Mochi Isle
01
Rain shadow
Wet sea winds climb a mountain, cool, and drop their rain; the wind that crosses the top is dry and warm — so deserts often lie behind mountains.
What is a rain shadow? Read more →
Crescent Desert · Rain shadow04 / 12Dunes, oases and the rain shadow: 8 facts for kids
Mountains catch the rain on one side, leaving desert on the other; nights are far colder than days. Crescent Desert sits behind a mountain range: the wet sea wind drops its rain on the far side, and the wind that comes over is dry and hot. Days are scorching and nights are freezing. Your child plants grass and shrubs to hold the sand and digs the oasis well.
02
Sand dunes
Wind pushes sand grain by grain into piles called dunes. Crescent-shaped dunes point their two tips the way the wind blows.
How do sand dunes form? Read more →
03
Oasis
Even deserts have water underground. Where the land is low, groundwater reaches the surface and plants grow around it — an oasis.
Why are there oases in the desert? Read more →
04
Hot days, cold nights
Deserts are scorching by day but cold at night: no clouds act as a blanket, and sand cannot hold heat, so it escapes as soon as the sun sets.
Why are deserts hot in the day and cold at night? Read more →
05
Cactus
A cactus has spines instead of leaves so it loses less water, and its fat stem stores rain like a barrel.
Why do cacti have spines instead of leaves? Read more →
06
Fossils
Long, long ago plants and animals were buried in mud and sand, and over millions of years they slowly turned to stone — fossils.
How do fossils form? Read more →
07
Canyon
A canyon is a deep valley a river carved bit by bit over millions of years. The stripes in its walls are layers of mud and sand from different ages.
How is a canyon formed? Read more →
08
Sandstorms & sand fixing
A sandstorm is strong wind lifting desert sand into the sky. Planting grass and shrubs lets roots hold the sand, so there are fewer sandstorms and the desert slowly turns green.
What causes sandstorms, and how can we reduce them? Read more →On Crescent Desert, your child sees these for real.
Each card turns up when your child reaches a place or meets the weather on the island; answer the question on the back and the card lights up. The main island and the daily lesson are free, right in the browser.
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