Exploring Mississippi Through Little Passports

There's something really cool about working through a Little Passports kit when we've traveled to that state and know the area well. But it's equally awesome when we haven't visited the state, don't have friends there, and know next to nothing about it. Such was the case with Mississippi. 

Trevor started by building the model, which is a cotton gin. He thought it was funny to peek at me through the openings that would hold the rollers. 

After building the model, we did a map activity about the Mississippi River. We also did an activity about the river's many nicknames, including the Big Muddy and Old Man River. I would love to go on a Mississippi River cruise someday! Right now they're not child-friendly, so it's a dream for the future.

Next, Trevor solved a maze about the Natchez Trace Parkway. (He's always thrilled when there is a maze in the State Journal.) Then we learned about Mississippi's most famous foods. Sign me up for some Mississippi Mud Pie! And I am definitely interested in trying pickled peaches. I didn't know that was a thing, but it sounds tasty. 

We learned how to draw alligators, common in Mississippi's rivers and swamps. In fact, the alligator is Mississippi's state reptile. It grows up to 15 feet long and can weigh up to a thousand pounds. I can't even wrap my head around that. 

The science experiment looked at how fish can breathe underwater. Trevor started by placing a coffee filter over an empty jar and using a rubber band to hold it in place. He mixed coffee grounds with water. Here's his opinion about the smell of coffee:

He slowly poured the mixture (representing the water that fish take in through their mouths) onto the coffee filter (representing gills) into the jar. The coffee grounds stay behind and the water passes through, just like the gills of a fish filter out oxygen from the water and let the rest pass through. 

The next day, we did our baking. The recipe was for sweet potato pie. 

While the pie baked, we read about the most important events in Mississippi history and learned about some famous Americans born there, including author William Faulkner. We did a picture hunt to decode Mississippi's state toy. As I've said many times, I always learn something new from Little Passports. I had no idea that any state had designated an official state toy! 

Finally, it was time to give the pie a try. Yum!

We had a lot of fun on our virtual adventures with the Mississippi Little Passports. I can't wait until we travel there someday!