Magellan’s assistant
Ferdinand Magellan is the captain of the journey to India. A few days ago, he got really sick so now he is inside his cabin and cannot get up from bed. His crew is exhausted and frustrated because they are not able to sail with him in this condition. Magellan has left many clues on the bridge board about the return journey. Can you identify the clues and find the way back home? You have one hour left before sailors leave the ship.
It can have games with a compass: Children have to draw a route through countries or seas, based on the first letters of the countries who meet the given criteria. Also, they can be given a map of countries or a paper with many words and some specifications using mathematics to find which words will be useful for them to solve the puzzle.
Ferdinand Magellan
Portuguese explorer who achieved the first circumnavigation of the Earth.
Ferdinand Magellan (1480 – 1521) was a Portuguese explorer. He is the first who managed to cross the Pacific Ocean during the Spanish expedition to East Indies. Magellan planned and led this expedition. In 1517 he persistently asked permission to lead an expedition to reach the spice islands from the East. The Portuguese King denied the demands, so Magellan turned to Spain for support. Spain was interested in the expedition and King Charles I of Spain accepted it. He also gave five ships, power and privileges to Magellan. He became the second Portuguese explorer after Columbus, that was not used by their home country to explore the seas. Ferdinand Magellan converted the locals to Christianity. Most regions accepted the new religion but not the Mactan island near the Philippines. In an attempt to subdue the natives by force, Magellan was murdered by the Lapulapu troops. Only one ship managed to return in Spain after the expedition in 1522.
