Globe

Hello, little explorer. I have a secret. I can hold all the big, splashy oceans and all the tall, pointy mountains right in my arms. You can trace the twisty rivers with your finger and find tiny islands in the big blue sea. If you give me a little push, I’ll spin around and around, showing you sunny lands and starry nights. I’m like a map, but I’m round and bouncy like a ball. What do you think I am?

I am a Globe. I’m a model of our amazing planet, Earth. A long, long time ago, people wondered what shape the world was. Some thought it was flat like a pancake. But clever people looked out at the sea. They saw that when a ship sailed away, it looked like it was going over a big, round hill. That’s when they knew our world is round. Many years later, a man named Martin Behaim decided to make a model of this round world. He finished the very first globe we still have on August 2nd, 1492. He called it the 'Erdapfel,' which means 'Earth Apple.' Isn't that a funny name?

Now, I get to help curious kids like you see the whole world at once. Let’s go on an adventure. Close your eyes, give me a gentle spin, and see where your finger lands. Did you find the hot, sandy desert where camels walk? Or the icy-cold North Pole where polar bears live? I show you all the wonderful places and remind us that we all live together on one big, beautiful, spinning home. Let’s promise to take care of our world, okay?