In this first lesson of the Virtual Vacation module you are going to invite your online friends to visit. You are going to write to them and invite them to come to you on a three day vacation. Below you will find some discussion questions but remember you don't have to answer them all. You choose.

Discussion Questions

1. What do we mean when we talk about a virtual vacation? Did you ever go on such a vacation? Can you imagine how it is to travel without leaving home? Introduce yourself to the rest of us and tell us a little about yourself. Tell us your name and age, where you live, how long you have lived there and if you were born there. Send this information to the KidCom Who-Am-I? room for information.
2. How can you make your area interesting to others? Are there interesting places in the neighbourhood? Did anything interesting happen there in the past? Did any famous people ever live there?
3. What is your global address (longitude and latitude)? Look at this Webpage and find out.
4. How did your country get it's name? What does the name mean? What is your country called in other languages? How did your home area get its name? What does the name of your home area mean?
5. What is the weather like where you live? Do you like your kind of weather or would you like it to be different? Would you like to go on a virtual vacation where the weather is different from what you are used to? Do you think it matters what kind of weather we have?
6. How big is your country? How many people live in your country? How many people live in your area? What kind of an area do you live in (rural or urban)? Do you think it makes a difference for kids whether they live in a town or on a farm? Do you think environmental issues are treated well in your country?
7. What language do you speak. What other languages is it related to? How many people speak your language? Is it a difficult language to learn? Is it difficult to pronounce? Are there any special letters that you have in your alphabet?
8. What are your surroundings like? Are there any big mountains in your area? Are there any volcanoes in your surroundings? Are any lakes nearby? Are there any national parks near your home?
9. Have any historic events taken place in your area or near it.
10. How old is the oldest house in your area? What is it built of? What is the house you live in built of? How do you heat your houses?
11. Are there any traditions, holidays, festivals or sports in your area that you think might interest your visitors?
12. What is the easiest way for visitors to get to your area? Do you live near an international airport/harbour/train station? How do you get from the airport/harbour/train station to your home?

Before you start working, maybe you should divide the class into groups of 3-4 and give the groups different subjects to work on.

Classroom Activities

1. During the first two weeks you will write an invitation to kids all over the world to come to visit your area. Go to the library to find books about your area. Make notes and write them down. See if you can find anything on the internet about your area (remember to write down the web addresses - you can put them in the invitation). On the Resource page you can find some useful links.
2. If any of you know someone in the travel industry you might like to invite them to the school to tell you about what to show your visitors. If you live in a town you can ask the mayor or perhaps a mom or a dad could come to the school to talk about your area.
3. Put up a billboard and put on it all the notes you make and all the E-mail so all the groups can see and use information from each other. Have a special folder for everything that you take off the billboard.
4. Write an invitation: You can write a message for the KidCom Who-Am-I? room or you can make a poster with pictures and text about your area, scan it and send it to room. Or you can make a web page with the information you have gathered. Perhaps you would like to make a videotape and send to those interested in making a visit. A postcard, a photograph or a picture would surely be welcome. You can draw pictures on the computer or on paper.
5. Send your invitation to the KidCom Who-Am-I? room. If you make a web page be sure to send the web address to the room.
6. After having sent your invitation, write to the KidCom Who-Am-I? room and ask others if the information you gave them is clear enough. If anyone needs more information about your place, find it and post it in the room.
7. At any point in the Virtual Vacation module, exchange of postcards, pictures, travel brochures, posters and videos of places visited or to be visited would be great! They would make a wonderful bulletin board display.

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