A view of the world for the young at heart

During a recent trip to Joann's, I found this beautiful cloth map of the world. It was in their red tag fabric section, and it just happened to be during a sale week where these fabrics were 50% off! It cost me just $1.50!:) Bargains like this excite me, especially when it's something I can use in teaching. I was given a United States map very similar to this several years ago. I used it to create a bulletin board while I was teaching Kindergarten. If I ever go back to teaching elementary, or home school some day, I know that both of these maps will be such a helpful tool in teaching about missions, geography and history. 

I think I can use this map with our VBS program this summer. My husband asked if I would head up the four and five-year-old program again this year. Modern day missionary stories are woven into the week, as the main Bible story is about Paul and his missionary journeys. 

The map measures 35 by 42 inches--such a good size! I love the pictures of the animals, landmarks, and industry that cover each continent. To help it last longer, I bought some ribbon and stitched that all around the border. I didn't want it to unravel over time. I ironed it as well, but it was still hard to get the map to lay straight after putting the ribbon on. When I put it on a wall, I think it will stretch out just fine.

Here's a close up view of the title, "our world." The letter "o" in world is really a globe!

This is Africa. With such colorful pictures, what kid wouldn't want to look at this map? There are so many interesting things to learn about as you look at each continent. I'm sure it can serve as a starting point for discussions, book reports, and craft projects! I'm already thinking that it would be neat to post pictures of missionaries right on the place in which they serve.

Here's a close up view of the grosgrain ribbon that I used. It was 5/8 of an inch wide, so I folded it and was able to cover both sides of the fabric. It was tricky to do, but all in all, it was worth it. I want this map to last for a long time. It's a treasure that I know will be used for years to come.