Early Childhood, where Learning Begins

Book excerpt: This resource book is intended to aid parents of children aged 2 to 5 years in teaching geography. The book offers ideas about how to encourage and give direction to enable young children to develop the vocabulary, awareness, and curiosity necessary to lay the foundation for the study of geography. Suggested activities are included and are organized around five specific themes. The themes are: (1) "Where are things located?" (2)"What characteristics make a place special?" (3) "What are the relationships among people and places?" (4) "What are the patterns of movement of people, products, and information?" and (5) "How can the Earth be divided into regions for study?" Each chapter begins with background, examples of questions geographers ask, and explanations of the early developmental skills that are involved. A 16-item reference list and glossary conclude the book, along with maps, a resource list with suggestions of where to get free maps, and a list of easy reading or picture books related to geography. (LB)