Classroom Activities with Historical Maps

This webpage has been produced to accompany digitised maps (1815) of the landed estate of Sir Charles Henry Coote in Queen’s County (Laois). It includes:

• Creative ideas for using historical maps in the classroom with children of primary school age;
• Links to other online resources, such as maps, that can be used in conjunction with the Coote Estate sources.

Compare a historical map with a modern map or photograph of the same area. Look for differences in place names, boundaries, and landmarks.

Find examples of natural and human-made features on a map, and examples of businesses or industries.

Recreate a map using drawing, painting or collage.

Find symbols used by the cartographer:

• Different styles of compass rose or north indicator
• Different styles of building symbols
• How does the cartographer show boundaries?
• How does the cartographer use colour to depict different land uses or quality?

Imagine you are living in the time of the map. Write or draw stories about a journey, a day in the life, or an adventure using locations from the map.

Link maps to historical events. Place maps on a timeline and discuss what was happening in the world when a map was made.

Assign roles like explorer, cartographer, or townsperson. Use a map to make decisions, plan routes, or describe surroundings.

Introduce terms like ‘legend’, ‘scale’, ‘townland’, or ‘compass’. Match terms to features on a map.

Use digital tools to overlay historical maps on modern ones. Explore how technology helps us understand the past and visualise change.

• Find the location of your home or school on a map.
• What is different and the same in your local area?
• Are any of the buildings still standing?
• Compare people’s names with those of current residents.

What does the map of Ballyfin Demesne, where the landlord lived, tell us about the life of the landlord?

Use the scale to measure the distance between two features on a map.