Population is the whole number of people living in an area, such as a town or city. Mapping a population helps you to see where the area is most and least crowded.

Use this activity to build a PASTA population map of your neighborhood with your family!

Photograph by: Liz Andersen

What you’ll need:

• Glue
• Paper
• Pasta in assorted shapes
• Pencils

1. Draw a map of your neighborhood.

Draw a simple map of your neighborhood. Include homes and familiar places, such as the park, school, and grocery store.

2. Create a pasta population map.

Decide which places in your neighborhood have the most people or are the most crowded. Glue many pieces of pasta on the part of the map that is the most crowded part of the community. Then glue just a few pieces of pasta on places where there are only a few people. Don’t glue any pasta on places where no people tend to go.

3. Talk about the map.

You have just created a population map of your neighborhood! The map shows the places that have the largest and smallest numbers of people. Which parts of the neighborhood are the most crowded? Which parts are the least crowded? Why?

Let us know what you discovered when you created your family map! Find more resources and activities for population here.