Owl & Mouse Software: A Review: Maps & Building Activities

There are numerous maps with interactive teaching activities on this page. The interactive maps include the seven continents and major areas of the world. These interactive activities can be used to help learn countries, states, and capitals of the world and especially the United States of America. For the United States the students not only learn states, capitals and important landmarks, but they also learn physical characteristics of regions and important historic routes.

Large and small maps can also be printed to help with classroom activities. For instance if you are learning about the journey of Lewis and Clark, this journey can be traced freely on an outline map. The outline maps can also be used to quiz students about what they have learned regarding certain areas of the world. You can test their knowledge on states and capitals or perhaps even use the “Maps that Teach” idea and ask questions such as “Where did the Vietnam War take place?” or “Can you find the Spice Islands?”

The Maps that teach also offer online puzzles of each map. These puzzles help the students learn by doing. For each state or continent pieces of the area are missing and the student must fill it on. For the United States puzzle the student must fill in the states in the correct location on the map.

These are simple tasks and activities and the graphics are not "magnificent" but they are quite educational and will keep students interested.

Software is also available to allow the student to build Medieval Castles, towns, farms, and villages. Students are able to learn about various parts of the castles and even print out shields and pieces of armory. With the Castle software children also learn the history behind the castle and why it was built the way it was. For example which parts of the castle were built to help defend against intruders.

When building the towns and villages children will be able to set up houses, stores, and even name streets. Fun activities which can help children learn about how towns can be arranged and how they expand. Fun to use with social studies.

The farm building activity is a fun and educational program which allows student to build their farm from scratch and even decide which animals to put on their farm. This activity helps to teach children the importance of farms, the importance of the animals on the farm, and where food comes from.

Not many times will you find educational software which is really fun. I even played a few rounds of map activities and the town, village, and farm building kept my interest. You can incorporate these activities into many lessons and this will help incorporate technology into lessons as well. I would definitely use again!

In our next review we will look at the reading and phonics activities from Owl and Mouse.