Geography is the study of Planet Earth. When we study geography we look at where things are (places) and their natural surroundings (settings). Geography covers such things as climate, plants, animals, and natural resources (physical characteristics) that affect the Earth, as well as how people affect it. Geographers ask and answer such questions as “Where is something? Why is it there? How does it relate to other things?”
Here are some geography questions you can discuss with your child:
* Where are we? Teach your child your address. Look at maps together to see where you live and where the school is. How close or far are you from the school?
* What makes a place special? List some things about where you live. What is the climate like? What kinds of plants and animals live in your part of the country?
* What impact have people had on where you live? Decide whether you live in a city, the suburbs, a town, or the country. Are there many wild animals where you live?
* How do things–people, goods, information–move from place to place where you live? List all the places your food comes from. If you looked at the whole earth, how would you divide it up to study–by location on the map, by languages spoken, by type of weather, or by type of plants and animals? Think of other places in the country and the world that are like where you live.
* What does it mean to live in a global society? Make a chart of the things that are happening in other parts of the world that affect you.
* Where is it? When you talk with your child, use words that indicate direction: “We are going north to New York to visit Grandma,” or “The school is three blocks west of our apartment building.”
