I’m fascinated by old maps, so it’s been especially fun to follow the #MapMonsterMonday hashtag started by the Boston Public Library on Twitter and Instagram. Both have become hashtags for others to upload imaginative creatures.
Happy #MapMonsterMonday! #GSGbiblio pic.twitter.com/FL4ZXXmy6B
— uOttawa Library (@uOttawaBiblio) October 17, 2016
From the earliest known atlas, the Theatrum orbis terrarum 1570 #mapmonstermonday pic.twitter.com/VUMISV0vy5
— Flag & Steel (@flagandsteel) April 11, 2016
Here’s a 5-minute PRI interview with Dory Klein, education assistant at the library’s Norman B. Leventhal Map Center. She started #MapMonsterMonday because “I wanted to connect people with our collections and make these maps a little more accessible and a little more fun. … They’re beautiful and fascinating and the stories behind them can turn into just a wonderful rabbit hole of research.”
If you’re looking for a great Map Monster lesson, I recommend Medieval Maps and Monsters by the education team at the Osher Map Library. It’s a fascinating lesson for grades 3-5, but also filled with resources for older students. It includes an editable PowerPoint presentation 16MB ppt, Sea Monsters Handbook 4MB pdf and even materials to make a Dangers of Sea Exploration Board Game. You also find links at Osher Map Library to other great map-based lessons on medieval maps, Renaissance, colonialism, thematic maps and more.
Feature image from (Ortellius, 1573) Instagram post by American Geographical Society Library
