Continents and Oceans

Imagine a giant, spinning ball. It has big green and brown shapes, like puzzle pieces. And in between, there is so much sparkly, splashy blue. I am where tall, pointy mountains tickle the clouds. I am where deep, quiet waters are a cozy bed for sleepy fish. The sun warms my lands, and the moon makes my water shimmer and shine. I am your big, beautiful home. Do you know who I am. I am the Earth’s Continents and Oceans.

Long, long ago, people did not know about all of my pieces. They lived on one of my big lands and looked out at my big, blue water. They were very curious. They built little wooden boats and went on adventures. They sailed and sailed across my splashy waters. They were so brave. When they found a new piece of land, they would get so excited. To remember the way, they drew pictures of my shapes on paper. These pictures were called maps. They kept exploring and drawing. Their maps got bigger and bigger and bigger, until they had a picture of my whole self, with all my lands and all my waters.

Now, you know all about me. I have seven big lands called continents. And I have five giant puddles called oceans. It might seem like my oceans make everyone far apart, but they really connect us all. A big boat can carry yummy bananas from one continent to another. A fast airplane can fly over my mountains and seas to bring a letter to a friend. You can even wave hello to someone across the world on a little screen. I am your home, and I love holding everyone together like a big, warm hug.