Exploring our world : )

In second grade, the main focus in social studies is Japan. However, we decided there is so much more we can teach the kids, and we decided to study all of the continents.  We finished our study of North America last month, and are currently exploring South America! Each time we move to a new continent, we take a "plane ride" to our next destination.  We move the chairs into rows on the rug, print our boarding passes for the students, and play videos of animals and cultures the students will learn about during our time there.  The kids REALLY enjoy this (and so do the teachers!).  We've been doing a lot of activities on the IPads during class, as well as center time.  They've had a wonderful time learning about the animals found in the rain forest and now have a deep appreciation for where we live after seeing that there aren't many "luxuries" in other parts of the world! We are finishing up our visit to South America this week, and then will be flying off to Antarctica on Friday!