Maps

Are we naive to hope for a "Dora effect"? Is it unrealistic to expect that preschoolers who are raised with the company of this perky pal should grow up to be devoted map lovers? They can't have a monkey for a real best friend, and repeating "lo hicimos" in that uninflected way does not a bilingual child make. But maps! Maps may well be Nickelodeon's lasting legacy to the youth of America. A parent can dream, can't she?! And, failing dreams and Dora both, she can teach her child to read a map. Maps are the ultimate real-life application of spatial thinking. A love of maps will bring many happy years of travel planning, shortcut finding, and route recommending. Maps answer the basic puzzle of our lives: "Where am I and where am I going?" Having a map at the ready often short-circuits the tension stemming from a spouse's refusal to stop and ask for directions. Existential peace, marital bliss -- get out the map! Read More »