Contour Maps
These 3-D topographical maps keep students on top of geography — and its terminology!
1. Take a close look at several contour maps. Be sure to find a map of your area. Notice that mountains are shown by irregular shapes that outline the edges of changes in altitude. These shapes appear to be inside of each other. In reality, if you read the map accurately, you'll realize that they are actually stacked, with each smaller shape placed on top of the larger one beneath it.
2. Imagine a place that has hills or mountains, as well as lower areas between them. Perhaps your imaginary location has a stream or a prairie nestled among mountains.
3. Use Crayola® Fine Tip Markers to draw a contour map that shows the hills or mountains you imagined. Include at least 10 changes in elevation in your map.
4. On corrugated cardboard, draw each of the layers of the area that you mapped. The higher the mountain (or lower the canyon or lake), the more layers you'll draw.
5. Cut out the layers with Crayola Scissors. Peel away some of the paper on the corrugated cardboard to create a rough, textural effect. Stack layers in order. Glue them to a larger cardboard base with Crayola School Glue. Lay flat to air dry.
6. Use Crayola Gel Markers to color your terrain. Add details such as streams, forests, and rocky gray cliffs.
7. Write a description of your Contour Map using all the new words you learned. Display the map and explanation together.
Adult supervision is required for any arts & crafts project. Observe children closely and intervene as necessary to prevent potential safety problems and ensure appropriate use of arts and crafts materials. Some craft items, particularly beads and buttons, are potential choking hazards for young children. Avoid use of such small parts with children younger than 3 years. Craft items such as scissors, push pins and chenille sticks may have sharp points or edges. Avoid use of materials with sharp points by children younger than 4 years. Read all manufacturers' safety warnings before using arts and craft supplies.
Scissors—ATTENTION: The cutting edges of scissors are sharp and care should be taken whenever cutting or handling. Blunt-tip scissors should be used only by children 4 years and older. Pointed-tip scissors should be used only by children 6 years and older.
- Students create contour maps at home to involve the entire family in planning, cutting, and decorating the map.
- Older students create a contour map of a specific area to scale.
- Read a fairytale, such as Little Red Riding Hood or Hansel and Gretel, or a news story that describes a natural place. Create a detailed contour map of the area, and add small cut-out paper figures of the characters in the story.
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