Where on Earth?

Briefing

You don't have to look far to find things that were made far away. For example, there's a good chance that something you're wearing right now was made in another country. (If you can, check the tags on your clothes and find out!)

In this Smart Art, you'll see how stuff came from all over the world to get to where you are.

Activity

What You'll Need:

A map of the world
Index cards
String
Stuff to draw with
Tape or pushpins

What to Do:

You're about to go on a scavenger hunt. The goal is to find as many items as you can from as many different places as possible.

First, tape the map up on a wall where everyone can get to it.

Next, check out everything in the room: your clothes, your belongings, stuff in the closets, the computers, furniture, and so on. See if you can find tags or stamps that say where things were made.

Good places to look include the bottom or back of an item, the inside cover of a book (to see where it was printed), the collars or tags of clothing, or the shipping labels of boxes. (Make sure to get permission before looking through closets or drawers, or moving large objects!)

Once you've found out where something came from, draw a picture of it on an index card and label it. Put your picture somewhere on the outside of the world map.

Then, using the string and tape or pushpins, connect your picture to the state or country where it was made. Everyone else should do the same. Stop after 20 minutes, or after you run out of things to look at.

Debriefing

Look at the map and all the pictures connected to it. How many different states and countries are represented in the room you're in?

If you needed to find out more about where these items came from, what could you do?