Kenya (geography and wildlife)

GEOGRAPHY

KENYA ON THE MAP

PHYSICAL MAP OF AFRICA

LAKE VICTORIA ON THE MAP

INDIAN OCEAN

Kenya is a beautiful African country located between Lake Victoria and the Indian Ocean.

The natural landscape of Kenya is amazing! It has a little bit of everything!

It has a coastline, plains, hills, lakes and even a small desert.

Mount Kenya is the highest mountain in the country and the second highest in Africa.

It is a conic volcano and home to the Massai people.

Speaking of volcanoes, we should take a look at the Great Rift Valley that contains a chain of hills some of which are active volcanoes, too.

Mau Forest, on the other hand, is a part of the Rift Valley and sadly is quickly disappearing. Many activists and famous people are trying to save it. Mau Forest is an important resource for the people who live there.

This is what a villager says about it: “Everything depends on the forest. Everything I get is from the forest: school fees, food, water. I depend on forest for everything. That’s my ancestral homeland,’

In northern Kenya there is a small desert called Chalbi and a beautiful green lake called Turkana.

Many tourists from all around the world visit the savanna in Kenya and enjoy the great variety of African animals such as elephants, zebras, cheetahs, hippos, rhinos, lions and many more.

LAKE VICTORIA

MOUNT KENYA

MAU FOREST

THE GREAT RIFT VALLEY

CHALBI DESERT

LAKE TURKANA

SAVANNA KENYA

FLORA AND FAUNA

You can see typical for the African savanna wild animals such as lions, wildebeests, rhinos, buffalos, gazelles, leopards and many more.

However, Kenya is a habitat to a great number of animals and plants that are nowhere else to be found:

galagos, mountain bongo, Tana River mangabey, serval, gerenuk, caracal and aardwolf.

GALAGOS

MOUNTAIN BONGO

TANA RIVER MAGABEY

SERVAL

GERENUK

CARACAL

AARDWOLF

And here are some unique plants: croton megalocarpus, waterpear, moringa, fountain tree and red stinkwood.

CROTON MEGALOCARPUS

WATERPEAR

MORINGA

FOUNTAIN TREE

RED STINKWOOD

Oceans

An ocean is a big body of water. It is the biggest one on the Earth.

Oceans surround the land on the planet. There are 5 oceans in the world: Pacific, Atlantic, Arctic, Southern and Indian Oceans.

There is more water on the Earth’s surface than land.

Oceans were formed before the dinosaurs were alive when the planet was very hot and there was no sign of life.

Ocean water is not fresh water it is salty.

People have not explored all of the world’s oceans.

The largest ocean is the Pacific Ocean.

Oceans produce a large amount of the oxygen we breathe.

The deepest point in the ocean which we know about is called Mariana trench and is 11 km deep.

Oceans are full of life and amazing creatures.

They are home to whales, dolphins, sharks, crabs, lobsters, clown fish, corals, flying fish, octopus, oysters, squids, shrimps, starfish, jellyfish and so on and so forth.

Oceans are the largest habitat on earth.

JELLYFISH

STARFISH

SHRIMP

SQUID

OYSTER

OCTOPUS

FLYING FISH

CORALS

CLOWN FISH

LOBSTER

CRAB

SHARK

DOLPHIN

WHALE

habitat – the natural home of an animal or a plant

Peanuts (1st and 2nd Grade reading exercise)

Did you know that peanuts are not nuts?

We do not pick them from a tree! They do not grow on bushes! They grow underground like carrots and potatoes!

Peanuts are very similar to nuts and they taste like them. They are a kind of pea! They are peas which grow underground and not above the ground! You can find two peanuts inside one spongy shell. The pod in which the peanuts are is narrow in the middle and very easy to break.

Peanuts love warm sandy places.
The peanut plant has very beautiful yellow flowers.

Some people make cooking oil from peanuts.
Some people love peanut butter.
And some people enjoy eating them roasted!

peanut oil

peanut butter

roasted peanuts

African Savannah (1st Grade reading)

In some parts of the world, the seasons do not change.

In the African savannah it is always hot.

Savannahs are covered with tall grasses.

