Today, let’s take a look at a political map. Political maps show you the borders of different countries. Before you begin, you will need crayons of all colors and for the second part of the activity you will need an orange, green, blue, purple or pink, and black marker. Grab an atlas as well so you can see the names of the countries!

1) Color your world map.

2) Then, when you are done, draw a star or place a dot with an orange marker on the countries where you have family members living today or where they are from. Ask a family member where your parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins live today or might be from.

3) With a green marker, draw a circle on the countries where you have family friends or friends living today.

4) With a blue marker, make a check or place a dot to countries you have visited.

5) With a purple or pink marker place a heart on the countries you would like to visit someday.

6) With a black marker place a question mark of at least 3 places that you would like to learn more about.

Let’s get to know where some of our favorite animals live in the world! Before you begin, you will need markers or crayons, scissors, and glue.

1) Color the map and its animal shapes.

2) On the sheet with the animal illustrations, color the animal illustrations and cut them out.

3) Match the animal cut out to the correct animal shape on the map to see where these animals live in the world.

4) When you’ve matched the shape, glue the animal to its home!

Why do you think some animals live in only some parts of the world?What are some animals that live near water or in the water?

Now, that you have learned about the different continents and the countries within them, let’s learn about the oceans of the world. There are seven continents and five oceans on the planet. Before you get started, you will need five different colored crayons or colored pencils in various shades of blue and green as outlined in the instructions.

Color each ocean as follows:

Pacific Ocean: Teal or Turquoise

Atlantic Ocean: Dark Blue

Indian Ocean: Blue

Arctic Ocean: Light Blue

Southern Ocean: Light Green

Then, cut out some of the ocean animals provided (sheet 3) and add them to your map! You will need a glue stick and scissors for this part.

Let’s play a fun matching game to learn about the different land and water forms that exist in the world!

Before you begin, you will need blue and brown colored pencils or crayons, a pair of scissors, a glue stick, and all printed activity sheets.

First, using the example page provided, review how the land and water forms should be paired together.

Next, let’s create our matching game!

Color the gray area with blue to represent water

Color in the white spaces with brown to represent land

Cut out each land and water form picture

Cut out each definition and paste it on the back of its matching land or water form

When you are done, see if you can play a matching game with each landform and its opposite water form with yourself, a grown-up, or sibling! (hint: the opposites are paired on the same page before you cut them out)

What is a compass rose? A compass rose is a drawing that is usually found on maps to show the cardinal directions, north, south, east, and west. Have you ever looked at a map and said, “the United States of America is above Mexico?” But if you are in Mexico and looked up you wouldn’t see the United States. Instead, it is better for us to say that the United States of America is north of Mexico. The most northern point on our planet is the North Pole and the most southern point is the South Pole. When facing north, east would be left in relation to where you are standing and when facing north, west would be to the left. Before you create your own compass rose style, check out the examples below for some inspiration:

Before you begin you will need crayons or colored pencils, scissors, and a glue stick.

We’ll use pictures and symbols to tell a story about the people who live there and create a fun treasure hunt that you can play with other family members.

1) Start with drawing a map of your home. Check out the map examples for some inspiration!

2) Next, draw or cut out pictures and symbols to tell a story about the people who live in your home.

3) Then, add some of the “special symbols” to make your home map into a treasure map!

4) Add a map key with symbols, lines, special shapes, and colors to help readers make sense of the map.

5) You can also use some of the treasure chests or x’s provided to mark the placement of your first treasure.

6) You can make this into a game and hide objects for a treasure hunt game with family members.

Before you begin you will need crayons or colored pencils and a pencil.

First, explore the continents of North America. Take a look at the fourteen countries. See what countries you already know about and look for the names of new countries that you might just be learning about for the first time. Find their locations and when you feel ready, quiz yourself using the North America continents quiz.

When you are ready to move onto the next activity, take a look at the animals of North America map and give them some color to bring them to life!

In Mexico, one of the most studied salamanders in the world are known as Axolotls. Wild axolotls live in swampy areas of Lake Xochimilco and in the canals that flow into the southern edge of Mexico City.

Axolotls have also been known to have once lived in Lake Chalco, one of Mexico City’s five “great lakes”. This is one of the areas that the Aztecs settled. The Aztec called themselves Culhua-Mexica and they were a Nahuatl-speaking people who ruled a large empire in what we now call central and southern Mexico. The Axolotl name comes from the Nahuatl language and is pronounced Ax-oh-lot-ul. Atl means “water” and xolotl means “dog,” after the Xolotl, the canine Aztec deity.

In today’s lesson, we will learn how to draw your own Axolotl!

Before you begin, you will need a pencil, eraser, and colored pencils or crayons.

1) Did you know: Even though the Axolotl is commonly known as a “Mexican Walking Fish” it is not a fish at all. Axolotls are salamanders which is also a kind of amphibian. They are more like a cousin to a frog than they are to a fish.

2) Axolotls are carnivores known to eat worms, insect larvae, tiny shell fish known as crustaceans, and some fish.

3) Axolotls can live up to 10-15 years but are now considered to be a critically endangered species.

4) Did you know: Axolotls are neotenic salamanders, which means even as they grows older, Axolotls still look as if they are young.

5) Axolotls can regenerate (which is a fancy word to re-grow) the same limb up to 5 times!!

Did you know that Mexican wrestling as we know it today, found its popularity as a sport in the early 1900s? The origins of the freestyle wrestling form, lucha libre, which literally translates to “free fight” go all the way back to 1863. That’s over 150 years of a Mexican wrestling tradition!

