Maps Activity Book by Aleksandra Mizielinska and Daniel Mizielinski

To be honest, I really got this activity book for myself. I am just using my daughter as a vehicle through which I get to experience it. And I have all sorts of legitimate reasons for feeling this way.

First off, I love maps. All kinds of maps. I like to collect them, but am in the process of weeding out my excess clutter, so this is a way to have a whole bunch of lovingly hand drawn maps all neatly bound in a book that is educational. And for my kid. No hoarding here.

I am horrible at geography and am determined to learn about all kinds of basic things like the national flag of the Seychelles and the route of the Trans-Siberian Railroad. Not to mention the difference between a reef stonefish and a yellow tang. Oh and also the exact location of the Brandenburg Gate. I will know all of these things, and so much more, once we delve into the projects that lie within the covers of this book.

A map of the United Kingdom. OK who knows which one in Scotland and which is Ireland?

Here’s what a typical page looks like… You’ve got a map (or a bunch of animals that live in a certain habitat, or people in various cultural costumes, etc) and then a directive. In this case, you get to imagine your own castles and put them all over the United Kingdom. Other pages ask you to draw animals that live in Australia, or draw the flags of various countries… it’s hours and hours of geographically creative fun.

And by the end, if I can easily draw you a typical musical instrument from India and a popular meal from Morocco, and can name all 50 of the United States and show you where The Parthenon is on a map, I’ll be in great shape. And so will my daughter (who will most likely retain far more of this than her mother, who also has to be in charge of bedtime and school lunch and other nonsense that crowds up her brain…)

Maps Activity Book by Aleksandra Mizielinska and Daniel Mizielinski, $14.99.