Map Quest: Journey Across India

Inspired by Carmen Sandiego™ Episode 7, kids estimate the distance and time it would take to travel between places.

Track Carmen’s Journey

In Episode 7, Carmen travels to different cities in India. With your kids, use maps to track her journey and estimate the distance between each city and how long it takes Carmen to get there.

Activity Instructions

Kids use map scales to estimate distance and time it would take to travel between places.

Estimated Time: 20–30 minutes

Materials Needed: Atlases or maps of India, Internet access

  1. Carmen travels from Mumbai to Agra on a train. How long was her journey? Review how to use a map scale with kids.
  2. Then, have kids use a map of India to estimate the distance between Mumbai and Agra or another city in India.
  3. Using their distance estimations, ask them to guess how long the journey between the cities would take if traveling by train.
  4. Finally, look up how long the train trip actually takes and discuss why estimations might be too high or too low.

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