Mapping the Moss

Source:

The Moine Mhor National Nature Reserve,  local schools pack (SNH)

Time

10 - 20 minutes

You will need

• compasses
• 4 lengths of rope
• 'Mapping the Moss' worksheet (see downloads)

Did you know?

Navigation, using a type of compass that responded to the Earth's magnetic field, had been developed in China by the 11th century.

Before the activity

Play the 'Compass Game' to familiarise the class with the points on the compass.

• use compasses to find North, South, East and West.
• mark a centre point and then stretch ropes out to mark finish lines for going N, S, E & W.
• one person, the 'shouter',  stands in the middle and the rest form a circle around them.
• the 'shouter', turns in a clockwise direction, pointing to the directions and saying Never (North), Eat (East) Shredded (South) Wheat (West)
• then the 'shouter' shouts out one of the directions and everyone else runs to the rope marking that direction.
• the last one to cross the rope becomes the 'shouter'
• the 'shouter' can also throw a soft ball at the legs of those running. Anyone touched by the ball is out
• game over when everyone is out or exhausted!

 Look at a map of the area you are going to and find where the bog is on the map. Find what lies North, South, East and West of the bog and find out in what direction the school lies from the bog.

The activity

In your chosen spot on the bog, use a compass to find North. Point to the North and get the children to pick out landmarks to the North such as a hill or fields, bridge, roads etc. Use the worksheets and ask them to draw onto their maps a landmark or landmarks for the north section of the map.

Do the same for the other directions, so that they have a picture map, with where they are standing at the centre and landmarks all around.

Add in extra information by asking questions and then getting them to draw illustrations or add names onto their maps for the correct directions. In which direction does the sun set? Does the sun rise? In which direction is the school,  the sea, the nearby towns?

Suggested Follow up

Go to an area that has many natural sounds, perhaps by a burn or in a bit of woodland, and draw a Sound Map of the area. See the activity  Sound Map in the Freshwater section.

Look at early maps of Scotland, to see how the landscape has changed, in your area or in the area you visited. The Roy Military Maps of Scotland are the precursor to the Ordnance survey maps and cover the whole of Scotland over the period 1747 - 1755 and are available online (see additional information, below).

Downloads

Mapping the Moss worksheet

Additional Information

Roy Military Maps of Scotland (1747-1755)

Curriculum Links

• Science - main
• Expressive Arts - main
• Technologies - associated

Age Range

2