Toddlers and the world (and planets.)

pavlovs_dog

google earth?

and im sure with the world cup coming up, there are bound to be opportunities for learning

hardpressed

troll35 wrote:

One idea I read somewhere about helping children to learn about the world and where different places are was to put a large map on your table with clear plastic table covering over it to protect it. This then becomes a talking point at the table. (Obviously aimed at slightly older children) I've got the map and the table covering and I've just got to use them. Will report back.

This idea about a map on the table made me think about getting some little stickers and planning the route food has taken to get to your plate, children are facinated by that sort of thing, hopefully he will grow up knowing that bananas aren't made by Tesco or Sainsburys. My children grew up during the time of apartheid in South Africa and knew that mum wouldn't buy any fruit with the 'cape' symbol, anything that helps them learn about the world and it's people must be a good thing.

mummysaver

We used to have a huge map of the British Isles up next to the breakfast table, and ds would put stickers on all the places he'd visited, or where people we knew lived.

When he was tiny he was given an electronic toy from America, but have recently seen them in Woolies, it's about the same size as a Leappad, but doesn't open up, in greyish black plastic with a picture of the solar system on, and it's interactive, you can press planets and buttons to get info and do little quizzes. There was also a dinosaur one. It was really great.

He was also given a talking globe as a birthday pressie, and used to spend hours messing about with it, it was great as the programmed knowledge of the earth was a great deal better than mine!

andycarmi

HI. The Early Learning Centre do a space puzzle. Its 60 pieces and cost £5.00. It aimed at 4yrs.
http://www.elc.co.uk/toy-34065

Becles

When you go on holiday, show him the route the plane/train/car will take, so he knows exactly where he is going.

My Dad used to get frustrated with pupils (11-16) who'd been on holiday, but they didn't know where they'd been! In their eyes, they'd just got on a plane at Newcastle and got off someplace hot.

pickle

I've noticed at WH Smith that they have various wall charts for children in near the childrens books section. Amongst the posters (which are good quality durable ones) there is a world map one which I was quite impressed with. They are, from memory, £2.99.

ftbworried

Wow you sound like you have a really clever child. Do your best to nuture it (it sounds like you are!)- some parents can see children who constantly want to learn as a pain in the backside as they always need constant stimulation- i know it's hard work but it'll be worth it when you see your child graduate from Cambridge!

Seriously, this is how really intelligent people start- they are inquisitive into everything. The kid next door to my parents was like this- their Mum just thought that she was overactive and tried to just get her to calm down. She's started school now and she's been told that her child is very bright- I bet she feels guilty for trying to 'calm' her!

I don't know much about child development, but perhaps you could link his interest in countries to their languages. Perhaps on each country of the map put a picture of something and that word in that language?

Good luck!

Gingham_Ribbon

Thanks everyone. I think he is quite bright, but he has a quite short attention span and is constantly looking for more and more to do. It's hard work but also a joy and I feel so lucky to have him constantly teaching me and demanding me to think about how to meet his needs.

You've all given us some great ideas. We're just about to make a get well card for my mum who's laid up with her back. I think I'll cut out some circles of various sizes and let him colour in the planets for her. There's glitter too so I'm sure there will be lots of mess!

I really appreciate this. It's exactly why I think this site is so fantastic. Last week we were contemplating just buying some other types of toys because we didn't know where to look. That would have been a waste of money. Now I've got enough ideas to get stuck right in. (Don't stop coming up with new ones though! I feel this may be an ongoing thing!)

Becles

Have you had a look for museums near where you live? Mine loved going to museums from an early age. I just let them wander round till they settled on something that caught their attention, then took it from there. Sometimes we came home and did more research on the topic with books and the internet.

To give you an idea, this is one of our local museums that they enjoyed a lot:
http://www.twmuseums.org.uk/discovery/
I liked that one too because it's free

dooj

Use your map to look at different places and food that is grown there or any traditions such as national dress etc and do some activities about that e.g pizza is from Italy, make pizza with your son them find italy on the map, make a flag out of paper and find pictures of landmarks, maybe you could (using a computer) make some cards with flags on and types of food eaten in a certain country and get your son to match them. Find out all the capital cities and use stickers to indicate these on the map. Listen to music which is typically from different countries, try out national dances.
For space, make paper mache planets (paper mache round a balloon) then hang from bedroom ceiling. Use face paint to dress up as aliens, make rockets from toilet roll tubes, make space pictures on black paper by bubble printing, make a space costume with a box wrapped in tin foil on your head (bit cut out for face) and two 2 litre pop bottles taped together with a bit of tubeing (hosepipe) attached for breathing tubes.