ClassX Video Lessons Grade Grade 2 Search & Explore the Galapagos Islands! A Fun Adventure for Kids (Full Episode)
Hey there, friends! Are you ready to go on an exciting adventure with ABC 1, 2, 3, and D? There are so many amazing places and things to learn about. Let’s explore together and discover new friends and fun facts!
Have you ever heard of penguins? They are super cool birds that can’t fly but love to swim. ABC is pretending to walk like a penguin because they learned about them in class. Did you know there are different kinds of penguins? Let’s find out more!
There are many types of penguins with fun names like the Chinstrap Penguin, Macaroni Penguin, and Royal Penguin. But have you heard of the Galapagos Penguin? It’s special because it lives on warm tropical islands called the Galapagos Islands, far away in the Pacific Ocean.
The Galapagos Islands are a group of islands that belong to Ecuador. They were made by volcanoes a long time ago. Some islands are older because their volcanoes erupted earlier. Let’s find out how animals and plants got there!
Animals like seabirds flew to the islands, while seeds floated on the sea or were carried by the wind. Some animals swam or floated on plants to reach the islands. Isn’t that amazing?
On the islands, ABC 1, 2, 3, and D meet Daniela and her papa, Santiago. They learn about giant tortoises that can live for 100 years and weigh almost 450 pounds! They also meet Darwin, who is writing a book about the islands.
Darwin tells them about a bird called the flightless cormorant. It can’t fly because it didn’t need to on the islands. Instead, it swims to find food. Over time, its wings got smaller, and its feet became better for swimming. This is called adapting, and many animals on the islands have changed to live better in their environment.
Did you know marine iguanas can swim and eat underwater? They are the only iguanas in the world that do this! ABC 1, 2, 3, and D are inspired by all the amazing animals and plants they see. They even get to see a Galapagos Penguin!
Feeling inspired, D starts painting a picture of a marine iguana. It’s a beautiful piece of art! ABC pretends to be a giant tortoise, moving slowly but surely. What a fun day of learning and exploring!
Join in the fun and sing about the Galapagos Islands! These islands were made by volcanoes millions of years ago. They are home to unique animals like saltwater iguanas and Galapagos Penguins. If you ever get the chance to visit, you should go and see all the wonders there!
Thanks for joining ABC 1, 2, 3, and D on this amazing adventure. Keep exploring and learning new things every day!
Penguin Walk Activity: Pretend to be a penguin! Find a space where you can safely waddle like a penguin. Try to balance a small book or a soft toy on your head as you walk. Can you keep it from falling? This activity helps you understand how penguins move on land. Afterward, talk about how penguins might move differently in water compared to on land.
Island Creation Craft: Using clay or playdough, create your own island. Think about what animals and plants might live there. Use small toys or draw pictures to add to your island. Discuss with a friend or family member how animals might have arrived on your island, just like they did on the Galapagos Islands.
Adaptation Exploration: Look around your home or garden for animals or plants. Choose one and think about how it might have adapted to live in its environment. For example, why do birds have different beak shapes? Draw a picture of your chosen animal or plant and write a sentence about its special adaptation.
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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[Music] Hey everybody! Let’s go with ABC 1, 2, 3, and D! There are endless people and places to see. From the classroom, they can search and explore. With every adventure, you learn more. They visit countries near and far. They love to learn wherever they are. They see the world in a brand new way and make great new friends every day. ABC 1, 2, 3, and D, come along and you will see! The more they travel, the more you know. Get ready, let’s go!
What are you waiting for? The feeling you get when you have a great idea for something to paint—it’s called inspiration! It’ll come; it always does. What are you doing, ABC? Walking like a penguin? Want to walk like a penguin too? Sure! The teacher was talking about penguins this morning; they’re my new favorite animal! Ooh, what’s your favorite kind of penguin? There are many different kinds! That sounds like something I need to explore.
Three penguin pileup! Let’s search it! Wow, there are so many different kinds and fabulous names: the Chinstrap Penguin, Macaroni Penguin, the Royal Penguin. What about that one? The Galapagos Penguin! It says they live on a group of tropical islands in the Pacific Ocean called the Galapagos Islands. Wait, did you say tropical? That sounds kind of warm for a penguin. It says they’re the only penguins in the world that live in such a warm place. The Galapagos Islands? Huh, it’s 19 big islands surrounded by lots of small ones that all belong to the country of Ecuador, which is about 600 miles away. Isabella is the largest island, and Española is the oldest.
So how can an island be the oldest? I don’t know, but I want to find out! I want to know more about penguins that live on a tropical island. Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go! Look at all the different kinds of animals and plants that live on the island. Oh, that sign says “Welcome to Galapagos National Park” in Spanish. Vamos! Let’s go!
Look, it’s ABC 1, 2, 3, and D! I’m so excited! Hola! I’m Daniela, and this is my papa, Santiago. Oh, can I guess why you’re here? Can I? Uh-huh! I know you’re here to see that giant tortoise! It can weigh almost 450 lbs and live to be 100 years old! Wow, that sounds amazing, but it’s not why we came. I want to see a Galapagos Penguin, and 1, 2, 3 wants to know how one island can be older than another.
