What you need:

• Large world map
• Clear contact paper
• Large sheet of cardboard
• Construction paper
• Markers
• Child safety scissors
• Chart paper
• Polaroid camera
• Colored pushpin

Activity

1. Engage the children in a discussion about Miss Lewis's expedition. Ask the children to share what new information they learned from the book.
2. Ask the children to recall the different places Miss Lewis visited. Record their answers on chart paper. Then ask the children to think of an animal that Miss Lewis photographed in each area of the world she had visited. Record this information next to the corresponding area.
3. Invite each child to locate the places Miss Lewis visited on the world map. Use a colored pushpin to mark each location. Ask the children what each place had in common. Why was Miss Lewis able to visit each place by boat? Could Miss Lewis have visited these places by train, or plane, or car?
4. Show the children the different continents on the map and identify some of the countries or states. On a separate piece of chart paper write the following heading "Where I Would Like to Visit" and "How I Will Get There". Ask the children to think of different places in the world that they would like to visit and the mode of transportation they would like to use to get there. Children can also include some of the places that Miss Lewis visited.
5. Provide the children with a sheet of construction paper, markers, and safety scissors. Ask the children to make a small drawing of their modes of transportation i.e. boat, airplane, car, or stick person to represent walking or hiking. Assist the children in cutting out his or her drawing and writing their names onto the front. Provide each child with a pushpin and assist him or her to place their drawing onto the area of the world map that they would like to visit.
6. Take a trip to the neighborhood or school library and assist the children in finding a book about the country they located on the map. Gather travel journals, brochures, and magazines for the children to look at. Feature the children's books during reading or group time. Encourage the children to look at the photographs and learn a few facts about each country.
7. Provide the children with drawing materials to create picture postcards about their countries. Ask the children to use the back of their postcard to write a letter or dictate to someone pretending that they are on their trip, like Miss Lewis did. Invite the children to read their postcards during group time. Postcards can be displayed on a clothesline so viewers can see both the front and back of their project.

What Animal Lives Here? - A research project.

1. Review the list of places and animals found in each place with the children. Explain to the children that they will create a display about different types of animal found around the world. Each child will learn about an animal found in the country they choose to visit.
2. Encourage families and school staff to assist the children in their animal research project. Ask everyone to assist the children in finding a photograph and one or two facts about each animal.
3. Collect informational books and assist the children in using the Internet to find information. Invite your school librarian to the class to learn about the children's project and ask him or her for assistance in helping the children to find photographs and information. Send a note home to parents explaining the project and encourage them to assist their child in finding information.
4. Provide all of the children with drawing materials and paper to create a drawing of their animal. Attach a separate sheet of paper that include the name of the animal, the area of the world it is found, and a few facts about the animal. Find an area of the room to display the children's research. Invite each child to share their animal drawing and information with their classmates.
5. Celebrate the children's hard work with a special animal cracker snack.

Graphing Animals

1. Create a bar graph that depicts the different types of animals the children researched i.e. birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians, mammals.
2. Provide children with a small square sheet of paper and assist them in writing the name of the animal they studied onto the square. Place a small circle of tape onto the back of each child's square. Invite children to take a turn placing their animal square beside the appropriate category on the bar graph.
3. Ask the children to count the number of animals in each category. Which category had the most? Which had the least? What other type of information does they see on the graph?
4. Encourage the children to continue to add different types of animals to their graph as they learn about other types of animal life. Review the chart with the children from time to time to notate the new information.