Why Every Kid Should Have a Globe

For many of our customers, they know the joy of gifting a personalized push pin globe or map. With so many options provided by Wendy Gold, there is sure to be the perfect, unique gift for marking an anniversary, graduations, birthdays, or any other celebration you can think of. But, what about practical uses for our custom, handmade globes?

Whenever we need directions these days, we almost always rely on our GPS (global positioning systems). However, one should not dismiss the skill of reading a globe. By learning about globes and how to read them, students obtain geographical knowledge, as well as a better understanding of the political and economic aspects of countries around the world. Studying globes also improves one’s critical thinking skills, which will help them as they advance in their studies and in life.

In comparison to flat maps, globes are a bit more accurate in that they mimic the genuine shape of the Earth. What’s more, the spherical shape of globes more accurately presents the shapes of land masses, continents, bodies of water, and so on. Globes vary slightly across different cultures. However, they share enough details and therefore will be universally understood.

Globes in the Classroom

Every classroom should have a globe in it. They are great learning tools. With a globe, students can learn about faraway lands, how historical people moved from land to land, and how to plan trips from understanding directions. Teachers use them for many different types of classes: geography, science, social studies, and more.

Globes are also tangible. Children like to touch things and see how they feel. When a child touches a globe, he or she gets a better understanding of the elevations and depths of the Earth, especially on a raised relief globe. They can also spin the globe which provides them with a visualization of how the Earth spins on its axis.

Globes also introduce students to the fact that they are part of a much larger world. This in turn will inspire them to study their globe and then motivate them to get out and see and explore other cities and countries.

A Globe for Every Lesson: 6 Examples

Geography teachers use globes when educating students about mountain ranges, bodies of water, and natural resources.

During English class, students can practice their writing skills by describing the different countries and habitats they learned about while studying globes.

Students can improve their mathematical skills by calculating the distances between two locations on their globe.

Art teachers can utilize globes by having students create their own version of the earth with paper mache or some other medium.

1. Understanding the Seasons

Educators use globes to teach students about the earth’s relationship with the sun and how we get each season (spring, summer, fall, and winter). One lesson consists of the teacher turning off the lights in the classroom. Then shining a flashlight (which represents the sun) on one side of the globe. As a result, one side of the globe is lit up, while the other side is in darkness.

2. Planning Routes

Globes are used when planning long-distance travel routes. One example is when you pull a string between two locations on the curved surface of a globe. The string then follows the shortest path. This is known as the “great circle route.” Airplane pilots use this method when plotting their routes.

The "Ocean Currents Vintage World Globe" by Wendy Gold

3. Learning Direction

Globes help children understand the concepts of North, South, East, and West. Grasping the four basic directions is an important skill when navigating. Or when describing one’s whereabouts should he or she get lost. After the student learns these four basic directions, they can use the globe to figure out, for example, if the school is North, South, East, or West of his or her home.

4. The Oceans

Learning and remembering the names of the oceans—Indian, Atlantic, Pacific, Southern, and Arctic—can be tough. But when a student can visualize where each ocean is on earth, then remembering them becomes a bit easier. Globes offer children this visual component when being taught where each body of water is located, as well as each one’s name.

5. Latitude and Longitude

Globes make grasping the concept of longitude and latitude much easier. Longitudinal lines run north and south. They are drawn from the North Pole to the South Pole. (Mentioning that Santa Claus lives in the North Pole might be a good frame of reference when teaching children about the Poles.) Latitudinal lines run east and west. The lines are referred to as “parallels” because they are parallel to the Equator. These lines appear on a globe for reference purposes, but in reality they do not exist.

6. Back to School

Being that it is back to school time, why not get the teacher or student in your life a globe? And, once graduation comes, they will have a unique gift to display in their home, office, or dorm room. California artist, Wendy Gold, offers an artistic and interactive way to teach students about the world they live in: push pin globes.

With the included push pins, each student can mark where he or she lives. Or where they have gone on family vacations, and a country they would like to visit. When teaching about famous explorers, teachers can utilize the red string to chart their routes. Teachers can then write educational notes on the adhesive flags about the locations that they are pinned in.

About Globes from Wendy Gold

Vintage globes and their unique sense of wonder and nostalgia is what inspires Gold. She adds her own artistic touch by layering imagery on top of the vintage canvas. Gold's Push Pin Globes rest on an axis stand, which then sits on a handmade hardwood base. The globe spins fully around, which teachers and students alike will appreciate during lessons. Each Push Pin Globe comes with a Push Pin Travel Kit. The kit includes 100 push pins, red string, 50 adhesive flags, and a custom tool for inserting pins.