Compass skills and orienteering
A compass is a tiny magnet that always points north. Learn how to use one, find your way with the sun, and try orienteering: the sport of racing with a map and compass.
How a compass works
Earth acts like a giant magnet. A compass needle is a small magnet that swings to line up with Earth’s magnetic field, so its red end points toward magnetic north.
The parts of a baseplate compass (the kind used for hiking):
- Baseplate: the clear, flat ruler you hold.
- Direction-of-travel arrow: points the way you’ll walk.
- Housing (dial): the round part that turns, marked with N, E, S, W and degrees from 0 to 360.
- Magnetic needle: red end points north.
- Orienting arrow: the outline arrow printed inside the housing.
Magnetic north isn’t true north
The magnetic pole Earth’s field points to isn’t at the North Pole. The difference between where a compass points and true north is called declination. In southern Alberta, a compass points roughly 12 to 13 degrees east of true north, and the number changes a little every year. For short walks you can ignore it; for long hikes with a map, it matters. Natural Resources Canada explains declination.
No compass? Use the sun and stars
- The sun rises in the east and sets in the west. Around the middle of the day here, it’s in the southern part of the sky.
- The shadow stick: push a stick into the ground and put a pebble at the tip of its shadow. Wait 15 minutes and mark the new tip with another pebble. A line from the first pebble to the second points roughly east.
- The North Star (Polaris): (see Navigating by the stars) find the Big Dipper. The two stars at the end of its “cup” point to Polaris, which sits almost exactly over true north.
Orienteering: a race with a map
In orienteering, you get a detailed map with checkpoints, called controls, marked in a circle. You choose your own route to find each one, in order. Some people race; families often walk it like a treasure hunt.
In Alberta, the sport is run by the Alberta Orienteering Association, a member of Orienteering Canada. Clubs like Orienteering Calgary hold beginner-friendly events and youth programs, with someone on hand to teach newcomers.
Closer to home: geocaching is a treasure hunt with GPS, and our candy hunt is a fun first compass game.
✏ Try it yourself: the compass square
- Stand on a spot and drop a coin. Set your compass to 0° (north) and walk 10 steps.
- Turn the dial to 90° (east) and walk 10 steps. Then 180° (south), 10 steps. Then 270° (west), 10 steps.
- Look down. Are you back at your coin? If you’re close, you’re a navigator!
Learn your pace: count how many steps it takes you to walk 100 metres (a football field is about that long). Now you can measure distance with your feet.
If you ever get lost outside
Stop. Stay put. “Hug a tree.” It’s easier for searchers to find you if you stay in one place. Blow a whistle three times, and always tell an adult where you’re going before you go.
❓ Quick quiz
Guess first, then tap to see the answer.
Which end of the compass needle points north?
The red end. Remember “red in the shed.”
What is the difference between magnetic north and true north called?
Declination.
In orienteering, what are the checkpoints called?
Controls.
You’re lost on a hike. What should you do first?
Stop and stay put. Blow a whistle three times so searchers can find you.
🏫 For teachers and parents
- Ages: 7 to 14.
- Compass square: 20 minutes on the school field; one compass per group of three works fine.
- Make a school-yard course: hide 5 to 8 numbered cards, draw a simple map, and time teams as they find them in order.
- Science link: magnetism. Magnetize a sewing needle by stroking it with a magnet, float it on a leaf in water, and watch it turn north.
- Safety: teach “hug a tree” and the three-whistle signal to every child who hikes.
- More ideas in the Teachers’ Corner.
More Earth Explorers
Sources: Natural Resources Canada, Geomagnetism; Orienteering Calgary and the Alberta Orienteering Association.