Activities - Xpeditions @ nationalgeographic.com

- K-2: The Three Little Pigs in Earthquake Land
- 3-5: Earthquakes and Volcanoes
- 6-8: Natural Hazard Risks in the United States
- 9-12: The Ring of Fire

- Standard #15: How physical systems affect human systems

XTRAS //

- Play the Transportation Matching Game from National Geographic Explorer Magazine.

- Write a postcard to a friend about a place you've explored using the National Geographic Explorer Magazine coloring page.
- Pack your bags! Fill the suitcase with drawings of items you need to take with you on a trip.

INTERACTIVE FEATURES //

- Find lots of activities on the National Geographic Toot & Puddle Web site

LINKS //

Click for more great links related to this activity.

<< Toot and Puddle hanging out in Woodcock Pocket.

Image courtesy of National Geographic Kids' Entertainment

Your Mission

All aboard! It's time to explore a new place. To prepare for your adventure, you'll need to do some planning. First, you'll have to figure out where you want to go, how to get there, and what to pack. Then you need to decide what sorts of things you'd like to do once you arrive. So fasten your seat belts! Who knows where we might end up? Like Toot and Puddle, we could go far away to a new place or stay close to home, maybe in the woods like those surrounding Woodcock Pocket!

Briefing

Learn About It
Toot and Puddle love to explore! Sometimes Toot likes to journey far from home, while Puddle prefers to explore at home in Woodcock Pocket. But going on a trip, no matter how near or far, requires some planning and preparation. Where is it and how will you get there? Will you walk? Will you take a train, a boat, or a plane? What will you take with you? Mittens and a woolen scarf, or a bathing suit and sunscreen? And what sorts of things will you do once you arrive? Will you swim, hike up a mountain, or tube down a hill? All explorers, even Toot and Puddle, have to prepare and plan for an exploration; and preparing and planning for a journey can be part of the fun!

Think About It
Before children watch the video or have the book read to them, ask if they like to go on adventures. Then explain that they are going to watch (or listen to) Toot and Puddle on a great adventure. They are to listen carefully for the names of the places that Toot and Puddle visit. For older children, you can also ask them to look for ways that Toot and Puddle traveled and for weather that required Toot and Puddle to pack special clothing. Have children watch Toot and Puddle: I'll Be Home for Christmas (on television or DVD) and/or read them one of the following books:

Toot and Puddle
Toot and Puddle: Top of the World
Toot and Puddle: I'll be Home for Christmas
Toot and Puddle: Wish You Were Here

Write the following categories on the board for older children (simply discuss these out loud with younger children):

Transportation
Kinds of Weather
Places to Travel
Things to Bring on Journeys
Things to Do on Journeys
Clothes
Foods

Engage children in a discussion about Toot and Puddle's adventures and the children's own adventures. In this activity, they are going to answer factual questions, make personal connections, and organize information. Have children answer the questions that follow. Use the questions in parentheses to help children make personal connections. After they answer each question, ask them to decide which of the above categories their answer belongs in. Write (or discuss, depending on the children's ages) the answers in the correct categories.

Where did Toot and Puddle go? Show students the locations on a globe or map. Also show them the location of the city they live. (Can you name some places you have visited? Help children find the places they name on a world map or globe.)
How did they get there? (Have you ever taken a boat, train, or plane?)
What was the weather like in the place(s) Toot and Puddle visited? (What is the weather like today where you live? Ask students to describe the different types of weather they have in their community. How do you dress for different types of weather?)
What did they take with them? (What sorts of things do you or your family take on a trip?)
List some of the things that Toot and Puddle did on their journeys. (What kinds of things did you do and see when you went on a trip?)
What kinds of clothing did Toot and Puddle wear? (Do you wear similar kinds of clothing for the weather in your area at different times of the year?)
Did Toot and Puddle eat any kinds of special foods? (Have you ever tried foods that you were not sure you would like? Did you end up liking them?)
Name some places you would like to explore. Why would you like to explore there? How would you get there? What kinds of things would you need to take along?

