Looking at Earth

It is a rainy day. Julia and Eddie are playing indoors at Eddie’s house. Julia is looking at a globe. She sees the shapes of Earth’s land and water on the globe. Eddie taping pictures of Earth’s land and water to yarn. He is making a mobile. A mobile is a kind of art work with moving pictures.

Julia points to a large body of water on the globe Julia points to a large body of water on the globe. “That’s an ocean,” she says. Julia looks at a picture of an ocean on Eddie’s mobile.

A river is a long body of water that flows across the land A river is a long body of water that flows across the land. Most rivers flow into a larger body of water, like an ocean. Julia points to another body of water on the globe. “This is a river.” she says.

Eddie’s mobile also shows a lake. A lake is a body of water with land all around it. A lake is smaller than an ocean. All rivers and most lakes have fresh water.

Eddie sees that the land on Earth is not all the same Eddie sees that the land on Earth is not all the same. Some of it is flat. This kind of land is called a plain. “We live on a plain” Eddie says to Julia.

Some land is higher than a plain Some land is higher than a plain. The highest kind of land is a mountain.

A hill is land higher than the land around it A hill is land higher than the land around it. A hill is lower than a mountain.

“Do you know what a valley is. ” Eddie asks Julia “Do you know what a valley is?” Eddie asks Julia. He explains that a valley is low land between hills or mountains.

“Look at this land that is sticking out,” says Julia “Look at this land that is sticking out,” says Julia. “It’s called a peninsula.” A peninsula is land that has water on three sides. One side of a peninsula is joined to a larger body of land.

“I know what this is,” Julia tells Eddie, “It’s an island “I know what this is,” Julia tells Eddie, “It’s an island. An island is land that has water all around it.” Eddie finishes his mobile. It is time for Julia to go home.

The different kinds of land on Earth are called landforms. Ocean River Lake Plain Mountain Hill Valley Peninsula Island