Hi Reader,

This week we’re packing our (imaginary) bags and heading to Edinburgh, Scotland: a city filled with castles, cobblestone streets, legendary kings and queens, and a whole lot of book magic. Kids LOVE learning about this city!

📚 Edinburgh & the Magic of Stories

Edinburgh is closely connected to Harry Potter and the life of J.K. Rowling. While living in the city, she spent time writing in local cafés, including the famous Elephant House Café, where she often worked at a small desk near the window, looking out at Edinburgh’s historic streets.

Walking through Edinburgh, it’s easy to see how the city inspired her writing. There are narrow winding streets, towering stone buildings, and dramatic views that feel straight out of a fantasy novel. Teaching kids about the real places behind beloved books helps stories come alive. It shows students that authors pull ideas from the world around them and that creativity often starts with noticing your surroundings.

When kids learn where a story was inspired, reading becomes deeper, more meaningful, and more memorable.

🎄 Edinburgh at Christmastime

At Christmas, Edinburgh transforms into a festive wonderland. Princes Street Gardens fills with twinkling lights, Christmas trees, markets, and winter attractions set beneath the iconic Edinburgh Castle. One of the highlights is the Christmas Tree Maze at St. Andrew Square, where visitors wander through rows of decorated trees, lights, and winding paths.

In my classroom, we brought this to life by having students pretend to walk through a Christmas tree maze, imagining the lights, the music, and the excitement of wandering through a festive Scottish market.

To extend the learning, students can create their own Christmas tree mazes using paper, markers, or craft supplies. designing paths, decorating trees, and explaining how someone would walk through their maze. It’s a simple craft that blends creativity, geography, and imagination.

If you want my Edinburgh lesson, here is the link.

🦄 Fun Facts Kids Love

• The unicorn is the national animal of Scotland. It's known for it's strength, purity, power and independence.
• Edinburgh is full of stories about kings and queens, castles, and royal history, making it a great place to connect geography with social studies.
• Edinburgh Castle sits high on a rocky hill and has watched over the city for centuries.

🌍 Why Lessons Like This Matter

When students pretend, move, and imagine themselves in a real place, they form connections that go far beyond a worksheet. They begin to see the world as a place full of stories, history, and inspiration...even places they’ve never been.

If you want help teaching kids about places around the world in ways that feel fun, meaningful, and memorable, that’s exactly what I love to help with. Thanks for traveling the world with me.

I’d love to know: What’s one win you had with your students last week? Respond to this email and let me know.

Have a wonderful week!

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