Do It
Activity 1:
You will need the following items for this activity:

Several photographs of different locations and different climates (e.g., beach, snowy mountain, bustling city, lake, farm, wooded hiking path).
Note: Various images can be found at the National Geographic Photography Web site.
Several photographs of different modes of transportation (e.g., car, plane, boat, train, bus, feet, bike, skates, boogie boards, skis).
An assortment of different types of clothing or photographs of clothing (e.g., swim suit, mittens, boots, umbrella, coats).
An assortment of props or photographs of props (e.g., goggles, backpacks, camera, binoculars, passports, buckets).

For Younger Xpeditioners: Show children a photograph of a location. Ask them to describe what they see. Have them select a photograph that shows the type of transportation they would use to get to that particular location. Next, invite them to select and put on the types of clothes they might wear if they were visiting that location. Finally, have them select a prop that might be used at that location. This activity can be repeated several times. After each round, ask them to tell why they selected a particular mode of transportation, dress, and prop.

For Older Xpeditioners: Tell children that they are going to play a game called "Guess Where I Am?" In this game, they must act out a scenario and have others guess the location they have chosen. For larger groups of children, have them break into small groups. Tell children to act out a skit that tells about a particular location and that their educator/caregivers/playmates/classmates are going to guess the location.

Each child or group should choose four things to play the game:

A location
A means of transportation
Clothing they would wear in the location
Props

Allow each child or group time to dress up in appropriate clothes and select their props. Have each child or group act out a brief skit. Encourage children's creative responses. Continue playing the game until each child or group has presented a skit. After all the children have presented their skits, talk about the clues that provided information about the varied geographic locations. You may wish to have each child or group show the class where its location was using a digital map or a globe.

OR

Have children create a card game using the photographs previously listed. For example, they might design a game in which the winner guesses a location with the fewest number of clues, or they might design a game that is based on guessing the climate or geographic location. Encourage the students' creativity.

Activity 2:
Choose a day for an outside adventure walk around the neighborhood. Brainstorm with children the kinds of things you might need to bring along for this adventure. Talk about the weather forecast and the types of clothes they might need to wear. Designate a special preparation place to put items for your adventure (e.g., snacks, paper and pencils to draw the things they see, a bag for trash). Put a sign over the area that says "Adventure Walk Preparation Area." On the day of the adventure walk, divide the children into six teams: Trees and plants, buildings, animals, transportation, weather, and clothing. Ask children to pretend that they are a part of a famous team of explorers and their mission is to focus on just their topic to help other people learn about their area. While on the walk, they are to draw one or two things they see (e.g., an interesting home or building, the appearance of the sky (clouds, sun, etc.) that reflects the weather, birds, dogs). When you return from the walk, sit in a circle and have each team report what they found. Ask each team to draw what they saw on a large sheet of chart paper. Label the chart "Our Adventure Walk." Then ask them how the things that they saw in their neighborhood were like Toot and Puddles's adventures and which ones were different.

F A M I L Y - X F I L E S

Younger Xpeditioners: Talk about the differences between traveling to faraway places and taking trips that keep you close to home. Take younger children on a field trip, perhaps to an orchard, pumpkin patch, museum, or on a neighborhood walk to visit the fire and police stations or post office. Encourage children to talk about how they prepared for the field trip, what they brought with them, what sorts of activities they did on the field trip, whom they met, and what new things they learned. Children could draw a picture of their favorite part of the trip and compare their adventures to Toot and Puddles's.

Older Xpeditioners: Have older students play "Where in the World Am I?" Using their five senses, have students give clues as to where they are while other students make guesses.

A local example might be: I am somewhere that feels hot. I can see a roller coaster and can hear people screaming. I can almost taste the pink cotton candy. Where am I? (A carnival or amusement park)
For students who are more familiar with international locations try this one: I am somewhere that is very hot and sandy. I can ride a camel across the sand to see enormous pyramids and a sphinx. Where am I? (Giza in Egypt)

Parents: Share your travel stories with your children. You can show children passports, photographs, slides, or videos of trips that you have taken. Share what you learned about the world and yourself from traveling. Invite other family members and friends to share their travel stories.

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