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by Lynn Walker
Children in Boulder made a city map for kids!
A Sense of Place
Here at the Ranch, we see great importance in a sense of place. In addition to getting out and about into the environment around you, looking at maps is also a great way to get a sense of place.
Many CMR campers live and spend time in Boulder, which makes this town part of their identity. This is the first Boulder map made for kids, by kids. It can really help your child get a sense of place in their hometown!
Kid-friendly Boulder Map
The map-making project was inspired by Mara Mintzer, co-author of Placemaking with Children and Youth and Program Director of Growing Up Boulder. Over 700 children and 30 organizations, plus teachers and caregivers, collaborated on the map, which shows libraries, natural features and trails, bus routes, recreation centers, museums, parks for people and dog parks, too.
To help your kids develop their sense of place in Boulder, check out the first map made by kids, for kids. You can also pick up your free, printed, child-friendly city maps at locations such as the Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Pearl Street Mall Visitors' Center, Chautauqua, and Boulder’s rec centers.
Did your kid work on this map? Let us know in the comments! We love seeing our campers get involved with fun skill-building activities like this.
Mara, what a pleasure! Thank you for doing such good work for our kids! Hopefully we'll hear from more of our families about the kid-friendly map. I look forward to meeting you!
Lynn, thank you so much for sharing this! This is Mara Mintzer writing :-), and my daughter attending CMR last summer. This map-making has been an incredible journey, and we'd love to hear from families or business a) about how they have been using the map and b) any suggested changes for the 2020 edition. We'll take suggestions until Friday, March 20 at growingupboulder@gmail.com. Thank you!