Exploring California Through Little Passports

Trevor received his final Little Passports USA Edition kit a few months ago and we were both sad to see it end. But then we realized... why does the fun need to end? There's so much packed into each state that we didn't do every single activity the first time around. We decided to go back and complete the things we didn't do the first time and repeat our favorites!

Trevor and I started with our home state of California. He was in 3rd grade when that packet originally arrived; now that he's in 4th grade, he's been studying California state history and was eager to see how the Little Passports activities matched up with what he'd been studying in school. We went through the Journal together and redid the puzzles and activities. He was delighted to see that he knew the answers to questions he'd had to decode or work out last year.

Then we dug out the pop-out cable car model he'd made last year. It was even more cool to him now that he's actually ridden on one of San Francisco's famed cable cars.

Trevor had a great time cooking buñuelos when studying the California Missions, so he was eager to make the recipe in the Little Passports California Journal: tortillas. We chose a day when Trevor's grandparents and Aunt Teri (the one who gave him the Little Passports subscription) would be over. Teri and Trevor worked together to make the dough and shape it.  

Here's Trevor with a plate of tortillas ready to be cooked. 

He's getting more and more comfortable with the stove. He's still nervous, but his confidence is growing. He did a good job getting a perfect golden brown on the tortillas.

Trevor opted to sample a tortilla before dinner to make sure they'd be tasty enough for the family to enjoy. They passed the test!

The final activity in the California Journal was a science experiment. Trevor loves science and this one was so easy. We took a dish, needle, and magnet into the backyard. Trevor put water in the dish, picked a leaf, followed the directions to magnetize the needle, and then set the needle on the leaf. We watched as it turned to point north. Cool!

This is the experiment he demonstrated to the Cub Scouts during our Geology unit. It was a hit.

Our final activity was to make handprint art inspired by the Chinese Theater. I used a foam brush to paint Trevor's hands. He pressed them on grey cardstock, washed up, then used a paintbrush to add his name and the date. 

Expect more Little Passports adventures from Trevor and me in the near future!