Pin It Maps 2.0
Where it started. Where it's going.
A story about maps, quilting pins, a mom, and what happens when you follow a crazy little idea all the way through.
2015
It started with a foam board and a box of pins.
Pin It Maps began in 2015 as an idea for a better way to teach geography through hands-on learning. I developed the concept into a complete educational product line, teaching myself GIS and cartography to create 13 sets of detailed educational maps and designing a unique system of custom pin flags to accompany them.
I built Pin It Maps from the ground up — from product design, GIS data research, and cartography to manufacturing, sourcing, marketing, e-commerce, and distribution. The product design received patent protection, and Pin It Maps grew to more than 2,000 orders, serving families, Montessori schools, charter schools, and other educators in the United States and internationally.
But Pin It Maps was never something I built alone. My mom was part of it from the beginning — working alongside me to turn a hands-on learning idea involving maps, thousands of quilting pins, and a lot of trial and error into something real.
Pin It Maps 2.0
After closing the business, I returned to the original GIS work with a new goal: modernize Pin It Maps using current geospatial technology. Today, I am rebuilding the concept with ArcGIS Pro and ArcGIS Online, transforming the original physical learning system into an interactive web-based mapping experience.
Pin It Maps 2.0 brings together my background in information systems, business, product development, and GIS — while demonstrating how a successful physical product can be reimagined through modern geospatial technology.
Version 2.0 is a free digital resource. No accounts, no subscriptions, no ads.
How Pin It Maps Works
The same learning method — now digital.
Choose a Map Set
Pick from 12 map sets covering continents, countries, oceans, and landforms — the same regions from the original pin map collection.
Study the Map
Each quiz shows an interactive ArcGIS map with numbered or lettered zones — just like the labeled regions on the original foam board maps.
Place Your Pin
When a location name appears, click the zone button that matches where it belongs on the map. Instant feedback shows if you got it right.
Free for students and teachers
No accounts, no subscriptions, no ads. Just the maps.