Famous Explorers

Games that you can play:

• Match the Explorer to his ship or map (use control card with both ship and a traveler as a reference)

• Build an origami boat with the enclosed directions (I included the simplest; there are plenty more types of boats. This site seems to have good interactive instructions: http://www.origami-kids.com/paperairplanes-1-paperboat.php )

• Traverse each Famous Explorer’s journey on the map: put your Explorer into an origami boat and “sail” across the map over the places he traveled to.

• Clues:- - - - - - Herodotus

--------- Christopher Columbus

--------- Leif Ericson and other Vikings

--------- James Cook

--------- Ferdinand Magellan

--------- Amerigo Vespucci (white) Samuel de Champlain

--------- Alexander Humboldt

--------- Roald Amundsen

--------- Thor Heyerdahl

--------- Hedin, Sven Anders (rocket ship) Yuriy Gagarin

Prepare Your Materials:1. Cut each explorer, each ship

and each description (it’s your choice weather to cut the control card)

2. There are more travellers in the “Explorers” PDF file. (I wish I found them earlier – it would have saved me a great deal of work)

3. Glue together (or laminate) the traveler and his description back to back

4. Laminate the ships with maps 5. Create bases for your

travelers: you can use origami ships, or make a 12 little balls out of playdough, flatten one side and insert travelers into these balls

6. Print and laminate the mapsNOTE: you can either print a small 8x10 map or you can print 4 pieces of a large map and scotch tape them together to make one large traveling surface.

7. NOTE 2: Herodotus' pathway: I made a few navy dots around places he was describing, but it is hard to pinpoint how much he actually travelled, and how much information he recorded from stories by other travelers.

Herodotus 484 bce - 424 bce

•An ancient Greek traveler and historian, who explored Europe (Greece, Macedonia), Asia (Persian Empire, Babylon, Susa, Ecbatana), Africa: Egypt, Elephantine; by sea to Tyre and Libya; and back to the Black Sea (Crimea and Colchians’ land), and Syrian coast up to Egypt. •"Father of History" in Western culture: wrote about people, cities and way of life.•He was the first to collect his materials systematically, test their accuracy and arrange them in a well-constructed and vivid narrative, that he read during Olympic Games •Sometimes made mistakes: wrote that Alps were a river

Christopher Columbus31/10/1451 – 5/20/1506

• Navigator, colonizer, and explorer from Genoa, Italy• Found the Americas while seeking a sea route to India•Spanish Queen, Isabella I of Castile gave him three ships: Santa Maria, Pinta and Niña.•In 1492 landed on Bahamas, thought it was India, or China.•1st went to see at age 14.•In his 20s, travelled seas as a pirate, or Privateer, attacking ships belonging to the Moors•Started Spanish colonization of the “New World”•Initiated widespread contact between Europeans and indigenous Americans.•1st European to visit parts of Central and South America

Amerigo Vespucci 03/9/1454 – Feb 22, 1512

•A Spanish explorer, navigator and cartographer, born in Italy.•The continents of North America and South America were named after him.•Vespucci participated as observer in several voyages that explored the east coast of South America between 1499 and 1502. •Vespucci wanted to learn more about basically everything! •Although Vespucci didn't find the new star, or strait, he did give map makers 3,300 miles more materials•Unlike Columbus, he did believe that he had found an unknown continent.

Leif Ericsson980 - 1025 ce

•Founded a colony in America ~500 years before Columbus•Probably born in Norway•Built settlements in Canada, explored up to mid west USA•His people, the Vikings, had many skilled seamen•Was the son of Eric the Red, who started first colony in Greenland•Many scholars believe that E. was blown off his course during return voyage from Greenland to Norway and discovered N. American coast. •Called N. America Vinland for the wild grapes found in there. •Continued visiting North America until climate changed and cold weather made it impossible to get there.

Ferdinand Magellan (1480-1521)

•Portuguese explorer who led the 1st expedition that sailed around the Earth (1519-22). •Was the 1st European explorer to reach the Pacific from the Atlantic. •Named the Pacific Ocean (the name means that it is a calm, peaceful ocean). •Sailed through the dangerous straits below South America that now bear his name •As a child, was a page boy at King John II of Portugal•His goal was to prove he could sail from Europe to India via the tip of South America•Emperor Charles V of Spain provided the ships for the trip•Took three years to sail.

