Mystery Skype!

Tomorrow we will do our first Mystery Skype with a classroom somewhere in the United States. I know where they are, but mum's the word! Our class came up with clues about our state today, which we will read to our mystery class via Skype. Here are our clues:

• Our state has many farms.
• Our state is known for producing delicious cheeses and maple syrup.
• We have many mountains, which are great for hiking and skiing.
• We are in the Northeast part of the United States.
• Our state borders Canada.
• Lake Champlain is on one of our state's borders.

Do you think they'll figure out where we are?! I am actually thinking we might want to leave the clue about being in the Northeast out...the other clues should lead them in that direction.

We will be conducting our research using books, maps, and a great kid-friendly search engine called KidRex. Have you heard of it? It's great! I'd recommend it if your child wishes to do some research of his/her own.

We'll let you know how the Skype session goes--I tested the connection with the teacher this morning, so we're all set on that front (unlike last week's unsuccessful Skype attempt--though that ended up being pretty neat too, actually, thanks to Twitter!).

This lesson is a connection to an official first grade social studies unit which we will officially delve into in the coming weeks--My Place in the World. But, I also think developing an understanding of geography and interest in others is simply an important skill to learn--it's a wide and wonderful world! Let's get to know it better!