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Ed Bonne, "The Playground Map Guy," offers a collection of student-centered activities for making playground maps come to life. NOTE: If your school doesn't have a playground map, you might want to read Every School Should Have a Playground Map!

"Since I began painting playground maps of the United States, many teachers have remarked about how much 'incidental' learning takes place during recess and other informal breaks," says Ed Bonne, known to school principals across the United States as "The Playground Map Guy."

"Students often quiz each other or set up games on the map," Bonne says. "Some students even use the maps as play settings for toy cars and other things."

"However, and most importantly," Bonne adds, "the map is an ideal tool for planned activities that extend classroom curriculum."

Whenever Bonne paints a playground map at a school, he always leaves behind a booklet chock-full of activities. Those activities come from many sources, but most of them were suggested by teachers in Bonne's school district. Many of the activities that follow were presented and evaluated at the Michigan Geographic Alliance's 1990 Summer Institute and at the National Geographic 1991 Instructional Leadership Institute.

"These activities are offered only as suggestions, as starting points," Bonne adds. "Creative teachers are always improving on these ideas and creating new ways to squeeze out value from their playground maps."

A SAMPLING OF ACTIVITIES FROM ED BONNE

A few notes before beginning:

• Ed Bonne recommends using tempera paints for most activities. (If your map's surface is fairly smooth, you could use chalk to illustrate different places, but ...) Tempera paints come in a variety of bright colors, and they are easily washable. A hose (or rain or snow) usually cleans off the map.
• Bonne suggests that for most activities, it is probably a good idea to assign students to a particular place or location rather than to allow volunteering. That reduces duplication and ensures a more even distribution of the students around the map when they are actually working.
• To ensure accuracy, before students paint on the playground map it might be a good idea to review on desk maps or in atlases the exact locations they plan to paint on the playground map.
• The list below first presents a handful of suggestions for long-term projects involving a playground map, followed by a bunch of "quick" activities that might be used as part of a lesson or unit.

PLAYGROUND MAP PROJECTS FROM ED BONNE

Location activities. Invite students to paint in the proper location on the map the names of major cities, prominent natural features, and national parks. (Suggested lists of natural features and national parks appear below.)

Take a Tour of the U.S.A. Students often learn more about general locations by studying a single place intensely. Provide students with a list of possible "places to study." Let each student choose the place he or she would like to study, research that place, and think about how to build a diorama or a model from papier-mache, clay, cardboard, or another semi-durable material to represent that place on the playground map. Allow two to four weeks for the students to research and construct their models with parent supervision. A model on a 1-foot-square board is suggested. When all the models have been gathered, have students place them on the correct spots on the U.S. playground map. The opportunities for discussion of the various locations are boundless. When all students have become familiar with the locations, you could invite parents or other students to take a tour of the United States led by these special "tour guides." See below for a state-by-state list of some possible tour locations.

The U.S. Is a Stage. This project provides an opportunity for each student to research and develop an appreciation for a single state. In addition to conducting research, the student has a chance to write a play or revue about the United States. Each student chooses a character to research. The student then writes a script for their characters for a "show" about the United States. The map becomes the stage for their presentation. You might involve the art teacher, who could work with each student to draw a mural backdrop for the presentation, or the music teacher, who could teach students regional songs that would become part of this "extravaganza." See below for a state-by-state list of possible characters.

QUICK ACTIVITIES FOR PLAYGROUND MAPS FROM ED BONNE

Eat Your Way Across the U.S.A. Part of the elementary health curriculum is an extensive study of the five basic food groups. Students in a school could host a "tasting" party of foods from across the United States. Place sample foods on trays on upturned milk crates in the actual location where the food is produced.

America the Bountiful. Invite students to research the major crops grown and products produced in each state. They can draw pictures of those crops and products for display on the playground map.

Story Setting. When you read stories or historical accounts, use the map as your "reading room." Sit in the state where the story takes place. As the story unfolds, talk about why the place/location might be important to the story.

U.S. History. If it can be done on a desk map, why not the same activity on the playground map? Locations of Native American tribes, expansion of U.S. borders, and routes of the explorers are all historical themes that could be represented on the map by paintings, models, or posters.

Scale of Miles. If you've painted your map using a base-10 measurement (1 inch = 10 miles), the math practice in measuring from place to place is really quite simple.

Gym Games. Devise state-to-state relay races for your playground map, or set up portable basketball hoops at various distances for free-throw practice.

Summer Vacation. In addition to that "What I Did on My Summer Vacation" essay, students might chalk out the route that their summer vacation took them on.

U.S. at Night. If you have an evening activity at school, schedule time for the students to go out on the map with flashlights. Place the lights (facing up) at major metropolitan areas. The map will look like the United States as the astronauts see it at night.

Super Bowl or World Series. Place balls for a particular sport on the locations of the major league franchises. This is a great activity to generate discussion about major metropolitan areas.

Ed Bonne has one last suggestion: USE YOUR IMAGINATION! IT'S A BIG MAP -- IT CAN USE BIG IDEAS!!

LISTS FOR ACTIVITIES ABOVE

Some Suggestions for "Natural Features" Activity
These are only suggestions; feel free to change the list.

