Through OneWorld Classrooms Galapagos content, y our students may 'travel' to the Galapagos and visit schools there. So, before you pack your bags, try the warm-up activities below.

1. Where on the Globe are the Galapagos Islands?
2. Where on the Map are the Galapagos Islands?
3. How to Get to the Galapagos Islands
4. Things That Go to Make Up a Life ((K and up)
5. Similarities and Differences (4 and up)
6. Packing Your Bags I (Math Activity) (K-3)
7. Packing Your Bags II (Math Activity) (4 and up)

1. Where on the Globe are the Galapagos Islands? - Use the globe to locate the Galapagos Islands. In which ocean do they lie? Are most of the islands north of the equator or south of the equator? What other countries of the world straddle the equator? What is the approximate longitude and latitude of the islands? Which Central American countries, US states and Canadian provinces or territories share the same latitude? Approximately, how far off the coast of Ecuador are the islands located? What other islands are the Galapagos nearest neighbors and to which countries do they belong? Where are the Hawaiian Islands in relation to the Galapagos?

To which country do the Galapagos belong? What is the capital of this country? Which South American countries neighbor this country? Have students identify their own continent and country on the globe and note where their state/country is in relation to the Galapagos, Ecuador and South America. Have students locate the other countries of South America (Peru, Colombia, Brazil, Venezuela, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Guyana, French Guyana and Suriname). Have them locate the Andes mountains, the Amazon River and the Amazon Rain Forest. Which large rivers flow out of Ecuador into the Amazon? How do the underwater mountains that form the Galapagos compare with the Andes in size?

2. Exploring the Islands with Maps? - Here are several online maps of the Galapagos:

http://pubs.nsta.org/latinamerica/activities/gallery/map.html -- An interactive map from the National Science Teacher's Association Web Site.

http://www.geo.cornell.edu/geology/GalapagosWWW/GalapagosMap.html -- An interactive map from Galapagos Geology on the Web that links to information and photos of each major island. This site has excellent aerial shots of the islands, including one on the home page of all of the major islands.

http://www.discovergalapagos.com/map.html -- This one, from a tour agency site, is an excellent map for printing --with an enlarged version available.

http://www.pbs.org/safarchive/5_cool/51_thang_galapagos.html - An interactive map from PBS's Cool Science with facts about each island.

While examining the maps, have your students answer the following questions:

Which island is the largest? Which major island is farthest east, west, south, north? Which islands consist of more than one volcano? Which islands are north of the equator? Which island is closest to mainland Ecuador? Which is closest to Coco Island of Costa Rica? How would you describe the shapes of the islands? Can you theorize which island is oldest and why?

Note: During the course of the project, we will be visiting San Cristobal, Santa Cruz, Floreana and Isabela Islands.

4. Things That Go to Make Up a Life (K and up) - Brainstorm with your students to create a long list of things that make up their lives (allow a wide range of responses both general and very specific). Have students determine which items on the list are general and which are specific, then have them break up the items into categories, listing specific items under general categories. The overall list should provide a snapshot of the life and culture of your students. Next, have your students do the activity considering the lives of children who live in the Galapagos. Save the list and when your Galapagos unit is complete, review it to determine how accurate your snapshot was. Modify the list based on what you learned by completing the project and discuss it as a cultural snapshot.