Relative and Absolute Location with Google Earth

Relative and absolute location are important geographical concepts for young children to understand. A great way to help children visually see these concepts is to use Google Earth.

After looking at a globe we turned to Google Earth, where the students and I discussed the seven continents and the oceans. Using the rotation tools, we looked at the poles, the oceans, and the placement of the continents on Earth. We discussed how we live on the continent of North America.

Next, we talked about the United States and the 48 contiguous states and the location of Alaska and Hawaii. We looked at our borders and discussed how Hawaii was formed. Of course, the students remarked that Hawaii is made up of a series of islands.

Next we flew to Florida and talked about the concept of a peninsula. The children were quick to notice the different shades of blue and knew it represented the different depths of the water.

Flying into Tampa Bay, we looked at another peninsula.

Finally, we flew to Shorecrest. The children were quick to notice this satellite picture must be old - the track is black not red. We spent some time talking about the perspective of bird's eye view before turning on Street View.

But the best part of class was the excitement and chatter as students flew to their own houses and viewed where they lived using both a bird's eye view and street view. If you have never used Google Earth, I encourage you to download the free software. It really is an amazing learning tool. There is also a free app available for mobile devices.