This eight-week curriculum on spatial thinking includes read-alouds, hands-on explorations, and digital games, some of which feature augmented reality (AR) technology.
The schedule shown here suggests completing these activities over the course of eight weeks, but you can adapt the sequence and timing to the needs of your classroom by spreading activities out over multiple days or repeating some to reinforce learning. Activities on learning left and right could be worth repeating every week, since this is a concept that needs practice and repetition, and often takes children years to learn.
Gather the materials below before starting the unit. Try out the activities yourself!
Apps
Download these Early Math with Gracie & Friends® apps from the Apple App Store.
Printables
- Piggies’ Farm Map and Piggies’ Farm: Mapped Out Route
- Block Party Cards
- Gracie and the Goat Cards and Character Props
- Gracie Says: Character Prop
- Different Kinds of Maps: Set of four maps (city map, farm map, a United States of America map, and a world map)
- Follow Henry’s Map
- Make a Walkable Map
- Amazing Maps #1, #2, #3, and #4
- Make Your Own Map: Landmark Cards
Books
- Piggies in the Pumpkin Patch, by Mary Peterson & Jennifer Rofé
- Mapping My Day, by Julie Dillemuth
- Henry’s Map, by David Eliot
- Lucy in the City, by Julie Dillemuth
Other Materials
- Cardstock or plain paper
- Construction paper
- Crayons or markers
- Scissors
- Tape
- Stickers
- Building blocks
- Two paper bags, two large blocks, or two pieces of cardboard folded in half (to help the Gracie and the Goat Character props stand upright)
- Music player (phone, iPad, etc.)
- Computer and projector and a whiteboard or blank wall (optional)
- Five chairs (for the Make a Walkable Map activity)
- Clipboards
- Treasure maps (draw one and photocopy for groups of 3-4 children)
- Treasure (one per child, such as stickers, pencils, pom poms, etc.)
- Treasure chests (shoe box or gift bag (one for each small group)
- Objects to create an obstacle course (chairs, blocks, table, etc.)
- Colored tape to mark the start (a star) and the finish line (an X). Or, make start and stop signs to tape to the floor.
- Objects from the classroom that look different when viewed from directly above (for example, a mug, juice box, pan, blocks, or a book standing upright)