Walking like an Egyptian and moving like a gorilla Vicksburg Warren School District students got an interactive geography lesson this week.

Beechwood Elementary School hosted two large maps of the United States and Warren Central Intermediate played a giant map of Africa across the gymnasium floor. The National Geographic map, is 35-feet by 26-feet and is a geo-game board, used to introduce students to the power of maps and the diverse geography of Africa.

Patrick Jenkins, a sixth-grader at Dana Road Elementary enjoyed seeing the giant map but was a little apprehensive about moving like a gorilla. “The map is really cool,” he said. Patrick is the son of Shawn and Cheryl Jenkins.

Kay Williams and Barbara Boone with the Mississippi Geographic Alliance at the University of Mississippi took turns getting the students out on the map. “We do as much kids on stuff as we possibly can,” Williams said. “We try to to get each student involved.”

“I like to have them play Simon says and they have to waddle like a penguin, move like a gorilla and walk like an Egyptian,” Williams said.

The MGA will bring the map to various locations throughout the state during the month of February. It is touring the state as part of National Geographic’s Giant Traveling Maps program, organized by National Geographic Live, the public programming division of the National Geographic Society.