Print out or draw a compass rose on a sheet of paper, but do not label the directions on it. Choose one direction, like north or southeast, and label only this box. Pass out the blank compass roses to students and instruct them to fill in the other boxes with the correct directions. Let them use pencils, markers, or colored pencils to color in their compass roses after they are correctly labeled.
Have students draw an "aerial view" picture of different places in their city or neighborhood. Next, let them write a number of sentences on a separate piece of paper describing the direction in which they would have to walk or drive to get from any given point A to a point B on the map. Instruct students to switch maps and sentences with a friend or partner and follow the directions given.
Draw a map on the chalkboard, or supply one on an overhead projector. Include streets through which students can call out verbal directions to navigate a paper cutout of a car. Practice moving the car from drawn-on houses, buildings, parks and lakes to other points on the map using directions found on a compass rose. For example, ask one student to move the car from the house to a nearby park on the map.
Children can play a fun "inside" version of tag by incorporating what they have learned about compass roses. Instruct a student to find an object located in a certain direction from him, then have this student call on another classmate to do the same with another object. For example, the first student will locate a yellow object to her north, then ask the next student to pick up a round object to his southeast.