William finds out about renewable energy when he visits a hydro-electric power station in Scotland.
The video
William Whiskerson, mouse explorer. Finds adventure, 'round every corner. Where will he go? Who will he meet? His amazing adventures, will make you squeak. William Whiskerson, mouse explorer.
Narrator: Here comes William Whiskerson in his amazing traveling globe.
William Whiskerson: Greetings, adventurers. I am William Whiskerson, the famous mouse explorer.
Narrator: William can see hills and a lake. But which part of the United Kingdom is he in today?
William Whiskerson: Cheese Phone, reveal my location.
William Whiskerson: The Cheese Phone shows William where he is on a map of the world.
Cheese phone: Hello, William. Today you're in the Highlands of Scotland, in a place called Cruachan. Cruachan is surrounded by large mountains, and lakes known as lochs.
William Whiskerson: It's beautiful. Oh, I've got a message coming through on my Cheese Phone.
Euan: Hello, William. My name's Euan. Welcome to Cruachan. Would you like to join me on a mountain adventure today?
William Whiskerson: That sounds like an amazing adventure. Lock the location, Cheese Phone.
Narrator: The map shows William where to meet his new friend.
William Whiskerson: Explorers, away!
Narrator: William sets off to find Euan and his dad.
William Whiskerson: Pleased to squeak you, Euan.
Euan and his dad: Pleased to squeak you too, William.
William Whiskerson: What are you wearing, Euan?
Euan: I'm wearing my hiking clothes. My fleece, my rucksack, and my hiking boots.
William Whiskerson: Look, I've also got my lovely new scarf to keep me nice and warm on our mountain adventure.
Narrator: The weather on mountains can change very quickly, so it's important to wear the right clothes.
William Whiskerson: Now, which mountain are we going to climb?
Euan: That one over there, Ben Cruachan.
William Whiskerson: Come on, then.
Narrator: The explorers set off on their adventure. The mountain they're going to climb is called Ben Cruachan. It's a special mountain called a Munro. This is because it's more than a thousand meters high. It's nearly as tall as the highest mountain in Scotland, Ben Nevis. William Whiskerson, the great mouse explorer, makes his way to the top of the mountain.
William Whiskerson: I've made it to the top of the mountain. I'm going to plant my cheese flag to show that I've made it to the top.
Euan: Uh, William?
William Whiskerson: Yeah?
Euan: We've got a long way to go, I think.
William Whiskerson: Oh. Crumbs.
Narrator: William notices something special about the sheep on the mountain.
William Whiskerson: Oh, look at their funny, curly horns.
Euan: They've got wool on them as well.
William Whiskerson: Why have they got wool?
Euan: To keep them warm.
William Whiskerson: Oh, just like my scarf.
Narrator: The sheep that live on Ben Cruachan are called Scottish Blackface sheep. Can you see why? The explorers continue their adventure up the mountain when William spots some plants.
William Whiskerson: Look at all these thistles. They look really spiky.
Narrator: When William catches up with his friends, they spy some more things that grow on the rocks.
Euan's dad: Look, there's all the moss, Euan. And look how much water's in it. Look.
William Whiskerson: The water's coming through the rock.
Euan's dad: It's absolutely soaking. And then this is an orchid.
Narrator: An orchid is a very delicate plant. They also find a plant called a yellow mountain saxifrage.
Euan: It's got a nice bit of yellow, hasn't it, William?
William Whiskerson: It's a lovely yellow plant, isn't it?
Euan: Yes.
Euan's dad: There's more of them. Feel that, Euan.
Euan: Eugh!
Euan's dad: LAUGHS
William Whiskerson: It's all wet.
Euan: Yes. It's wet. Have a feel.
William Whiskerson: Eugh!
Narrator: There are lots of plants that grow on the mountain, like heather and foxgloves. William even finds a scotch bluebell.
William Whiskerson: Oh, lovely blue flowers.
Narrator: William knows you should never pick wildflowers, in case they don't grow back. Finally, the adventurers make it to the top of the mountain and look down at the valley below.
William Whiskerson: Wow. It looks so far away. How far do you think that is?
Euan: I don't really know.
William Whiskerson: I think it might be a zillion miles.
Euan: Don't be silly, William. It can't be that far.
Narrator: As they head back down the mountain, they come across a large pool of water.
William Whiskerson: Wow. Look at all this water. Cheese Phone, what can you tell me about water and mountains?
Cheese phone: When it rains, the rainwater runs down the mountain into streams. The streams then flow into rivers and into lakes, and then into the sea.
William Whiskerson: So all the water runs down the mountain. Look. What's that?
Euan's dad: That's a dam.
Narrator: A dam is a large wall that is built to trap water. The dam at Ben Cruachan traps rainwater in a lake as it runs off the mountain. This mountain holds a secret. Inside is a power station. A power station is a place where you make electricity. William and Euan continue their adventure. They're going to go inside the mountain to visit the power station.
