September 2006 Archives

My Wonderful World gets a great plug in the November National Geographic magazine:

"Despite daily news coverage of Iraq, six in ten young adults ages 18 to 24 can’t find that country on a map. Seventy-five percent of them can’t find Indonesia, major site of damage from the 2004 tsunami. National Geographic, along with partners including 4-H, the Asia Society, and the National PTA, hope to improve geographic literacy with My Wonderful World—a five-year call to action for children, parents, and schools.

"November 12-18 is Geography Awareness Week: Go to My Wonderful World now to test your global IQ and discover ways to bring geography into the home and classroom. You might just learn that Nauru is an island nation in the western Pacific, and the world’s smallest independent republic.”

Want to know more about Nauru—and every other country in the world? Explore National Geographic’s People and Places supersite.

Plus:

In further evidence of global warming, scientists said today that the Earth may be nearing its warmest point in one million years. The planet is within 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit (1 degree Celsius) of its highest temperature, and the rise is attributed to human causes. (Read a news article.)

Global warming is a hot topic, in more ways than one. Here are a few sites to help you get a bigger picture of the controversial issue:

Changing Earth (CNN)

What’s Up With the Weather? (PBS)

Climate Change (BBC)

Global Warming (New York Times)

Global Climate Change (Pew Center)

Global Warming (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency)

Global Warming (Union of Concerned Scientists)

An Inconvenient Truth (Film)

What do you think? Has global warming affected you personally? And what should we be doing about it? Tell us.

Looking for fall foliage? Let your GPS unit do the work. This Chicago Tribune article looks at how GPS is "almost like having a fall colors tour guide." It also includes tips for picking a GPS device.

Read the article, then let us know how you use GPS.

We’re happy to announce the new Family Galápagos Adventure sweepstakes from My Wonderful World and Lindblad Expeditions. Enter now for a chance to win a ten-day trip for four to the amazing Galápagos Islands aboard a Lindblad ship.

Enter now!

This classic Dave Barry column takes a very tongue-in-cheek look at Americans’ lack of geographic knowledge:

"Most Americans are pitifully ignorant of geography. This was clearly demonstrated recently when the Gallup Organization sent its pollsters to Chicago to ask randomly selected residents if they could name at least three of the six major continents. The results were shocking: Most of the pollsters never found Chicago at all; of those who did, all but one fell into the Chicago River."

Read his column and tell us what you think.

Teachers in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England, are working to make sure kids there don’t lose their map-reading skills as GIS technology becomes more popular. Read the story and tell us what you think: Is there a danger of kids losing map-reading skills?

You may have noticed that we've added a couple of new features to MyWonderfulWorld.org. One is Back to School: Global Schools, Global Students, which has tools and resources for you—whether you're a teacher, student, or parent—to use all year. It's got a special My Wonderful World-PTA Kit, plus information on how teens can become international journalists.

Another new section is Games & Cool Stuff, which is full of, well, games and cool stuff. Like great map mashups* we’ve found and sites where you can make your own, plus geography trivia and adventure games, world music sites, and geocaching activities.

*What’s a map mashup? It’s a map overlaid with information in the form of video, photos, text, even music. Check out these sites for links to lots of map mashups:

• Map Hacks

• Google Maps Mania

Let us know about cool mashups you’ve found—or created!

Geography is a big subject, but not all schools have it as a separate course. So where does geography fit? Social studies? Science? Or … ? Tell us how you think geography fits into schools.

September's here, and that means back-to-school time. Want a great way to get involved with your child's school AND build enthusiasm for geography? Start a geography club.

My Wonderful World coalition member NCGE (the National Council for Geographic Education) has it all laid out for you--information on getting a club started, plus a monthly set of activities.

Show kids how fun geography can be! And who knows--maybe you'll learn a little something too.

Tell us: does your school have a geography club?