Introduction C hildren are playing in the sand. They make roads for cars. One builds a castle where a doll can live. Another scoops out a hole, uses the dirt to make a hill, and pours some water in the hole to make a lake.
Sticks become bridges and trees.
The children name the streets and may even use a watering can to make rain. Although they don't know it, these children are learning the principles of geography. They are seeing how people interact with the Earth, manipulating the environment, learning how climate changes the character of a place, and looking at how places relate to each other through the movement of things from one place to another. Most of the suggestions in this book are geared to children from 5 to 10 years of age . Each chapter begins with some background and examples of questions that geographers use as they strive to understand the Earth.