Each of the seven continents had its own color and was its own puzzle piece. Minor details like Japan, Hawaii, or (ok it’s a big detail but still) Greenland did not come out of the map, but were colored to match the continent that claimed them.

We put the map piece on a properly colored paper and traced the perimeter of the continent. Then we were required to take a straight pin and “perforate” the entire perimeter of the map piece rather than cutting it out with scissors. We’d punch out the perforated map piece and glue it in the proper location on a blue ocean. This is very time consuming at it takes close to a week to make a world map this way (considering time spent on other studies). But to this day, I can practically draw the world map from memory.

As one progresses in school, this technique is repeated with maps containing national boundaries. Those I remember well too, though my memory is out of date due to recent political changes like the fall of the USSR and such

(and what’s with all this pink writing? ughh)

“Rarely is the question asked: Is our children learning?”
– G.W. Bush Florence, S.C., Jan. 11, 2000

Sure, lets continue “teaching to the test” so that kids know enough to pass some standardized test. Here are the results in action. Just more proof that the current No Child Left Behind Act is a joke.

In the meantime, Zoot you need to come to dinner – we’ve got a world map and a U.S. map on our table, covered in a clear vinyl table cloth. It’s awesome!