Nikki Phipps is a freelance writer of numerous articles and other publications, including the premiere issue of Perspectives Magazine. She also maintains a gardening site, GardenCrypt in her spare time. Drawing inspiration from family and past experiences, Nikki believes everyone has something to say that can benefit others, which is why she turned to writing.  “There’s no better tool for learning than that of personal experience.” Nikki resides in NC with her two children and three stepchildren.

Interactive Maps of the World at the Field Museum can be accessed through two urls: http://www.fieldmuseum.org/maps/ or http://www.fieldmuseum.org/maps/interactive/maps.html

Maps of the World is a free, interactive tool that explores many aspects of map history and geography. It’s a wonderful site for kids, parents, and teachers. This flash-based program doesn’t require any downloading; however, it does require plug-ins (Flash Player, Shockwave, QuickTime, Acrobat Reader) in order to display content. There’s no need to sign up for anything when using the interactive maps.

When I first visited the site, I admit that I became a bit confused. I didn’t fully comprehend its purpose. My initial question was how is this interactive? Then I noticed that by clicking along the timeline at the bottom or on the red dots located throughout the world map, it would pull up amazing pictures of specific maps from that era or location. In addition, there was interesting information that went with it, explaining details about the map.

While there’s no tutorial video available on using this program, you can follow along with the site’s exhibition highlights to grasp a better understanding of its significance. You can also download a PDF copy of the museum’s map guide for information about how to apply these mapping skills into educational projects. It is recommended that the site be used in conjunction with the guidebook and a field trip to the museum. However, as it is located in the Chicago area, this can pose a problem for those unable to travel there. Apparently, the Field Museum recognized this downside by creating a nifty alternative—a virtual gallery.

Virtual Gallery: Here’s where the interactive maps actually became more interesting. Rather than visiting the museum in person, the virtual gallery is an online replica of the Maps of the World exhibit, which includes seven sections (Finding Your Way, Mapping World, Places, History, Visualizing, Imaginary and Living with Maps). I decided to take my son along to get his opinion. Once you enter the map exhibit, you will see arrows pointing to specific maps. Clicking on the arrows will give you a close-up shot of the map followed by its details. (Note: these are the same maps as those with the time line and red dots.) Finally, I begin to grasp what’s going on.

In the first section, we learned about itinerary maps and network maps. The second section explored the evolution of maps and places. It also depicts how mapmakers (cartographers) viewed the world at particular time periods. Other sections showed how maps were used to record specific routes, how they were broken down into smaller parts, how visual effects were used, and how the imagination plays a role in maps. The exhibit ended with a view of how maps are used in everyday life. My son thought the interactive map lesson was interesting, though kids could benefit more from additional lesson plans. He also thought it was cool to visit the museum without ever having to leave the house.

This site seems to be well suited to both traditional schooling and homeschool settings. Its visual appeal makes it suitable for many learning styles and ages; however, I feel its best suited to late elementary school-aged children on up through middle and high school grades. Mapping skills can be integrated within a variety of subject matter, from language arts and mathematics to history, science, and geography. Using this interactive tool along with other related materials can help kids understand how maps have shaped the world. I also think it would be particularly fun to have them create a map of their own, imaginary or scale. You could also use a local map and allow your child to trace a route from home to a specific destination, such as the library, grocery store, etc.

Overall, I thought the Maps of the World was interesting but would definitely recommend using it with correlating lessons.