In like manner note the state of Indiana, its outline and the triangle formed by the line running from Indianapolis to Fort Wayne to South Bend, to La Fayette, to Evansville, and back to Indianapolis. Any state may be studied in this way, or any country or continent. Its size, shape and the location of the principal cities may be indelibly fixed in mind.
You will find that impressions made upon the mind in this visual manner are lasting, and that you can gather knowledge of geographical locations which hitherto may have been difficult for you to retain.
After you have once impressed these pictures upon your mind, close your eyes again and let your mind's eye see them. The location of cities, mountain ranges, rivers, etc., need simply to be visually impressed in this manner. Draw a line from one principal city to another. Notice the length and direction of the line and the figure made by joining them. Draw the lines with your eyes closed until you have a clear mind's eye impression of the exact locations.
Follow this plan in teaching the child to visualize the map which he is studying. Do it with each state, and each continent, island, or country.
Draw a plain outline map of the continent being studied, let the child draw in the principal rivers and mountain ranges, writing the name of each. Explain how these mountain ranges and large rivers, because of the natural defence offered, have become the natural boundaries between nations. Now have the child draw each country on a blank map, writing the name of each and placing a dot where the capital of the country is located, and naming it.
Of course it is not likely that the child will be able to do all this without reference to the map. The map of the continent should be visualized by a definite effort. Let him go over a section at a time noticing the mountains and rivers, their use as boundaries and the countries which they separate. After this detail study have the child observe the map as a whole, and build its visual picture in his mind. From this visual picture have him draw all the details possible on the blank map. Let him go back to the map of the continent, study the points missed, revisualize the picture, close the book, and add as much as possible to the map he is drawing.
Do the same with the map of the United States. Have the child become familiar with the outline, the rivers, mountains and Great Lakes. Next have him become familiar with the groups of states, as the New England States; the Middle Atlantic States; the Southern States, eastern and western divisions, etc. Each of these divisions can be visualized separately, the outlines of the states and the location of the capital learned, so that an outline map of the group can be drawn as was done in the case of the continent and its countries. If this process is continued a very little study of the United States as a whole will enable the child to draw the entire country and locate all the states and their capitals, a thing which only a very few grown people can do.
Learning the Groups of States
The use of initialing will help in learning the names of the states in their different geographical groups. Use the initial of the states in the group and make a sentence using these initials as the first letter of each succeeding word. Fix the sentence in mind and when you wish to name the states let the initial or name act as a guide and suggest the name of the state. Use the sentences following, or make others of your own.