Today’s activity is to create your own lucha libre mask and to color a lucha libre wrestling scene. Before you begin, grab some crayons or colored pencils and a pair of scissors to cut out your mask when you are done.

Did you know that chocolate originates from Mexico? The Olmecs of southern Mexico were probably some of the first people to grind cacao beans to make a chocolate drink for rituals and medicine almost 4,000 years ago! The Aztec and Mayan people also used chocolate. Mayans have an earth goddess and goddess of the cacao tree that they called Ixcacao pronounced like eesh-cah-cow. Can you say that? IX means ‘her’ while cacao of course means ‘chocolate.’ Ixcacao was often called into prayer along with the corn mother and the rain god.

In today’s lesson, get to know the different foods of Mexico with a fun coloring sheet! Then, learn how to make Mexican hot chocolate with a grown-up using our favorite recipe. Did you know that in Mexico people sometimes use this wooden whisk called a Molinillo that makes the chocolate foamy? Also, in some parts of Mexico, hot chocolate is made with water and not milk, which makes each drink taste different. Lastly, people in Mexico don’t use a lot of sugar so that you can taste a bit of the spice from the chocolate itself.

In today’s lesson, we will continue to apply your learning about maps, geography, and land and water forms as we explore Puerto Rico. One very important landform in Puerto Rico is the mountain range known as Cordillera Central. These incredibly lush mountains in the center of Puerto Rico run the length of the country from east to west. Bananas, pineapples, and plantains are grown throughout the region as well as coffee. The beaches and coastlines of Puerto Rico are also some of the most beautiful in the world! The important water forms include the Atlantic Ocean in the north, the Caribbean Sea in the south, and the Vieques Sound between mainland Puerto Rico and the island of Vieques in the east. A sound is a waterform that is located along a coastline and it is a narrow sea or ocean channel between two bodies of land.

Today, you will color a map of Puerto Rico. Once you’re done, follow the guide to create a 3D salt dough map of Puerto Rico as well!

Before you get started, you will need crayons or colored pencils to color the map.

First, color the physical map of Puerto Rico. Find and circle the following water forms on the map:

1) The Atlantic Ocean
2) The Caribbean Sea
3) The Vieques Sound

Then, find and circle the following landforms:
1) Cordillera Central Mountains
2) Vieques Island
3) Culebra Island

Let’s dance, Tiny Travelers! Today we will explore the rich history of Puerto Rico’s Bomba and Plena music. Drawing inspiration from traditional African music, what’s fun about Bomba and Plena is that they are both interactive! In Bomba music, singers lead a call-and-response chorus along to the beat that the musicians make with their barrel drums known as the subidor or primo (bomba barrel or drum). The musicians also play other percussion instruments including maracas, and the cuá or fuá, two sticks that are played against a piece of wood or the barrel of the bomba drum. While Plena music has one rhythm, Bomba can have up to 16 different rhythms! Plena music tells more of a story, usually about events or times when people needed to join together to make change.

Puerto Rico has a long history of using music as a form of storytelling. In both Bomba and Plena, you can hear songs about resistance, struggle, celebration, and joy! No matter the style, it is music that brings together the soul of the Puerto Rican people and their cultural pride for their beloved island!

Today, you can bring to life a scene of Bomba musicians and dancers with a fun coloring activity. While you color, enjoy the sound of Bomba with this song: Mayelá (bomba) by Viento De Agua. To see a video of Bomba musicians, singers, and dancers, take a look here!

Before you begin, you will need a pencil, eraser, and colored pencils or crayons.

The vejigante, pronounced ve-hee-GAN-teh is a character that represents an enemy or monster and can be seen in Puerto Rico during festivals such as Carnaval, Fiestas de Santiago Apóstol (in honor of St. James ), and other days of celebrations. The vejigante mask is known as the careta and it is usually made using papier-mâché or coconut husks and sometimes gourds. The legend of the vejigante comes from the Spanish settlers that brought over this symbol from Spain.

The Loíza vejigante masks are some of the most recognizable examples in Puerto Rican folk art. This style became popular by the late Don Castor Ayala over 60 years ago! Today, the Ayala family still makes these masks out of coconut and bamboo from their home in Loíza, in the northeast coast of Puerto Rico!

In today’s lesson, you can color your own vejigante mask also known as a careta.

Even though the masks represent a villian type of character, they are still used in playful ways and shown in bright colors throughout celebrations. Can you bring your vejigante to life using bright, fun, and playful colors?

Let’s get cooking, Tiny Travelers! From pasteles to arroz con gandules, chicharrón to bacalaíto, Puerto Ricans love their food and take great pride in cooking from the heart. For today’s activity, we are going to focus on one of the most beloved sweets in Puerto Rico: an icy type of ice cream called limber.

Limbers can be found all over Puerto Rico; at roadside fruit stands, local colmados (convenience stores), and even gas stations! Limbers are commonly made with tropical juices and sometimes with milk! They are the perfect treat to cool down on a warm day, or when you want a light snack to satisfy your sweet tooth.

If you’re wondering about its unique name, limbers are actually named after Charles A. Lindbergh, the first pilot to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. When Lindbergh flew alone to Puerto Rico on his 26th birthday, on February 4, 1928, he was offered a frozen fruit juice. He enjoyed it so much that the locals then started freezing the juice and calling it “limber” in his honor!

Today’s activity includes a fun Puerto Rico coloring sheet in which you can explore what foods you would traditionally find on the table at home. Once you’ve completed your coloring sheet, try making a limber with our recipe! This easy-to-follow recipe can be customized in a variety of ways to adapt to ingredients you have in your home.The flavor options are endless – you can use any fruit that you have available and it’s a kid-approved healthy alternative to a traditional popsicle!