It's Fun to Skype at School!

I've wanted to take my students to a desert region for some time now.  We live in the midwest, so plane tickets and hotel accommodations are a little beyond our budget I was told.  Hmmmm how was I going to teach students about trees that grow in different regions if we can't visit different regions?  Skype!  I posted a project on Skype for Educators website asking for classes to teach us about their trees.  Within a few weeks I heard back from a teacher in Arizona and boom- we set up a video chat between my kindergarten kiddos and her fifth graders!

With a few weeks to prepare, my students created several projects showcasing their learning about trees and practiced presenting them.  When we were ready, I set up a chat with the teacher from AZ the night before our classes would see each other to discuss the agenda.  Turns out Skype was "no longer available" on my school computer and needed to be reinstalled by our IT guys ASAP.  I sent in an IT request that night and called first thing the next morning.  After some desperate pleading and a lot of praying, my Skype was up and running, ready for our first video chat!  Yesss!

At 3:00 we were all set up, ready to meet our new friends from AZ.  The kids waited on pins and needles as the video chat phone rang.... it was all so exciting!  Finally, there they were.  A fifth grade class from AZ perched atop desks, the floor, and some standing, just as excited to see us as we were to see them!  My students proudly shared their tree projects in groups and asked some questions that were asked. 

AZ student: Why do your leaves change colors? 
Kinder kiddo: (With lopsided pigtails and glasses) Well, um, during the fall we have less sunlight than the summer.  It gets dark earlier.  So the sun goes away and there isn't as much chlorophyl for the leaves.  The sun helps make chlorophyl.  With less sun, there's less chlorophyl and the leaves lose their green color.  Chlorophyl makes them green.  So they get red and yellow and orange and brown and fall to the ground because the tree doesn't need the leaves anymore.  (She pushed her glasses up off her nose, pushed back her curly little hairs that had drooped into her face during her explanation and stared at the screen of fifth graders. They just sat there, blinking, in awe of this 5-year-old and her thourough answer.  I couldn't have been prouder!)

Then the fifth graders had their chance to share information about their trees in the desert.  They held up tree samples from their backyards and taught my students (and me) about their very different trees.  My kids were captivated.  After some more question and answer sessions, we had reached the end of our chat.  As we signed off, my kids began showing their new fifth grade friends a heart symbol using their hands (think Taylor Swift!)  Mortified, I tried to get them to stop and wave goodbye instead.  I looked up and the fifth graders began to do the same thing.  That's when I stopped and realized, not only had the kids learned a lot about trees from another region, but also had developed a friendship with students in another state they may have never met without Skype.

As teachers, we emailed back and forth following the experience and vowed to keep in touch.  The kids had formed a bond and we were certainly not going to break it!  Once our first snow falls, we'll be contacting them to let them "join in on the fun!"  They don't see much snow (if ever) and we certainly are more than willing to share ours with others.  My kids cannot stop talking about how cool it was to Skype in the classroom and look forward to our next adventure with Skype next week when we'll be talking pumpkins with a group from Baltimore! 

Don't ever think kindergarten is too young to give Skype a whirl!  It was an educational and fun experience for both students and teachers involved!  If you have hesitations or questions, I'd be happy to help you out!