Map-reading skills

[Gerry]

With all the new technology these days, are you still teaching old-fashioned map-reading skills to the little ones coming along? Even learning to read a compass is a necessary skill. Not everyone has a working GPS device with him all the time.ss

[oldsarge]

Absolutely! Never give up on the tried and true methods that have worked for years. GPS's can be fun and chock full of features, but when they go bad, your screwed. I always have a map and compass.

[Grandpa]

Yes, My 10 yr old cubscouts get a heavy dose of map reading. Since 10 yr olds are all ready computer literate, my first lesson is with Nat Geographic State map on pc. All my cubs live in a rural setting so the first assignment is to find their own home, then nearby campgrounds, then trails to nearby peaks. They catch on to this real fast. The second lesson is class work with maps and compass. After working on the computer, they seem to catch on to the maps and compass much faster than starting with maps. One of their day hikes, we put the map and compass to work in the field. This system has worked well for me, even with 10 year olds. Our unit, which has programs for 8-19 year olds has a very aggressive outdoor program with a lot of wilderness activities, so we need to give our cubs accelerated basics so they are ready to keep up as they move through the programs.

[Hikenhunter]

Map and compass skills will always be a neccesary skill to posess in the outdoors. GPS units are great and fun to use but they can have problems and knowledge of map and compass could be necessary in a pinch. Besides sometimes it's just more fun to do things " the old fashoned way "

[woodsman]

I keep a compass with me at all times, I also now how to tell North with the help of an analog clock and the sun. The later would be useful in case you have magnetic rock deposits in your immediate vicinity.

[ppine]

The old ways are the best ways. Your map will not break or run out of batteries. Coat with map preserver and it can get wet too.

[BGreen]

Grandpa, we need you in our stomping ground. We have lots of kids around who would love to participate in some of your classes. Too many of them have parents whose idea of fun on the weekend is either sleeping in or bringing the office home with them.

[Gondor]

I don't use GPS if anyone wants to know. I use map and compass. We were fine without it long time ago and we are fine now just the same.

[carmen]

I will never fully trust technology alone, and it never hurts to learn how to read a map. I still know many adults who are confused by this, it is even worse if you hand them a compass. I really think schools need to teach kids this again before the finish the last year of school, not just during the early years. What happens when technology dies out?

[Grandpa]

Originally Posted by BGreen

Grandpa, we need you in our stomping ground. We have lots of kids around who would love to participate in some of your classes. Too many of them have parents whose idea of fun on the weekend is either sleeping in or bringing the office home with them.

Nawwww, I'm just the old timer to get them started. We have a very large highly qualified bunch of adults to continue their outdoor education. With so many big wilderness areas so close, these boys get a lot of experience. Also, we are blessed with a lot of well to do retired people moving in to the canyons around here so we also have a good financial base to support their activities.