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Geography Jigsaw

© Valerie Borey

Americans are notorious for being terrible at geography. They tend to confuse continents with countries, regions with states and seem generally unconcerned with world topography. It worries me to think that those who speak approvingly of declaring war on Iraq have trouble differentiating the country from its Arab neighbors. It worries me even more that, for them, Iraq is simply a carefully colored entry in a political map, shown without context, without history, without people.

When I think of the diverse regions found in Norway, I find it strange that the image of the majestic fjord has come to serve as a conceptual substitute for the urban charms of Oslo, the rugged farmlands of the interior, and even the burnt-earth barrenness of the North. There is a better way for children to learn about Norwegian geography than to simply note that it is a different color on the map than Iraq. Doing the activity below with your child will help them learn to put a country into proper perspective.

What you will need:
Map of Norway featuring regions and major cities
One sheet of white foam board
Pencil
Colored markers
Razor blade or other precision cutting utensil

Using your map as a reference, draw a freehand outline of Norway on your sheet of foam board in pencil. Pay attention to detail, but don’t get carried away with marking all the inlets and intricacies, as this will make it much more difficult later on when you have to cut. Once you are satisfied with the outline, go back and draw the borders of each fylke or county. Trace your country and fylke boundaries with a fine-tipped black permanent marker.

Evenly color in the regions of Norway using a variety of colored markers. With your permanent marker, label each region clearly with the name of the fylke. You may also choose to label the major cities and topographical features at this point. With a razor blade, carefully trace the outside border of Norway so that the form pops cleanly out from the sheet. The sharper and narrower your blade, the easier this task will be.

At this point, you will need to decide how in depth you want to go with this project. For younger children, I would recommend creating a basic jigsaw puzzle that they can assemble and reassemble as they learn about the general geography of Norway. To do this, simply take your blade and very carefully trace the fylke boundaries so that the edges will fit neatly together once assembled.