The Young Explorer range is the interactive, digital edition for the popular National Geographic Young Explorer magazine.
You can find out more about the National Geographic - Young Explorer Series here.
Below is a selection of free Lessons based on the current and recent editions of the National Geographic Young Explorer magazine.
Check back each month for new editions.
September 2010
In “Wild Colors,” students discover that the wild, bright colorful markingson some animals are not just for show.
May 2010
In “Ocean Motion,” students will explore different kinds of waves and how waves erode Earth’s surface. Students will also learn parts of a wave, what causes a wave, and how waves transfer energy. Academic vocabulary terms such as tsunami and troug...
In "What's New?" students follow a group of scientists to remote rainforests and deserts to find new animal and plant species. Students will learn about recently discovered species, such as a mouse lemur that can fit in your hand, a furry crab, and ...
“Turtle Travels” follows a female green sea turtle from tiny hatchling to 300-pound adult.Her perilous dash from sandy nest to open sea is the first of many dangerous journeys she makes.Readers follow her life cycle, including her remarkable return ...
Crabs walk sideways, orangutans swing, and polar bears swim. In “Animals in Motion,” students will learn about the different ways animals move. Vocabulary terms for kinds of movement, such as slither and swing, are introduced. Students will also explo...
April 2010
“Paddle to Seattle” follows adventurers J. J. Kelley and Josh Thomas as they kayak 2,100kilometers (1,300 miles) through the Inside Passage along the Pacific Northwest coast. Students will learn about the unique topography of the area and how it cr...
“Turtle Travels” follows a female green sea turtle from tiny hatchling to 300-pound adult.Her perilous dash from sandy nest to open sea is the first of many dangerous journeys she makes.Readers follow her life cycle, including her remarkable return ...
“Turtle Travels” follows a female green sea turtle from tiny hatchling to 300-pound adult.Her perilous dash from sandy nest to open sea is the first of many dangerous journeys she makes.Readers follow her life cycle, including her remarkable return ...
In “Meet the Pollinators,” children learn about the connection between pollinators like bees and how plants grow. Readers are introduced to several different pollinators, from bees to bats. They’ll learn how flowering plants and pollinators work tog...
March 2010
In “Leap, Frog!” readers learn about the special body parts that help frogs move, hunt, and stay safe from predators. Children also learn about how sensitive frogs are to pollution and why it’s important to keep their watery homes free of trash and ...
In “Fantastic Frogs,” students come face-to-face with frogs and a dazzling array of colors, patterns, and behaviors. Readers will learn about frogs’ physical characteristics, amazing life cycle, and remarkable survival techniques. They also will l...
“Incredible Iceland” takes students on a journey across Iceland’s ever-changing landscape.They will travel from fiery volcanic eruptions to blue lagoons, trek across rainbow-hued mountains to black sand beaches dotted with striped icebergs.Along t...
January / February 2010
The story introduces children to the Cat family. By exploring the breeds of cats, children learn about the differences between breeds.
Readers will learn about Parts of a Plant and how they adapt to their surroundings.
National Geographic - Pathfinder Edition Active Earth
National Geographic- Pioneer Edition
November / December 2009
Readers will learn about animals that can lose critical body parts - legs, internal organs, even the head - and still survive.
Students meet the nudibranch. They will learn that these small, shell-less mollusks truly are what they eat. Sea slugs take on the colors of sponges, use other creatures’ stingers as defense, and even farm algae inside their bodies.
The story introduces children to the green sea turtle’s world. By exploring the turtle’s life cycle, children learn how disturbances at any point in the cycle impact the number of turtles.
Students meet the nudibranch. They will learn that these small, shell-less mollusks truly are what they eat. Sea slugs take on the colors of sponges, use other creatures’ stingers as defense, and even farm algae inside their bodies.
October 2009
Extreme Explorer Octopus.People once feared the octopus, with its odd bulging head and eight strong arms. They called it a sea monster. It turns out the truth is stranger than fiction.
Tour the continents to meet some of the creepiest, deadliest animals alive.
Pioneer Edition Frightful Animals.Tour the continents to meet some of the creepiest, deadliest animals alive.
Young Explorer Web Weavers.By introducing different spiders and their webs, children can see how the patterns change.
September 2009
Extreme Explorer Fooled youA leaf that hops? A twig that flies? Things in nature aren’t always as they seem.
From a stem that slithers to a flower that flies, things in nature aren't always as they seem. That stem is really a snake. The flower is actually a mantid. Are your eyes fooling you? No. These creatures are mimics, plants or animals that copy oth...
Children may think of bugs and worms as harmful pests, but in the story they will meet some garden residents that we depend on to keep soil and plants healthy.