What Is the Eiffel Tower?

🕐 4 min 56 sec 👦 Ages 6–8 🌍 English
Join Koko and Owlo as they explore the Eiffel Tower, learning fun facts about this iconic Parisian landmark!
Identify the Eiffel Tower and its location Understand the height of the Eiffel Tower Explore why the Eiffel Tower was built
📖 Story Script
                    Koko:
                    Owlo, Owlo! I brought something really special to school today.
                
                    Owlo:
                    Good morning, Koko! What do you have in your backpack there? It looks like a postcard.
                
                    Koko:
                    Yes, look! Mum and I went to the library yesterday, and I found a book about Paris. This card was inside, and they said I could keep it.
                
                    Owlo:
                    What a wonderful surprise. That card shows one of the most famous structures in the entire world.
                
                    Koko:
                    I noticed it straight away. It is a really tall metal tower with a pointy top. But what exactly is it?
                
                    Owlo:
                    That is the Eiffel Tower, Koko. It stands in the city of Paris, in the country of France.
                
                    Koko:
                    The Eiffel Tower! I have heard that name before, but I do not know much about it. How tall is it exactly?
                
                    Owlo:
                    It is incredibly tall. The tower is more than three hundred metres high. That is as tall as eighty giraffes stacked on top of each other.
                
                    Koko:
                    Eighty giraffes? That is absolutely wild! But why did someone build such a tall tower?
                
                    Owlo:
                    That is a great question. I have a wonderful book about it here in the school library. Shall we go and take a look?
                
                    Koko:
                    Yes, I would love that! I will bring my postcard along so we can compare.
                
                    Owlo:
                    Here we go, it says so right here. The Eiffel Tower was built in the year 1889. That is more than one hundred years ago.
                
                    Koko:
                    Wow, that is such a long time ago. I was not even born yet. Neither was Mum, and neither was Dad.
                
                    Owlo:
                    That is right. Even my grandfather was not born yet. The tower was built for a grand celebration, a World's Fair. People from all over the world came to Paris to see amazing inventions.
                
                    Koko:
                    And was the Eiffel Tower one of the inventions too?
                
                    Owlo:
                    Absolutely it was. It was the star attraction of the whole fair. It showed the world how cleverly people could build using iron and steel.
                
                    Koko:
                    So who came up with the idea and actually built it?
                
                    Owlo:
                    An engineer named Gustave Eiffel. That is exactly why the tower is called the Eiffel Tower, after his own name.
                
                    Koko:
                    Oh, so if I build something, I can call it the Koko Tower!
                
                    Owlo:
                    You certainly can, if you are the one who builds it. But Gustave Eiffel's tower was truly extraordinary. Two thousand workers spent two whole years building it.
                
                    Koko:
                    Two whole years! That is longer than I have been going to school. Did they ever get a break?
                
                    Owlo:
                    They worked very hard, but also very cleverly. More than eighteen thousand metal pieces were riveted together. Riveting means joining pieces tightly using small metal pins.
                
                    Koko:
                    Eighteen thousand pieces? That sounds like a really enormous building kit.
                
                    Owlo:
                    That is a perfect way to picture it. And do you know what else is interesting? At first, many people did not think the tower was beautiful at all.
                
                    Koko:
                    Really? But it looks so impressive on my postcard.
                
                    Owlo:
                    It is true. Some people called it an ugly iron monster. But gradually, more and more people began to find it absolutely magnificent.
                
                    Koko:
                    So sometimes you just have to wait a little while before people appreciate something beautiful. I totally understand that.
                
                    Owlo:
                    Very wisely said, Koko. These days, around seven million people visit the Eiffel Tower every single year. It is one of the most visited places in the entire world.
                
                    Koko:
                    Seven million! That is so many people. Do you think we will ever go there ourselves, Owlo?
                
                    Owlo:
                    Who knows. But even if you never go there in person, it is wonderful to understand why it is so special. Shall we recap everything we have learned today?
                
                    Koko:
                    Yes! I will do it. Let me think carefully for a moment.
                
                    Koko:
                    The Eiffel Tower stands in Paris, in France. It is more than three hundred metres tall, which is as high as eighty giraffes. It was built in 1889 for a big celebration where people showed off clever inventions. An engineer named Gustave Eiffel designed it, and thousands of workers put it together using eighteen thousand metal pieces. At first people thought it was ugly, but now everyone wants to visit it. And if I ever build something famous, I am simply going to call it the Koko Tower.
                
                    Owlo:
                    A perfect summary, Koko. Next time, we could perhaps learn about other famous buildings around the world. There are so many more wonderful ones left to discover.
                
                    Koko:
                    Yes! I want to find out which building is the tallest of all. And which building is the oldest. Owlo, there is still so much for us to learn.
                
                    Owlo:
                    There certainly is. And that is exactly what makes it so exciting. Until next time, Koko.