchard. Draw a map of the orchard visited. Create an index for the map.

10. Glue maps into folders. Partners place identifying markers on various locations. turns are taken to guess locations of the markers. The person retaining the most markers at the end of a specified time period wins.

11. Place a model sun above a map of an orchard. Draw shadows of trees in appropriate places. Label the time of day and year each "shadow map" represents.

12. Read about varieties of apples. Choose those a grower could profitably plant in a given area. Make a map of the orchard in which the trees could be planted. Make a list of the prices paid. Draw a time line to show how long the grower would need to wait for fruit to be produced and profit gained from the investment.