Our family had a fantastic time visiting Carson City, Nevada recently, so it was particularly neat to take a virtual trip to Nevada through Little Passports! Trevor and I started out with a word search and dot-to-dot that taught us all about Nevada's state reptile, the desert tortoise. Did you know it's the largest reptile in the Southwest, can live for more than 70 years, and eats shrubs, flowers, and berries?
Nevada has two deserts, the Great Basin and the Mojave, so the science activity was all about quicksand. Cornstarch and water combine to make a material that mimics quicksand. When you press on it or squeeze it together, the mixture behaves like a solid. Slow movement keeps it in a liquid state. Fun!
The next activity was a puzzle about four of Nevada's largest cities. Then we learned about Hoover Dam and how it makes electricity. We read about all the activities that people do along the Colorado River and studied the timeline of Nevada's most important events.
We enjoyed reading about the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering held each year in Elko, Nevada. We first learned about cowboy poetry awhile back when Steve's parents started attending the event in Elko, so it was fun to see it appear in Little Passports. Trevor and I worked together to write our own cowboy poem.
Picture the Mountains
by Trevor and Cindy deRosier
Picture the mountains, tall and steep. They reach for the sky without making a peep.
Riveting, red, rocky, and rough, for centuries long, they have stood tough.
Beautiful mountains, graceful and strong, housing the animals all the day long.
I love the mountains because they are there, reaching their way from the sand to the air.
Next we learned about Naval Air Station Fallon and the many ghost towns in Nevada. We did an unscrambling activity to reveal the name of Nevada's state rock, sandstone. We saw a lot of sandstone buildings during our time in Carson City. Then we followed the directions to draw mustangs. About half of the wild horses in the United States live in Nevada.
We had a great time learning more about the Silver State. Thanks, Little Passports!
How fun!!!! Friends of ours have a desert tortoise, and they actually had to put in their WILL what will happen to him after they pass on, because he will outlive his owners!! Crazy, huh??? :)
ReplyDeleteThat's awesome! What a neat pet. And I'm glad they're such responsible owners.
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