Aarshawn’s Field Notes. Expanded Edition - Tiffany K Girard

Aarshawn’s Field Notes: Expanded Edition

Pack your curiosity and get ready to explore!

Aarshawn’s Field Notes: Expanded Edition is an illustrated global exploration activity journal inspired by, and a companion to, The Extraordinary Adventures of Aarshawn Dinwiddie. Children join Aarshawn-a curious boy whose dream of becoming a horse leads to an extraordinary journey around the world-as he discovers remarkable places, meets new people, encounters wildlife, practices greetings in different languages, and learns more about himself along the way.

Designed to make children active participants in the adventure, the journal combines coloring pages, drawing & writing prompts, maps, puzzles, word searches, travel activities, cultural observations, and open-ended reflections. Young explorers can build Aarshawn’s passport as a keepsake of his travels. They can follow Aarshawn’s route, build their own passport as well, and earn and affix travel stamps through 10 foreign language greeting activities for each location. Activities also help prepare them for an imagined adventure, and space to record their own questions, ideas, and discoveries.

The activities encourage curiosity, imagination, geographic awareness, careful observation, empathy, and respect for the many ways people live, communicate, care for one another, and experience belonging. There is room for both thoughtful reflection and playful creativity, with no expectation that every question has one "right" answer.

The journal can be enjoyed independently or as a companion to The Extraordinary Adventures of Aarshawn Dinwiddie. It is well suited for families, classrooms, libraries, homeschool learning, gifted programs, travel-themed activities, and children who love animals, maps, cultures, coloring, and imaginative exploration.

Every child is invited to wonder, create, and discover where curiosity might lead next.

Throughout the journal, open-ended prompts leave room for more than one kind of thinker and more than one kind of answer. Children can write, draw, color, compare, wonder, revisit an idea, or talk through a question with a parent, teacher, librarian, or fellow explorer.

As Aarshawn’s field notes progress, the questions deepen. Young explorers consider individuality and similarity, interpret emotions from visual clues, examine admiration without losing sight of their own identity, and return to an earlier path with a new perspective. The final field activity asks children to consider how Aarshawn’s journey has changed the way he sees himself and the world, and what action might follow from that new understanding.

Designed for children who are curious about the world and for the adults who want to keep that curiosity alive, much of Aarshawn’s Expanded Field Notes can be enjoyed independently or alongside The Extraordinary Adventures of Aarshawn Dinwiddie. It is well suited for home, classroom, library, homeschool, enrichment, and shared learning settings.

Because being an explorer isn’t only about where you go.

It’s about what you notice when you get there, what you wonder about, and how the journey changes the way you see.