The grass is very tall. It is taller than a man!

grass – African savannah

dry grass – African savannah

It is yellow and brown because of the hot sun!

There are some trees but they are not many!

trees in the savannah

Grass is an important food for animals such as zebras!

The African savannah is home to a lot of animals – zebras, giraffes, lions, cheetahs and elephants.

zebra

lion

giraffe

elephant

cheetah

Lions are members of cat family. They live on the savannah in groups of 15 to 40 lions.

Lion is the second largest cat in the world!

Lions are predators. They eat other animals.

The babies of the lions are called cubs.

cub

lion

lioness

Zebras are members of the horse family. They can hear very well and they can run very fast.

Zebras eat grass and leaves. They have black and white stripes.

When zebras are together and they run, their stripes make it hard for a lion to see them very well.

zebras

Giraffes are the tallest animals in the world.

They have a very, very long neck!

Giraffes eat leaves from trees.

Trees are tall and giraffes need long necks to get to them.

giraffe

giraffes

The cheetah is the fastest land animal in the world.

Cheetahs are smaller than other members of the big cat family.

Cheetahs only need to drink once every three to four days.

Cheetahs are predators but they can’t see very well at night.

cheetah

Elephants are the largest living animal in the world. They have very big ears.

African elephants have tusks. They use them for digging. Elephants have trunks. They can be very long!

Elephants eat leaves and twigs. They can swim.

elephants

trunk

tusks

In Africa there are trees called baobabs.

The baobabs and the elephants are not friends.

Elephants eat baobabs because they have water in them.

Baobabs are trees that can live for a very long time.

They have very interesting fruit.

baobab fruit

baobab tree

baobab

baobabs

Plant Parts You Eat

We get our food from animals and plants.

We eat different parts of the plant.

Plants give us cereals, vegetables and fruits.

Vegetables that are roots

Vegetables that are stems

Vegetables that are flowers

Vegetables that are leaves

These are some foods we eat that are seeds.

Here are some fruits we eat.

Cereals we eat.

**Plants give us also coffee and tea to drink and sugar to sweeten them.**

Coffe is made from the seeds of coffe plants.

Tea is made from the leaves of tea plant.

Also sugar is made from a plant. It is called sugarcane.

Plants also give us spices.

Italy

Italy is a beautiful and colourful country in Europe.

It has an unusual shape of a boot which makes it easy to spot on a map.

Italy on a map

The capital city is Rome but there are some other big and important cities such as Naples, Milan and Venice.

The Vatican City is situated in the heart of the Italian capital.

Rome

Colosseum – Rome

Vatican City

San Pietro – Vatican City

Milan

Florence

Naples

Italy is famous for its delicious food, fast cars and amazing landscape.

Every little town has its own traditions and history. There are 20 regions in Italy.

Some of the most famous regions are Tuscany, South Tyrol and Calabria.

Tuscany

South Tyrol

Calabria

Two big islands are part of the Italian territory – Sicily and Sardegna. These two places are visited by millions of tourists each year.

Sicily

Sardegna

Italian landscape varies from place to place. The mountains of the Alps and the Dolomites in the North are covered with snow and offer an incredibile experience for those who love winter sports. The islands around the Italian mainland offer beautiful beaches with crystal clear water. In central Italy there are huge areas of flat plains and hills where olive trees and grapes grow.

Lake Garda and Lake Como are breathtaking pieces of land which everyone must see with their own eyes.

Lake Garda

Lake Como

In Italy there are three active volcanoes – Mount Vesuvius, Mount Etna and Stromboli.

When we think of this country we inevitably picture cities such as Milan for its fashion industry, Rome for its ancient history, Venice for its canals and gondolas, Naples for its beautiful sea view and Florence for its Renaissance art and history.

Pizza, one of the most popular and loved foods in the world, is a traditional Italian dish made for the first time in the city of Naples.

Pasta is the other widespread dish which originates in Italy. This country is also well-known for its endless list of good wines, olive oils and delicious types of cheese such as parmesan and gorgonzola.

pizza

pasta

parmesan

gorgonzola

wine

olive oil

Football is the sport which most of the Italians practice and watch.

Italy is home to many art galleries, museums and opera houses.

