Book Entry 193: 1989 Charlies US Map

          Charlie class assignment was to make a map of the United States.  He could make it out of any medium he chose as long as it was the right shape and divided correctly into named states.  We got permission to make the map together.  Charlie helped trace the states and pinned a label on each one.  When it came to Hawaii and Alaska Charlie wasn't sure where to put them.  I had him get out his encyclopedia and look up the United States again to figure it out.  His remedy was to put them out in the ocean like the people who made the encyclopedia did.  It seemed like a good idea and once he understood Alaska wasn't just off the coast of Disneyland our map was on its way to completion.  Over the period of a month we had pieced together a good map. 

          I put a sleeve at the top and bottom, inserting a long flat piece of lathe into each holding the map straight.  Charlie had a difficult time sometimes conforming to everyone else's ideas.  There were a few paper puzzle type maps and lots of paper Mache maps but Charlie's was one of a kind.  I know parents had helped the other kids too, and while Charlie didn't sew his map together he did learn to spell all the states, outline all the shapes, and show me what position each state should take on his map. 

          Charlie's teacher hung his map quilt on the wall for a few days and when it came home it had a paper with an A pinned on it.  The map took its place on another of Charlie's bedroom walls across from his animal quilt for many years.