A mapmaking family from Inverness led a unit in West Marin School’s third-grade class this spring, guiding children in thinking about what belongs on a map and where they themselves belong. Dewey Livingston, his wife, Kerry, their daughter Molly and her husband, Richard Vallejos, spent a month visiting Ashley Dumbra’s class two days a week, giving lessons on history, landforms, cartography and the Coast Miwok. Students chose a place that was important to them—whether their home or a sight like Black Mountain that marks their commute from elsewhere—and created 3D maps with wood, paper, plaster and paint. Mr. Vallejos said the kids showed pride in where they live. “They thought about their belonging and place in our community by locating themselves,” he said. “I think the project gave them a very tangible understanding of geography that was also very personal. And kids have very different ideas about what should be included on a map—maybe the animals they live with, for example, or the water features around them.”