Website of the Week: Geography Action! 2008

In honor of Geography Awareness Week, this week's website is Geography Action! 2008 from National Geographic. Geography Action! promotes geographic literacy for children in U.S. and Canadian schools. Lesson plans are presented for grades K - 12 on topics like Oceans, Cultures, Habitats, and places like Africa and Asia.

These lesson plans are detailed and cross-link to other websites and activities, so be sure to give yourself plenty of time to explore! And before you log off, stop by the National Geographic MapMachine Student Edition to print a free map to remember your "journey."

It's GIS Day!

Today is the 10th anniversary of GIS Day, celebrating how geographic information systems are making a difference in our world. This global event is celebrated in more than 80 countries, including Saudi Arabia, Denmark, and Switzerland. (I had no idea!)

I tend to think of GIS as a digital mapping tool, but ESRI.com's Guide to Geographic Information Systems goes into much greater depth about this powerful information system and its applications. The GIS Day website has links to lessons and activities for children from kindergarten on up through high school (and beyond), as well as GIS materials and other information.

GIS Day is just one part of Geography Awareness Week, celebrated in the U.S. during the third week of November.