We were walking around the zoo, searching for the polar bears. The sun was shining, and the zoo was full of families and kids. I turned to Eli and asked, “Where can we find the polar bears?”.
Eli replied, “They’re further north.” I was amazed and repeated, “North?”, trying to make sense of it.
Eli noticed my puzzled look and asked, “Wait—don’t you know what North is?”
I shook my head to each side saying no. Eli began explaining that “North is one of the four cardinal points: North (N), South (S), East (E) and West (W).
They are the directions that help us find our way”. I became increasingly confused and asked, “What are the cardinal points?”
Then, Eli explained, “They are super useful when there are no obvious signs, like streets, numbers, or buildings. They’re how explorers and travelers used to navigate!”
Her words sparked my curiosity, and I asked, “How do people know where these points are?”
Eli answered, “They have been around for thousands of years! Ancient civilizations created something called the Wind Rose, which looks like a star. It helps us locate North, South, East, and West.”
I exclaimed, opening my eyes even wider, “The Wind Rose looks like a star?”. Eli said, “Exactly, do you want to know how it works?”. I nodded eagerly.
Eli told me “Stretch out your right arm toward where the sun rises.” I did as she said, my arm pointing toward the horizon.
She said, “Now stretch out your left arm in the opposite direction, where the sun sets.” I stretched my left arm, and suddenly I felt like I was part of a big invisible map.
Eli explained, “Your right arm is pointing East (E), and your left arm is pointing West (W). Now, look straight ahead. That’s North (N). And behind your back? That’s South (S).” I exclaimed happily, “Wow! Now I know four directions.”
Eli smiled, “There’s more. Between these four main points are four additional ones: Northeast (NE), Southeast (SE), Northwest (NW), and Southwest (SW). The four cardinal points form a cross.
Between each of these two main cardinal points (N, E, S, O) we can find another direction. So we have four more directions which we call collateral points: northeast (NE), southeast (SE), northwest (NW), and southwest (SW).”
With her wing, she traced a simple Wind Rose into the dirt on the floor, making an “N” at the top. She said, “Here’s a basic Wind Rose.”
Eli pointed down the path “Now, we’ll follow North to the polar bears!”. I said, “I know where to go now.” We began walking briskly, but suddenly I stopped mid-step. A question popped into my head.
“Wait,” I said, turning to Eli. “What if I’m somewhere unfamiliar, and it’s nighttime? How would I find the North without the Sun?”
Eli said, “Great thinking, Riri! At night, we use the stars. There’s a special one called the North Star, and it always points North.
I’ll show you how to find it tonight.” My eyes widened in excitement. “The stars can help too? That sounds amazing!”
Eli said, “But that’s a story for later—right now, let’s go see the polar bears!”
Together, we walked confidently toward the North, the Wind Rose in my mind guiding the way.