William Whiskerson: Oh, it's getting dark.
Euan: The lights are on, William.
William Whiskerson: Oh, there are some lights. Wow. Look at that.
Euan: Wow, William.
William Whiskerson: It goes a long way.
Narrator: When they arrive at the power station, they meet John, who works there.
John: We are now overlooking the machine hall, where we make the electricity.
William Whiskerson: The machine hall looks huge. How big is it, John?
John: It's so big, you could fit the Tower of London inside.
William Whiskerson: Wow, that is big.
Euan: It's very noisy.
John: That's the sound of electricity being made.
Narrator: The rainwater collected by the dam travels into the mountain through steel pipes. Underneath the large units is a machine called a turbine. Once the water arrives, it makes the turbines turn.
Cheese phone: As the turbines turn, they generate power in the form of electricity. This is called hydroelectric power, because it is made using water. We use electricity to power lots of things in our homes, like washing machines, TVs, and toasters.
Narrator: Above the machine hole is a special room called the control room. Inside the control room, workmen are busy sending out the electricity made at the power station to all the homes around the local area.
William Whiskerson: Wow. Look at all these buttons and dials. HE LAUGHS
William Whiskerson: Thank you so much for showing me around the power station, John.
John: It was my pleasure, William.
Euan: Come on, William. I think we deserve a drink after our adventure.
William Whiskerson: Good idea.
William and Euan: Explorers, away!
William Whiskerson: That is one amazing mountain.
Euan: I've got a little present for you so that you can remember your adventure on the mountain with me.
Narrator: Euan gives William a piece of mountain rock.
William Whiskerson: It's been an amazing mountain adventure. Explorers, away.
Narrator: Can you remember where William went today? William visited his friend Euan on a mountain in Scotland. On his journey, William saw plants, and lots of water. Can you remember what it was stored in? It was stored in a dam. Next, he went inside the mountain, where he got to see a power station. William had a fantastic adventure with his friend Euan.
William Whiskerson: Time to fly, explorers. We're off on another adventure.
Narrator: See you soon, William.
Video summary
Download/print a transcript of the video.
William Whiskerson travels to the Scottish Highlands and visits a hydro-electric power station.
First William climbs to the top of Ben Cruachan - one of the highest peaks in Scotland - and learn about the plants and animals that live there. He then visits a power station deep inside the mountain to see how the rainwater that flows down the mountainside is collected in a dam and turned into electricity.
This episode introduces children to some typical features of a mountain region.
Teacher Notes
Before viewing the clip, help the pupils locate the Scottish Highlands on a map of the UK.
Are any mountains marked on the map? View the clip to find out more about mountains.
Pupils could pause the clip from time to time to sketch the landscape.
Ask them to look closely at the mountains: "are they covered in snow from top to bottom? Do plants and trees grow all the way up the mountain?"
After viewing the clip, pupils could gather images of mountains from books, magazines and the web.
Pupils could make model mountains, using scrunched-up kitchen foil as a base and covering it with paste and paper.
They could then paint their models and add stick twigs and other materials to them to show a tree line, small plants, bare rock and a snowy peak.
Pupils could group their models into an entire mountain range.
This clip will be relevant for teaching Geography.
This topic appears in KS1/KS2 in England and Northern Ireland, Knowledge and Understanding of the World Foundation Phase in Wales and Early/1st/2nd levels in Scotland.
Growing and picking orchard fruit. video
William Whiskerson meets Lucy and Laura in an orchard. He learns about the different types of fruit that grow there including berries, cherries and apples.
How our milk gets from the farm to the shop. video
William Whiskerson meets Theo on his family farm. He learns how female cows make milk and then takes a trip around the farm where he sees a calf being born.
Life on the Isles of Scilly. video
William Whiskerson travels to the Isles of Scilly, a group of islands lying off the Cornish peninsula of Great Britain.
Transport, travel and landmarks of London. video
William Whiskerson meets Kulala who lives in London, and visit some of the key landmarks.
Jobs and tourism in a seaside town. video
William Whiskerson visits the seaside town of Weymouth. He explores the beach and sees tourists on the esplanade.
How honey is made. video
William Whiskerson meets Sophie and Ben and they visit a bee farm.
Travelling on a canal boat. video
William Whiskerson meets Sophie and Harry on their narrow boat and they take a trip along the Birmingham and Worcester canal
Exploring a cave in Yorkshire. video
William Whiskerson meets Emily and together they explore a cave in Yorkshire.
Living in an eco-village. video
William Whiskerson meets his friend Ewan, who lives in an eco-village in Shropshire.
A visit to the Caledonian Forest. video
William Whiskerson travels to the Highlands of Scotland to meet his friends Lewis and Breya.
Fossil hunting along the Jurassic Coast. video
William Whiskerson meets a fossil expert and learns how fossils were formed from the remains of plants and animals that lived millions of years ago.
