Kids can explore planet Earth -- while having tons of fun. Fifty projects take youngsters on a trip from their very own rooms to the wide world beyond.

A treasure hunt throughout the house shows where favorite things came from. The results of tracing a family tree are "published" on a batik banner. An ancient tradition is preserved by making a classic clay bowl. There are cooking lessons to prepare Chinese Five-Spice Popcorn, French Pain au Chocolate, Nigerian Fruit Salad, and German Pretzels, a citizenship quiz, a chance to learning world manners, and to discover how people from other lands hear animal sounds.

Along the way readers learn how to make an astrolabe, a cross staff, and a compass. Intertwined are explanations of latitude, longitude, and bits of relevant history regarding explorers and the use of these instruments. Map making includes an explanation of how world maps compromise actual distances and shapes in their efforts to depict a view of landforms. The chapter on weather talks about its influence on land and people and includes instructions for making a barometer, an anemometer, and a wind vane.

For parents there are informative sidebars, with fun facts and activities that will help answer all those questions the kids are sure to ask.