Navigator - Stage 1 badge

 Ahead of the postcard swap starting for us next week we introduced the Beavers to basic navigation

skills tonight.

We used the compasses to find North but ran out of time to go into a lot of details (however we play North, South, East, West quite a lot).

We got out the large OS maps and asked them to guess what they thought symbols meant before looking them up in the key to check and see if they could find them on the map (we have a shortage of lighthouses in central Sheffield much to their amazement!).

We'd also planned for a creative drawing game where the Beavers have to draw things following instructions.  We would have used this Island activity as a staring point but made it a little easier using shapes, letters and numbers so those who aren't confident drawers would be able to easily join in, but we ran out of time.  

Another game idea I'm planning on using when we have space to fill is a physical example of the Island one above.  This is asking a Beaver to stand in the middle of the room then giving the others compass directions to stand around them (e.g. John could you stand 2 steps West, Mark can you stand 10 steps North, Tilly can you sit down 4 steps south of Joe).

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As Beaver time is limited we have given the Beavers the opportunity to work on the badge at home over the next few months We sent the criteria out with helpful suggestions for completion, 

asking for evidence – writing, photo’s, drawings anything to show they have met these goals.  We made it clear it was optional to work on it not compulsory.

1)    Locate yourself on a simple map. This doesn’t have to mean finding your house on an OS map but if you go to the local park, nature reserve, zoo, or even a theme park where they have maps use these.

2)    Identify a number of features or locations on that map. You could pinpoint locations like the toilets, car park, bird hide or picnic area.

3)    Learn the four cardinal points of a compass.  Ask your child to draw and label a compass, explain how the N stands for North and how this is used in maps to find your bearings.  Can they learn a rhyme to help with the order?  (Never Eat Shredded Wheat?)

4)    Draw a simple map of where you live, your meeting place or another area local to you.  Can they include any of the map symbols they have learnt?

5)    Use a map during an outdoor activity.

6)    Show you understand how to dress appropriately and what equipment you and the adults will need on the activity.

 

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For their home challenge tasks Beavers needed to consolidate today's activities and find 30 different symbols used on maps (lighthouse, orchards, stations etc) and complete a worksheet we sent out (or just use paper).

 

We sent home the suggestion on how to do this asking children were not simply given a list of pictures and answers but look at a map (OS or even a street map) and find the symbols on it.  It’s a great opportunity to discuss features in the landscapes, especially those they may not see on a daily basis like lighthouses or viaducts.      

 

I also sent home links to https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/resources/maps-and-geographic-resources/map-symbols.html and a game called ‘map symbol bingo’ here http://media6.getoutwiththekids.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Map-Symbol-Bingo.pdf?a6ab5e.