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ADVENTURES

daily activities

NEXT DAY

Enter the Rainforest

Amazon Expedition

You've studied. You've explored. You've freaked out a little bit about giant spiders. Now you're ready to lead the next rainforest expedition. So many mysteries remain. Did you know that hidden rainforests are still being discovered—even inside volcanos? Today, you will plan your own expedition. Which rainforest would you like to visit? How will you and your team gather information? What startling new answers will you unearth?

DAY 5

what you’ll need

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FOR PARENTS

Ask About Today

What are some essential items to pack for a rainforest expedition?

Dinner Discussion

If our family was to go on an expedition, where would we go? What would we be most excited and scared to see?

Skip the Ads

Unfortunately, online videos often start with short advertisements. Remind your campers to click the "Skip" button as soon as they can to move ahead to the video.

explore

30-45 minutes

01

Watch and Learn

YouTube thumbnail

Follow Dan, a young biologist, as he goes on a once-in-a-lifetime expedition into the depths of the Amazon rainforest to spot a wild jaguar. Pay close attention to the dangers he encounters, the modes of transportation he uses, the shelters he builds, and the food he eats. It will come in handy as you plan your own expedition!

Remember: Online videos often start with advertisements. (Annoying, we agree!) Click the "Skip" button as soon as you can to move ahead to the video.

02

Map Your Expedition

Before you plan your expedition, you need to choose where to go! Use this interactive map from Google Earth to explore the Amazon rainforest virtually. Where will you start? What will you discover on your journey?

03

Don't Forget the Bug Spray

Now that you have the destination, you'll have to choose what to bring! Watch this video to get clues and look through the Expedition Kit Photo Cards to decide what's most important. Remember, there's not much room in a canoe and you're going to be doing a lot of hiking through jungle terrain on foot.

04

A Rainforest... in a Volcano

Read about how a 28-person team of scientists discovered an undisturbed rainforest hidden in a Mozambique volcano! What helped them find this rainforest? What new species did they discover when they arrived?

05

A World to Discover

We don't need to go into space to find uncharted territory. All around the world, there are still hidden places to be found and new species to be discovered.

create

30-60 minutes

A journey into the Amazon rainforest is an experience you won't want to forget.

01

Create an Expedition Journal

YouTube thumbnail

Follow the instructions in this video from the Natural History Museum to create your own expedition journal. You'll need some cardboard (an empty cereal box works well), paper, scissors, a straight stick, a hole-puncher, and a rubber band.

02

Imagine Your Expedition!

Pretend you are four days into your expedition, already surrounded by dense forest with no one but your team and the animals around you.

Create an expedition journal so you can report back to scientists when you get home. Write a few sentences about what happened each day along your way. Scientists often draw the creatures and plants they come across, so consider including some illustrations, too. Think about:

- What mode of transportation did you use to get into the jungle?

- Where have you been sleeping?

- What have you been eating?

- What animals have you seen so far?

- What are you hoping to find at the end of your adventure?

If you don't want to write in a journal, try making your own expedition video recording what you've done, or draw a comic book of your journey.

Share your work! We'd love to see it. Ask a parent to email a photo to us or share it on Instagram or Twitter by tagging @CampKinda.

move

15-30 minutes

01

Observe Like an Explorer

If you're on an expedition, you'll need to practice your animal spotting and plant identification skills!

Take a walk outside or look out different windows in your home to get different views of the nature.

On a piece of paper, mark down how many different plants and trees you see. If you have time, you can even draw them out to show family or friends later.

Can you identify the different layers? Remember, the rainforest layers include the emergent, the canopy, the understory, and the forest floor. You may not have a rainforest out your window, but some of the same kinds of layers might be visible in the landscape around you.

Try and get a closer look and check for insects, rodents, and birds! Where would they be living? Have they left any tracks behind? What adaptation skills have they developed to survive where humans live?

Remember: Always check with an adult before heading outside!

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