1 Do you involve parents and members of the community in your investigations of the local area?
2 Are you familiar with the local area yourself? If not, you will probably want to explore the vicinity yourself, making notes of landmarks.
3 How do you support the development of geographical skills through visits and trips?
4 Do you use photography to raise children's awareness of features in the environment?
5 Have you involved children in organising any areas within the setting? Are they encouraged to express opinions about improvements?
6 Have you watched children to see how they use small-world equipment to build environments? How can you support this play?
7 Have you considered how speaking and listening skills are linked to early geographical awareness? Think about the questions you ask children, their responses, discussion of observations, use of vocabulary, giving and following verbal instructions and directions.
8 Do displays reflect early geographical learning? Is the children's own work in evidence - for example, plans and maps that they have made, drawings from observation, model environments?
9 Is mark-making equipment readily available so that children can spontaneously make plans and maps during their play?
10 Are maps and atlases provided in play areas to encourage discussion of place and route?