Vatican Museum

Uffizi – Florence

La Scala – Milan

The production of some luxury goods such as high quality suits and shoes also contribute to its popularity.

Don’t forget that some of the most expensive sports cars like Ferrari, Maserati and Lamborghini are considered to be true masterpieces of Italian design.

Ferrari

Maserati

Lamborghini

To sum it up we should say that the Italians are envied for their carefree full of pleasures lifestyle best known as la dolce vita.

The Early Hominids

Nobody has found the missing link between modern humans and our animal ancestors yet.

Paleontologists have discovered some fossils which belong to a group of creatures that we call hominids.

Hominids looked like apes and had small brains. We know they walked on two legs and used stone tools.

Scientists believe that our ancestors looked like them. The earliest hominids, we know of, lived in Africa.

That was between 4 million and 800 000 years ago.

They are called australopithecines which means “southern apes”.

Australopithecines walked upright like us but had much smaller brains and were shorter than modern humans.

Early hominids spent most of their time on the ground looking for food. They ate mainly plants and little meat. Scientists learned that fact by studying their teeth.

Austrolopithecines had flat faces and climbed trees to hide from predators such as the sabre-toothed cat.

Archaelogists found some choppers and hammers made from pebbles which austrolopithecines knew how to make and use.

In 1964, paleontologist Louis Leaky discovered some fossils of an unknown then hominid. It was 1,7 million years old.

The fossils belonged to a 27 kg. female with a larger brain. Scientists named her “Lucy” and put her in another category of human-like creatures called Homo habilis. Homo habilis means “handy man”.

“Handy man” lived in nowadays Kenya and Tanzania and was able to hold objects firmly. Homo habilis used tools and probably ate more meat compared to the early australopithecines.

Olduval Gorge, on the Serengeti plains, is where archaelogists found most of the hominid fossils we know about.

Africa

Lucy

stone tools

Hominid

Homo Habilis

fossils – Lucy

Olduvai Gorge

sabre-toothed cat

ancestors – an early type of plant or animal from which others have evolved

paleolontologists – scientists who study the forms of life existing in former geologic periods

fossils – any remains of a living thing of a former geologic age

hominids – any primate of the family Hominidae, which includes modern man

The Very Beginning

Prehistory dates back to when people used stone tools and didn’t know how to write.

It is divided into two major periods called Paleolithic Age and Neolithic Age. The word “prehistory” means the time when people were unable to write their history down.

The first hominids appeared in eastern Africa about 2 million years ago. Scientists call them australopithecines.

They mark the beginning of Paleolithic Age. People were nomads and they used to hunt and forage for their own food.

They didn’t have permanent homes and lived in caves or under cliffs.

Early people wore clothes made from animal skin and didn’t know how to cook their food.

They had simple tools made of stone and animal bones. These tools were very primitive but helped them survive the harsh conditions of their everyday lives. Prehistoric people died young and had no effective medicine.

Gradually, people learned how to make more sophisticated tools and clothes. They also started building houses and living in communities.

Eventually, humans learned how to work the land, build villages and establish trade routes between settlements.

The prehistoric period (Paleolithic Age + Neolithic Age) came to an end with the invention of writing which happened at different times in different places.

For example, in South-west Asia writing came around 3000 BC.

Everything we know about this period we owe to archaeologists.

Prehistoric people didn’t leave written records so scientists have to dig carefully to look for artefacts.

When they happen to find a piece of broken pottery, a tool or foundations of settlements, archaeologists build an archaeological site and start studying the evidence.

Their job is to figure out the purpose of the artefact and work out the dates of the remains they find.

Hominids

Neolithic House

Stone Tools

Prehistoric Art

Mammoth Shelter

hominids – the first human-apes that came down from the trees and started walking on two legs

nomads – people who have no permanent home but move from place to place in search of food

forage – to search for food

primitive – simple

archaeologists – a person who studies human history through analysis of artefacts

artefacts – an object made by a human being of historical interest

archaeological site – is a place where we can find physical remains of past human activities

THE FOUR SEASONS – 1ST GRADE (HISTORY)

AUTUMN

WINTER

SPRING

SUMMER

WORD ENDINGS – FF,SS,LL,ZZ and CK