William discoveries what it is like to travel by narrow boat on the UK's canal network.
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 is by the water. He can see trees, boat, and lots of ducks. But which part of the United Kingdom is he in today?
William Whiskerson: Cheese Phone, reveal my location.
Narrator: The Cheese Phone shows William where he is on a map of the world.
Cheese phone: Hello, William. Today you're in Worcester, in the West Midlands of England.
William Whiskerson: Look. I've got a message coming through on my Cheese Phone.
Harry: Hello, William. I'm Harry. This is my sister Sophie. We're going on a canal adventure.
Sophie: Hello, William.
William Whiskerson: That looks like an amazing adventure. Lock the location, Cheese Phone.
Narrator: The map shows William where to meet Sophie and Harry.
William Whiskerson: Explorers, away!
Narrator: William makes his way to meet his new friends on board a special boat called a narrow boat.
William Whiskerson: This must be the place.
William Whiskerson: Pleased to squeak you, Sophie and Harry.
Harry and Sophie: Pleased to squeak you, William.
William Whiskerson: Is this your boat?
Harry and Sophie: Yes.
William Whiskerson: How exciting. Explorers, away!
Narrator: A narrow boat is a boat that is long and thin. It can be used for holidays or as a home. Inside you can find a kitchen, beds, cupboards, even a toilet and shower.
William Whiskerson: Cheese Phone, show our journey along the canal.
BEEPING
Narrator: The explorers untie their boat and set off on their adventure down the Birmingham and Worcester Canal.
William Whiskerson: All aboard!
Narrator: A canal is a path of water that boats can travel along. Canals look a bit like rivers, but there's a big difference. Rivers are natural areas of water, whereas canals are built by people.
William Whiskerson: What kind of boats are they?
Sophie: They're canal boats.
William Whiskerson: They are? Just like this one.
Sophie: Yeah.
Narrator: Along his journey, William notices a path, but it's only on one side of the canal. This is called a tow path.
William Whiskerson: What can you tell me about tow paths, Cheese Phone?
Cheese phone: Canals were built to take goods from place to place many years ago, before cars and trains had been invented. The boats didn’t have engines. Instead, they were pulled along by horses. The horses used to walk on the tow path as they towed the canal boats. That's why every canal has a tow path running along one side of it.
Narrator: Oh, look. Sophie's running along the tow path.
William Whiskerson: Sophie! She's running in a race with the boat.
Narrator: Along the canal, William spots a fisherman, a train, and even some animals.
William Whiskerson: Oh, look. Horses.
William Whiskerson: What's that?
Harry: A tunnel.
Narrator: Tunnels allow narrow boats to travel under large areas of land.
William Whiskerson: It looks very dark inside that tunnel. Here we go. Look. It looks ever so dark.
Harry: I know.
William Whiskerson: Harry, listen to our voices. (Echoing): Hello!
Harry: (Echoing): Hi!
William Whiskerson: (Echoing): Can you hear me?
Harry: (Echoing): Yes, I can.
William Whiskerson: Look up at the ceiling.
Harry: It's all gooey.
William Whiskerson: It's all gooey and mucky. I can hear the sound of the water.
Harry: It's dripping.
William Whiskerson: I got a drip on my whiskers.
Harry: Did it tickle?
William Whiskerson: It did.
William Whiskerson: Did a drip fall on you?
Harry: No, not yet.
William Whiskerson: Wow, that was really cool!
Narrator: William notices there are bridges, too. Some that are for people to cross, others for cars and lorries.
William Whiskerson: It looks like the bridge goes under the water, doesn't it?
Sophie: Yeah, because that's it’s reflection.
William Whiskerson: It is a reflection.
William Whiskerson: Sophie, what's that?
Sophie: It's a lock. We're gonna open it.
William Whiskerson: Are we going through it?
Sophie: Yeah.
William Whiskerson: Oh, that is really mousey marvellous.
William and Sophie: THEY LAUGH
Narrator: The explorers steer their boat into a lock. A lock is a special system that allows a canal boat to pass from one part of a canal to another. Once the boat is inside the lock, William helps the adventurers to close the gate. Water is then drained from the lock. As the lock empties, the water level lowers, along with the boat. Once it has reached the same level as the water on the other side of the canal, the boat is then able to continue its journey.
William Whiskerson: The gates are opening.
Narrator: You should never go near a lock without a grown-up, because it can be very dangerous.
William Whiskerson: Through we go.
Narrator: The boat slowly makes its way down the canal towards Worcester. On the way, William notices the landscape around him change. He sees lots of people, houses, and factories.
William Whiskerson: Sophie, it's getting a bit dark. Shall we stop for the night?
Sophie: Good idea.
William Whiskerson: Where are we going to stop?
Sophie: I think there.
William Whiskerson: Good idea. I'm feeling pretty tired. HE YAWNS
Narrator: The explorers find a perfect spot to moor the boat after a long day on the canal. Tonight, the explorers are going to sleep on the narrow boat. Night night, William.
William Whiskerson: HE YAWNS Morning. A new day, a new lock.
Narrator: William finally reaches the last lock on the canal that opens to the river Severn.
William Whiskerson: Wow.
Narrator: On the river, William sees Worcester Cathedral, ferries, and even a rowing boat.
William Whiskerson: What is it?
Sophie: Swans.
William Whiskerson: Swans. Ah, they're beautiful.
Narrator: After their adventure on the river, the explorers head back to the canal, where they tie up their boat.
William Whiskerson: Traveling about on the canals has been so much fun with you two. I've really enjoyed being part of your crew, Sophie.
Sophie: I've got a present for you. It's a sailor's hat.
William Whiskerson: A present. A sailor's hat. It's mousey marvellous. Okay, shipmates. Squeak you later.
Narrator: Can you remember where William went today? William visited his friends Sophie and Harry, and they went on a trip. Can you remember what they travelled on? They travelled on a narrow boat down the canal. On their journey they saw a tunnel, bridges, even a lock. At the end of their adventures. Sophie and Harry gave William a sailor's hat to remember his trip.'
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 joins two children on their narrow boat and they travel along the Birmingham and Worcester canal.
On their journey William learns about the difference between canals and rivers and the history of the canal. He then travels through a tunnel and a lock then finally onto the River Severn.
This episode introduces children to boats as a means of transportation and the leisure opportunities provided by the inland waterways of the UK.
Teacher Notes
After viewing the clip, ask pupils to find Worcester on a map of the UK.
They could go on to look at online maps of the Worcester area.
Can they spot the canal that William Whiskerson travelled along?
Ask: "What are the differences between a canal and a river?" After pupils have given their answers, replay the clip to check if they are right.
Pupils could go on to find other examples of canals on maps, perhaps using Google Earth to help them.
With freeze-frames from the clip as a source, the children could make model narrow boats, from boxes and other 'junk' materials.
Encourage pupils to make a cabin, a galley and sleeping berths inside their model boats.
After painting their models, they should give them a coat of PVA glue to waterproof them.
Pupils could try floating their models in a sink or bowl of water.
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.
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