We are the Ostmo family and we love learning about countries and people. Our oldest daughter, Melaya has tons of friends all around the world!

Lizzy Loves Skiing in Colorado

Melaya has a friend named Lizzy from Colorado in the United States of America, over 5,000 miles away from us in London!”

She was just telling Melaya that she is an avid skier! Avid is another word that means she loves to do it and she’s super enthusiastic about it. Lizzy explained to Melaya that skiing is an extreme sport where you strap two slippery sticks called skis to your feet, ride a flying chair all the way to the top of a mountain, and then slide down on the snow!

Lizzy says she goes skiing at least 3 times a week, and her favorite move is called a whirlybird.

What? Bird!? Do you have to fly through the air? No, not exactly. A whirlybird is a move where you spin and kinda slide in a circle as you’re sliding down the mountain. It’s so much fun! She says, and there’s no need to leave the ground.

Are you an avid anything? Maybe an avid reader, or an avid soccer player?

Angelo’s Favorite Extreme Sport is Spelunking in Philippine Caves

All the way in The Philippines, Melaya has a friend named Angelo who does another extreme sport called spelunking. Angelo says spelunking is a sport where you take your ropes and lights, and explore giant caves and caverns! Angelo’s dad lets him take the lead as they go spelunking every single Sunday, but he says, “don’t bring your Sunday best, because you will get cold and dirty. And don’t forget your camera! Sometimes, we find bugs and bats, and really cool rocks”.

Skydiving in Dubai with Mansour

Melaya has a friend named Mansour from Dubai, a city in a country called the United Arab Emirates. Last week, she called Melaya and told her that her mom was able to take advantage of an offer for skydiving! When you skydive, you get to ride in a tiny airplane, really high in the sky with a parachute strapped to your back, like a backpack. Everything below you, looks tiny, like little ants.

Then, when you’re just over the right spot, you jump out of the airplane! Oof, my palms are getting sweaty just thinking about it.

Unfortunately, Mansour’s dad was too afraid to jump, even after the instructors gave him a safety pep talk, so he had to stay on the plane until it landed, while Mansour and her mom jumped. What do you think? Would you be brave enough to jump? Has anyone ever given you a pep talk?

JD is a Great Skater

Melaya’s grandma and grandpa live in the United States of America, in a state called Oregon, over 6,000 miles away from her home in London. Right next to their house is a skatepark, where Melaya’s friend JD does skateboarding competitions! If you don’t know what a skateboard is, it’s a small piece of wood, just big enough to stand on, but on the bottom, you’ll find 4 wheels attached! You ride a skateboard by balancing on it as the wheels roll you around!

When you get really good at it, like JD is, you can even roll down really steep declines in the skatepark, called ramps, bowls, and halfpipes. JD can even do jumps and spins! But he also told us that skateboarding can be very dangerous, so wear pads on your knees and elbows, and always, always wear a helmet. He’s a skateboarding champion, and he says it’s the coolest thing you can do.

Rafting in Argentina with Miguel

Have you ever taken an inflatable boat called a raft on a river? What about in fast-moving water called rapids?! Melaya has another friend named Miguel, who lives in Argentina, near the Southern tip of South America. Miguel is an avid whitewater rafter. He’s been rafting for over 5 years since he was just 3 years old!

Miguel says his absolute favorite thing about whitewater rafting is the feeling of the rushing water underneath him. He says it’s like being on a roller coaster, but better because you can control where you go in the river. He also says that it’s really important to wear a helmet and life jacket when rafting, just in case something goes wrong and you fall out of your boat!

There are so many other extreme sports out there! Some of the ones Melaya says she wants to try to include Bungee Jumping, Hang Gliding, and Parkour.

Tell us in the comments what your favorite extreme sports are! If mom and dad are reading with you, please use @learningtail on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok to keep in touch!

If you want to learn more about different extreme sports, make sure to download the activity pack. We have flashcards, a learning guide, handwriting sheets, and drawings pages all dedicated to various extreme sports!

Ciao friends, until next time!