Make a selection Math Science Social Studies Literacy Tips - Colleagues Tips - Activities Tips - Training Click here for a printer-friendly version of this activity. Go! Requires the Adobe Acrobat Reader My World - Africa Scavenger Hunt Preparation Steps Credits Preparation Grade Levels: 3-5 This activity will be most effective if delivered in two separate 40-45 minute periods. It is designed for use in a computer lab with Internet access. Children can work in pairs at a computer or work independently. Prerequisite: Make sure all the children are familiar with scavenger hunts. Before beginning this activity, preview the Africa for Kids Web site. (Go to www.thirteen.org/africa, then click on "Africa for Kids.") This activity focuses on the section "My World." It's also a good idea to bookmark the site on the computers the children will be using. Materials: Students will need: Computers with Internet access Pencils Map of Africa (one for each group of 3-4 children) Colored dot stickers For Group Leader: One copy of each Scavenger Hunt handout for every four children: - Afterschool in Ghana, - Traditional Homes - South Africa, - A School Day in Wundanyi, Kenya, - A Day in Kampala, Uganda Answer key for each handout Academic Goals: Children will: learn about the daily lives of children in Africa learn some African traditions learn about a type of home in South Africa compare and contrast their lives with the lives of children in Africa Social Goals: Children will: collaborate to complete a project engage in open-ended discussion Steps Activity 1: Introduction (15minutes; in classroom/activity room) 1. Have the children sit in small groups of 3-4. Give each group a map of Africa and colored dot stickers. Ask the children to put stickers on the following countries: Uganda, Kenya, South Africa and Ghana. (It will probably be helpful to write the names of the countries on the board or on chart paper.) Once they've found each country on the map, ask the group to think about the lives of children in those countries. Ask specific questions, such as: What kind of sports do you think they might play? What do you think they study in school? What do you think they do after school? Write the responses on the board or on chart paper so that the children can all see them. Save the responses to use in Activity 3. Tell the children that they will be going on a scavenger hunt to one of these countries when they go to the computer lab. Activity 2: (30 minutes, in computer lab) If there are not enough computers for each child, have them work two to a computer. Place a pencil and a handout face down next to each computer. Be sure to alternate the handouts - children should not have the same handout as the person next to them. Ask children to go to the Africa for Kids Web site and click on My World. Ask them which countries are identified on the map (Ghana, Uganda, Kenya and South Africa). Now, ask them to turn over their handouts and look at the title of the page to find the city and country they will be exploring. Explain that the Web site has the information they need to complete the scavenger hunt. Explain to the children that the bonus question at the end of the handout asks them to think about how their own lives compare to what they learned on the scavenger hunt. Activity 3: (30-40 minutes, in classroom/activity room) Have the children form groups of four, making sure that each group member worked on a scavenger hunt for a different country. (This way, through their discussion, the children can learn a little bit about all four countries.) Ask the children to discuss, in their groups, how the lives of the children they read about are both similar and different to their lives. Ask them to discuss the same questions you asked in Activity 1: -- What kind of sports do they play? -- What do they study in school? -- What do they do after school? Bring the groups together, and review the saved responses from Activity 1. Put a check next to responses they found on their scavenger hunts. Draw a line down the middle of the board or chart paper. Write Similarities on one side and Differences on the other side. Ask the group: In what ways are your lives similar to the African children you read about? Write their answers under Similarities. Then ask them: How are your lives different from the African children's lives? Write their responses under Differences. Have a group discussion about the similarities and differences. To stimulate the discussion, ask the children: What surprised you the most? If you had to choose, which country would you most want to visit or live in for a time? Why? Follow Up: Children can continue their exploration of the Africa for Kids Web site by doing the Swahili Folktale activity, or making African masks. Older children can explore the Africa Web site by going to http://www.thirteen.org/africa. This site also has additional educational resources. Click on Teacher Tools for lesson plans and a teacher's guide. Credits This AFTERSCHOOL EXCHANGE activity was developed by Esther Grant-Walker, Afterschool Program Coordinator at the Stanley Issacs Neighborhood Center, in connection with the Thirteen Web site >Africa for Kids. < Back to Afterschool Exchange Activities & Tips main © 2003-2004 Educational Broadcasting Corporation. All Rights Reserved.