Moderate
1 hour
The size of your paper depends on the size of your house and the scale you want to use.
We recommend 1 foot = 1/2 inch, so a 3'x3' paper would work for a 2000 square foot home.
In the right-hand corner of your map, draw a compass rose to indicate north, south, east, and west.
Take your compass and show your kids how the direction changes as you turn in a circle.
Get them to turn their paper so that their compass rose points directly north.
Maps not only show you how to get somewhere but also how far you need to go.
Your map scale will tell you the how the distance you'll draw on your map equates to the actual distance of the ground.
Draw a scale near your compass rose that's 5 inches long with 1/2 inch colored in.
Write a note that 1/2 inch = 1 foot and 5 inches = 10 feet.
Have your kids take the compass and walk around the house until they find the northeast corner.
This is the room we'll start with. If you have more than one floor, pick which floor you want to use for the map - the more rooms the better.
When we said "1 foot = 1/2 inch" we really did mean foot, as in the ones you walk with. They're a great unit of measure when you're outside.
Parent's feet work best, so have your kids place you on the north wall of the room and count out your steps as you walk south.
Repeat for the other side.
Using your compass rose, find the northeast corner of your paper and draw your first room using 1/2 inch for every foot your walked.
Instead of just length and width, talk to them about longitude and latitude. Make the connection.
Walk, count, and draw the room directly south then west of your first room to build out your map.
When you finish your map, let your kids pick where to put it, then mark a "You Are Here" on it for where you put it in the house.
Find another map around the house and look up grandma's house or their school and let them figure out how to get there.
Finally, let them pick out the next family adventure and figure out the route!
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