Hi Reader,

Have you ever thought about teaching your students about altitude? It's one of those real-world science topics that kids love to explore, especially when you make it hands-on and imaginative.

This week in my classroom, we "traveled" to Rainbow Mountain in Peru, which sits at about 17,000 feet! My students learned what it means to acclimate - to help your body adjust to thinner air at higher elevations. They pretended to "acclimate" to Rainbow Mountain's elevation the day before we went there.

Watching 5 year olds slowly walk around our school campus, practicing deep breaths, was priceless. It wasn't just pretend play. It was a simple and memorable way to make science come alive. I discovered kids LOVE saying the word “acclimate.” Suddenly, they were looking for signs of anything that could be acclimating like they were.
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We did some calm activities in the classroom to help with this because strenous activities are to be avoided when adjusting to higher altitudes. The students used their watercolors to paint their own versions of Rainbow Mountain. As the colors spread across the paper, they learned why the mountain is so unique. Minerals in the ground give it its rainbow-like stripes. This mountain used to be covered in snow and ice. Global warming caused the ice and snow to melt in 2015, revealing its colors to the world.

I was so surprised when they came back the next day still wanting to acclimate because they had so much fun the day before. They walked sloooowly to music class, which then prompted one impatient student (who wanted to walk fast) declare:

"I'm ALREADY acclimated!"

With just a little imagination and some art supplies, your classroom can become a gateway to the Andes. And along the way, kids learn not just about geography, but also about perseverance, science, and creativity.

*I had a parent text me that night saying her son told her he had a "headache" from his "altitude sickness" and could not put away his toy cars before bed. He got over his altitude sickness real quick when she told him their Roomba was going to vacuum up all his cars while he slept! 😂

Want the exact lesson my students did? You can get it here.

Teachers Pay Teachers (TPT):

In case you have not heard, TPT announced some big changes for sellers recently. These changes involve sellers receiving a smaller earning rate (currently it's 80% but will change to 77%) and having to sell exclusively on TPT's site. If the seller opts to list their products on other sites as well, TPT will lower their earning rate to 55%. You can read the full message here.

The changes go into effect on January 1st. There are many sellers saying they will shut down their TPT store and sell elsewhere. If you purchase items on TPT, I suggest following your favorite sellers on social media to stay informed on what platform they are selling on. TPT was the first platform I used for my lessons. I will be closing my shop as a result of these changes. However, all of my lessons will continue to be available on my website, just like they are now. ❤️

One Last Thing...

If your class could "travel" anywhere in the world tomorrow, where would you take them? I would love to hear where you would go.

Have a wonderful week!

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