Overview and Learning Goals

"We're gopher brothers in a van! Digging America 'cause we can!"

Meet Wilson and Ditch, two funny, energetic and talkative gopher brothers, who are in a van – an eco-powered one - and driving around America. Wilson, the older brother, loves learning and teaching facts and reading about each new locale they travel to. He always drives the van while Ditch, the younger more fun-seeking brother who loves to relax and eat, is the permanent passenger. These gopher brothers drive from city to city as tourists who learn the history, "actual facts" (as Wilson calls them), and fun facts of every new location. The brothers also love experiencing the usual touristy stuff as well as the really unusual, obscure, and sometimes just weird sites each city has to offer. Wilson and Ditch want to discover purple mountains' majesty, amber waves of grain, and the perfect Philly cheese steak!

As young boys, Wilson and Ditch vowed to someday drive all around the country – living the American dream! They have achieved their goal by hosting an online travel show and creating a website called Wilson and Ditch: Digging America. On the website Wilson writes a blog, Ditch does his own unique comic strip, they stream podcasts, post all kinds of pictures of themselves and the places they find themselves in, and tell anyone and everyone about their traveling America adventures! While on this fun, endless road trip, they make up songs, tease and annoy each other, talk about their Mommy, their childhood home, and their many nutty relatives. But one thing these gopher brothers can always agree on is that they're "Digging America!" Yee Haw!

Every week Wilson and Ditch report from a new location whether with a new episode, podcast, blog entry or comic. In each new town or city the brothers bring their fresh, hilarious, enthusiastic perspective on "America, the greatest country ever on the whole Earth's face." The brothers never stop having fun (and learning a lot too), whether they're singing at the Grand Ole Opry, pretending the faces in Mt. Rushmore are their gopher uncles, or participating in the world’s biggest hot dog eating contest at Coney Island, New York. Join Wilson and Ditch and DIG AMERICA with them!

 

Sample Video Clip

Celebrate Our 50 States (1 minute 13 seconds)

 

Learning Goals

Watching the Wilson and Ditch episodes will teach students to embrace the vast beauty of the United States of America and will promote an appreciation for the diversity of people and places of America through humor and song from the perspective of two lovable and hilarious gophers that now call America their home. Wilson and Ditch: Digging America can be a child's first introduction to American Studies. This area of study includes American history and culture. In Wilson and Ditch: Digging America, students will not only learn about the geography of each state but will also learn about the history, local culture, popular culture, arts and literature, nature sites, local ecology, monuments, and some of the state's unusual locations. While following Wilson and Ditch on their journeys, students will gain map skills and learn more about the national identity of those who live in the USA.

The goals of this show are as follows:

• To help students learn the geography of the United States of America
• To help students understand and appreciate the diversity of American Culture
• To introduce students to regions within the United States of America
• To help students gain an appreciation for the natural and ecological make up of the United States of America