Geography in the Early Years

Geography.  Or KUW, as we know it in the Early Years.  It’s tricky for the little ones; their knowledge of place is undeveloped and their concept of distance is, well, rather skewed. Bless them.

I went to visit my old class the other day and was met by amazement and disbelief that I hadn‘t simply ceased to exist (except from Davey, of the sage sleeping advice. I’m not convinced that he had even noticed I had gone…). Then after the initial excitement had calmed down the Nursery Nurse asked me if I would like to do a question time with the children, so of course I agreed (I’m yet to learn…).

So after twenty minutes of shuffling and moving and moving and shuffling we had the children in a circle and I waited expectantly for the questions. We went through why I had left and where I had gone, then the topic moved on to where I had come from that morning.

It was Maddy who started the interrogation, with ‘but did you have to get an aeroplane here?’

Smiling I gently replied, ‘No Maddy, I came on the bus.’

She frowned. ‘But why didn’t you get an aeroplane?’

‘Well I haven’t really come that far Maddy, I only needed to get a bus.’ She relaxed for a second with an ‘oh’ of understanding, before her cogs started turning again.

‘Well did you come from Japan?’ She questioned.

‘No Maddy,’ I replied, ‘I only came from a place called Swiss Cottage, it’s not very far away so that’s why I took the bus.’

‘Oh. Well why didn’t you get the aeroplane from Japan?’

Closed eyes, deep breath … ‘I didn’t come from Japan, Maddy. I came from another place in London. It’s not very far away.’

‘Oh. Well what’s that place called?’

‘Swiss Cottage.’ (Did I not say that already?)

‘Oh.’ She paused and I held my breath - had we finally got somewhere? She looked away and I thought we were moving on, but then she turned back.

‘Well is Swiss Cottage in Japan?’

I hesitated before deciding to take the easy way out… ‘Um, nearly!‘ I replied. ‘Well it’s in the same hemisphere … ’ I inhaled. ‘Mrs Smith?’ I called. ‘I think I’d better make a move. I’ll come and visit again sometime!’ As I was leaving I heard that unmistakeable lilt of Maddy’s follow me out through the door.

‘I know where miss is going.’ She asserted to her classmates. ‘She’s going to Japan. And she’s going on an aeroplane! But don’t worry, she’ll visit us again soon.’ And I will, I promise …