Alabama	Mobile Bay	Kentucky	Cumberland Gap	North Dakota	Red River Valley
Alaska	Yukon River	Louisiana	The Delta	Ohio	Ohio River
Arizona	Petrified Forest	Maine	Sunrise	Oklahoma	Red River
Arkansas	Ozark Mts.	Maryland	Chesapeake Bay	Oregon	Mt. Hood
California	Death Valley	Massachusetts	Cape Cod	Pennsylvania	Allegheny Mts.
Colorado	Rocky Mts.	Michigan	Great Lakes	Rhode Island	Narragansett Bay
Connecticut	Long Island Sd.	Minnesota	forests	South Carolina	Piedmont
Delaware	Delaware Bay	Mississippi	Mississippi River	South Dakota	Badlands
District of Columbia	Potomac River	Missouri	Missouri River	Tennessee	Tennessee Valley
Florida	L. Okeechobee	Montana	High Plains	Texas	Guadalupe Mts.
Georgia	Okefenokee Swamp	Nebraska	Chimney Rock	Utah	Dinosaur Valley
Hawaii	Pearl Harbor	Nevada	desert	Vermont	Green Mts.
Idaho	Hells Canyon	New Hampshire	White Mts.	Virginia	Hampton Roads
Illinois	Illinois River	New Jersey	Delaware River	Washington	Mt. St. Helens
Indiana	Brown County	New Mexico	White Sands	West Virginia	mountains
Iowa	prairie	New York	Niagara Falls	Wisconsin	Wisconsin Dells
Kansas	prairie	North Carolina	Cape Hatteras	Wyoming	Devils Tower

Suggestions for "National Parks" Activity
Some states have more than one national park within their borders; only one is listed. Source: World Almanac

Alabama		Kentucky	Mammoth Cave	North Dakota	Theo. Roosevelt
Alaska	Denali	Louisiana		Ohio
Arizona	Grand Canyon	Maine	Acadia	Oklahoma
Arkansas	Hot Springs	Maryland		Oregon	Crater Lake
California	Sequoia	Massachusetts		Pennsylvania
Colorado	Rocky Mts.	Michigan	Isle Royale	Rhode Island
Connecticut		Minnesota	Voyageurs	South Carolina
Delaware		Mississippi		South Dakota	Badlands
District of Columbia		Missouri		Tennessee	Great Smoky Mts.
Florida	Everglades	Montana	Glacier	Texas	Big Bend
Georgia		Nebraska		Utah	Zion
Hawaii	Hawaii Volcanoes	Nevada	Great Basin	Vermont
Idaho	Yellowstone	New Hampshire		Virginia	Shenandoah
Illinois		New Jersey		Washington	Mount Rainier
Indiana		New Mexico	Carlsbad Cavrns.	West Virginia
Iowa		New York		Wisconsin
Kansas		North Carolina		Wyoming	Grand Teton

Tour Locations for "Take a Tour of the U.S.A." Activity
These are only suggestions; feel free to change the list.

Alabama	plantation	Kentucky	Churchill Downs	North Dakota	wheat farm
Alaska	Mt. McKinley	Louisiana	oil refinery	Ohio	Cedar Point
Arizona	Grand Canyon	Maine	sawmill	Oklahoma	Indian village
Arkansas	Ozark Mts.	Maryland	Fort McHenry	Oregon	Mt. Hood
California	Golden Gate Br.	Massachusetts	Old No. Church	Pennsylvania	steel mill
Colorado	Mesa Verde	Michigan	Mackinaw Br.	Rhode Island	Newport
Connecticut	Mystic Seaport	Minnesota	ice rink	South Carolina	Fort Sumter
Delaware	chemical plant	Mississippi	plantation	South Dakota	Mt. Rushmore
District of Columbia	White House	Missouri	Gateway Arch	Tennessee	Smoky Mts.
Florida	Everglades	Montana	Custer battlefield	Texas	Alamo
Georgia	Stone Mountain	Nebraska	Chimney Rock	Utah	Canyonlands
Hawaii	Pearl Harbor	Nevada	casino	Vermont	covered bridge
Idaho	Snake R. Can.	New Hampshire	Mt. Washington	Virginia	Mount Vernon
Illinois	Chicago	New Jersey	boardwalk	Washington	Mt. Rainier
Indiana	500 Speedway	New Mexico	Taos Pueblo	West Virginia	coal mine
Iowa	corn farm	New York	Niagara Falls	Wisconsin	dairy farm
Kansas	grain elevator	North Carolina	Kitty Hawk	Wyoming	Old Faithful

Characters for "The U.S. Is a Stage" Activity
These are only suggestions; feel free to change the list.

Alternate suggestion: You might have students research and act as a famous person in history -- past or present -- from each state.

Alabama	pirate	Kentucky	Daniel Boone	North Dakota	cavalry soldier
Alaska	Native Alaskan	Louisiana	clown	Ohio	football player
Arizona	prospector	Maine	whaler	Oklahoma	"Okie"
Arkansas	"mountain man"	Maryland	jockey	Oregon	marathon runner
California	movie star	Massachusetts	witch	Pennsylvania	steelworker
Colorado	skier	Michigan	hunter	Rhode Island	sailor
Connecticut	businessman	Minnesota	Laura Ingalls	South Carolina	Confederate soldier
Delaware	chemist	Mississippi	southern belle	South Dakota	Indian
District of Columbia	senator	Missouri	Huck Finn	Tennessee	Davy Crockett
Florida	astronaut	Montana	Sacajawea	Texas	rancher
Georgia	Scarlett O'Hara	Nebraska	cornhusker	Utah	dinosaur
Hawaii	hula dancer	Nevada	gambler	Vermont	Colonial soldier
Idaho	fly fisherman	New Hampshire	professor	Virginia	nurse
Illinois	butcher	New Jersey	gardener	Washington	pilot
Indiana	basketball player	New Mexico	caballero	West Virginia	coal miner
Iowa	farmer	New York	baseball player	Wisconsin	dairy farmer
Kansas	Dorothy	North Carolina	golfer	Wyoming	cowboy

Article by Gary Hopkins
Education World®
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