James Cook10/27/1728- 2/14/1779

• British explorer and astronomer who went on many expeditions to the Pacific Ocean, Arctic, around the world, and discovered Antarctic and Easter Island. •1st journey: sailed to Tahiti to observe Venus as it passed between the Earth and the Sun (to determine the distance between the Earth and the Sun). Mapped New Zealand and eastern Australia.•Last: searched for a NW Passage across North America to Asia. Cook was killed Hawaii by natives in dispute.•The first ship's captain to stop the deadly disease scurvy (caused by a lack of vitamin C) among sailors by providing them with fresh fruits.

Hedin, Sven Anders 9 February 1865– 26 /11/1952

•Swedish geographer, topographer, explorer, photographer, and travel writer, an illustrator of his work. •Explored Asia: Tibet, Xinjiang, Kunlun and Trans-Himalaya ranges; he discovered the sources of the Brahmaputra Indus, & Sutlej Rivers, Lake Lop Nur, and the remains of cities, grave sites and the Great Wall of China in the deserts of the Tarim Basin.

. Discovered Transhimalaya (once named Hedin Range) •the last person to receive a Swedish knighthood•As a kid was inspired by the books of J. F. Cooper and Jules Verne, explorations of Livingstone, Nordenskiöld

Humboldt, Alexander, Freiherr 1769–1859

•German naturalist and explorer who studied flora, fauna, topography and climate of both Americas, and Europe•His studies in botany and geography lay foundation of new science: biogeography.•Charles Darwin described him as "the greatest scientific traveler who ever lived.”•Good friend of Th. Jefferson•After a trip to both Americas, published 30 volumes •An advisor to king of Prussia. •Was invited by Russian tsar and recommended him establishing weather observatories •Developed principle of continentality: inner continent always has harsher climate

Samuel de Champlain(1567?-1635)

•French explorer, cartographer and navigator, known as 'The Father of Canada' & founder of Quebec, oldest Canadian city

•explored the St. Lawrence River, Lake Ontario. •Searched for shortcut to Asia•Visited Vera Cruz, Mexico, Columbia and Panama•Became friendly with the Algonquian Indians and helped them fight against the Iroquois.•Went to sea early in life and he became a solider •named Lake Champlain •The 1st person to write about the Niagara Falls •Began a fur trading post on the St. Lawrence River. •His maps were the 1st maps of the Atlantic Coast

Roald Amundsen16/7/1872 – 18/06/1928

•Norwegian explorer who led the first Antarctic expedition to the South Pole (1910-1912).•The 1st person to reach both the North and South Poles.•1st to navigate the fabled NW Passage with his 6 men crew. •It took 3 years to complete - had to wait while the frozen sea around them thawed to allow for navigation.•Disappeared in 1928 while taking part in a rescue mission. •As a youth, he slept with the windows open during frigid Norwegian winters to condition himself. •Took pride in being referred to as "the last of the Vikings".•One of 1st to fly over the North Pole in a dirigible (1926).

Thor Heyerdahl• 1914–2002, Norwegian explorer and anthropologist•Researched in the Marquesas Islands and studied the natives of British Columbia in 1939–40•1947: The Kon-Tiki Expedition – with 5 companions sailed on a primitive balsawood raft from Peru to Polynesia to prove that thesis that the first settlers of Polynesia were of South American origin.  •In 1970 sailed, in a papyrus boat, from Morocco to Barbados, to prove that ancient Mediterranean civilizations could have sailed in reed boats to America.•Always recruited a multi-cultural team: proved that people could live and work regardless of backgrounds.

Yury Gagarin 9 March 1934 – 27 March 1968

•Russian cosmonaut•Aboard the Vostok 1 spacecraft, on 12 April 1961, he was the first human in outer space and to orbit the Earth .•In 1960 chosen out of 19 other cosmonauts due to his physical and psychological endurance and… low height (5’2”) due to small space •His call sign in this flight was Kedr (Russian for Cedar)•During his flight, whistled the tune "The Motherland Hears her son flies" by Shostakovich•Keen sportsman, loved ice hockey, played as goal keeper•Was described by his teachers as intelligent and hard-working, if occasionally mischievous