Compass Rose

All three of my boys have loved learning map skills.   Both my husband and mom are map enthusiasts, so it appears that genetics may play a role in their excitement.

Rhett(5) and I have been working on map basics – North, South, East and West – and the compass rose.

What is a Compass Rose?

A compass rose displays the cardinal directions {North, South, East & West} and the intermediate directions on a map, chart or compass.

Learning Directions

I thought it might be helpful to make a Compass Rose worksheet to help Rhett learn directions.   It is always helpful to have something that he can pull out on his own and work on without my undivided attention.

I started with several pieces of scrapbook paper an Exacto knife and a pair of scissors.

I Googled “Compass Rose Images” and found one that I liked to use as a template.

The image was cut and used to cut the scrapbook paper into one large and one small four-point shape.   The larger one was used for N, S, E & W and the smaller one for NE, SW, SE & NW.

They were glued onto a sheet of paper as a base.

At each point a bit of Velcro was fastened.

8 squares were cut and each was labeled with a direction.

The direction squares can be removed and replaced by little fingers whenever desired.

One thing that I learned when completing this project is that I would decrease the size of the Velcro used.   It is VERY sticky and a smaller square/circle would make it easier to remove.

Once the directions are learned, this Compass Rose could be used for “life size” map projects within a room or in our backyard.

I feel a treasure hunt coming on…