Snowman in Citrus County Florida - A Skyping Adventure

A couple of weeks ago we had the pleasure of Skyping with Mrs.Colier and our newest kindergarten friends at Hernando Elementary in Hernando Florida. Mrs. Colier and her 18 kindergartners were learning about snow in science and wanted to speak with some experts in the field. [Enter - KF Dragons]. Here is a little information about where they are located:

     "We are located on the West Coast of Florida in Citrus County.  We are 13 miles from the Gulf of   Mexico.  We are famous for all the manatees that visit our county in the winter.  They usually come to Crystal River to the natural springs where the water is 72 degrees year round. 

     We are about an hour and a half from Disney World.  Most of my kids have been there.  Myself included.

    Our school is located in Hernando.  We are a rural community.  We have lots of lakes and a several nice rivers for tubing, canoeing, and kayaking along with lots of fishing.  We also have hunting deer, turkey and wild pigs.  I have a little boy that hunts regularly with his Dad and Granddad."

During our visit, our new kindergarten friends wanted to ask us some questions about snow.  They asked; 

1) What kinds of things we did in the snow,  2) How do you make a snowman, and 3) What do we wear when we go out in the snow?  We eagerly shared our experiences, and showed them all of the things that we must have before going out to recess (snowpants, snowboots, coat, scarf, mittens, and cap). As part of the rules on the playground during the wintertime, we also shared that  throwing snowballs, climbing on snow-mounds, and sliding on the ice is not allowed. 

In return, we also had a few questions to ask Mrs. Colier and her class.  We wanted to know; 1) If any of them  had been to the "Magic Castle" (Disney World)?,  2) Is there sand there?, and 3) Is there water there? In short - the answer was "yes" to all three, however I believe we were most excited about their proximity to the Magic Kingdom.

I am still amazed at what technology allows us to do in our classroom.  On a cold snowy day in Missoula, Montana we were able to visit and learn with kindergartners at the complete opposite corner of the United States - much less a location known for sun, surf, and sand! Here are a couple of photos of Mrs. Colier and her kindergartners, and their instant-snowman (a polymer that, when mixed with water, turns into a snow-like material).   

Thank you Mrs. Colier. We can't wait to Skype with you again!