Building Skills by Exploring Maps. Maps hold the promise of an adventure, and children really want to know how to read them. At the same time, they still need a lot of practice with the basic map skills of using latitude and longitude, locating places on a grid, estimating distances using scale, using indexes, and understanding common map symbols. This series uses age-appropriate maps to provide opportunities to practice these skills. Background information at the top of each activity page features interesting facts about the subject of the map or more information about map skills. 48 pages each.