Volcanoes! Imagine this: each time lava flows out of the ground, the volcano gets a little taller. After a really long time, the top of the volcano reaches the top of the ocean, making an island. Oh, the volcanoes that made these islands all erupted at different times. That’s why some islands are older than others. Got it! But now I have another question: if the Galapagos Islands were made by volcanoes and the islands are more than 600 miles away from the closest land, how did all the animals and plants get here?
The animals either came over the water or through the air. Seabirds that could fly long distances flew here, but for plants, it was a little more difficult. They arrived on the islands as seeds, sometimes in the droppings of birds, or the seeds floated to the shore on the sea. Sometimes seeds were carried to the islands by the wind. Seeds can blow in the wind for almost 600 miles—yes, very small ones like grass seeds! What about the animals? Some animals came by sea. If they were good swimmers, they could have swum the 600 miles from the land to the islands. Other animals, like reptiles, arrived on floating clumps of water plants. Those are incredible journeys!
I think so too! Papa, we should drop them off on Marisa’s; that’s where you’ll find the Galapagos Penguins. Great! Bye! Thanks for the ride! Wow, it sure is warm in the Galapagos Islands! Whoa! 1, 2, 3, I have that feeling—the one I was waiting for back in the classroom—inspiration! It’s so beautiful! If only I had my paints, I’d start right now. I just might have a new favorite animal. No, I definitely have a new favorite animal!
That’s how it gets rid of salt. Oh, salt? That it gets from swimming in the ocean? Wait, iguanas swim in the ocean? This kind of iguana does! Oh, here’s a fun fact: they can stay underwater for 30 minutes at a time! 30 minutes? I got to see what they’re doing under there! Oh, careful! The water is really cold. No wonder penguins like it, but there’s so much to see! The iguanas go underwater to eat seaweed. Oh my goodness, listen to this: no other iguana in the world eats underwater!
Be right back! I saw a Galapagos Penguin! Mission accomplished! Where to now? Oh, there’s so much to see in the Galapagos! I’m sure we’ll run into something exciting. We really need a little warning! Wow, it’s a giant tortoise! It can go a year without any water—a whole year! I might have a new favorite animal! Do you think this one is 100 years old? Maybe! It looks pretty old to me!
ABC 1, 2, 3, and D, I am so excited you’re here! Nice to meet you! I’m Darwin, and I live here—well, not here, but in town. I come up here to find inspiration! Exactly! Inspiration for what? I’m writing a book about the Galapagos Islands. Ooh, how fun! Were you named after the famous scientist Charles Darwin? Yes, although he came to the islands long before I was born—almost 200 years ago in 1835! Yes, they live so long that the parents of that giant tortoise may have been alive when Charles Darwin was here making his amazing discoveries!
What kind of discoveries? Ah, I’ll show you! That’s a flightless cormorant; it’s only found on two islands in the Galapagos. Flightless? You mean it’s a bird that doesn’t fly? That’s right! Over a really long period of time, that bird’s wings got smaller and smaller because it no longer needed to fly. But why? For one, when it first came to the islands, it had no enemies, so it never had to fly away quickly. And two, it takes a lot of energy to fly, and it was pretty easy to find its favorite food here without flying. You mean by swimming? Oh, that’s right!
So over a very long time, the flightless cormorant’s feet became webbed, and their legs became stronger so they could swim better, and their wings, which they didn’t need, got smaller and smaller. Charles Darwin discovered that over long periods of time, many other animals on the islands changed too so they could survive better in this environment. Oh, like how the iguanas learned to swim and eat underwater? Yes, that’s called adapting! I call it amazing! I think so too! This was so much fun! Thank you, Darwin! It was very nice meeting you! And it was nice meeting you all! Come back anytime! Bye! Thanks again! That’s the best painting of a marine iguana ever! Thank you! I can’t wait for ABC to see it!
Hey, come see D’s painting! But I’m not done yet! Believe me, you have plenty of time! I think ABC is pretending to be his new favorite animal—the giant tortoise! Uh-huh! He should be here sometime tomorrow! Now it’s time to sing along!
Galapagos, Galapagos, Galapagos Islands! They were made by volcanoes millions of years ago! From saltwater iguanas to Galapagos Penguins, here are a few fun facts that you ought to know! Many of the animals that live on the islands have changed or adapted over thousands of years. Now their bodies and behaviors help them thrive in the environment. Now they’re very special, so they live only there! Imagine penguins living on a tropical island or iguanas that can swim in the sea! You can see a tortoise that’s 100 years old or a bird that’s winged but can no longer fly!
Free Galapagos, Galapagos, Galapagos Islands! They were made by volcanoes millions of years ago! With such fascinating animals, you’ll only find there! If you get the chance to visit, you really should go! There are so many things to see there; you really must go!
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