Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 01/09/2008 - 12:39

Thanks for sending us the outhouse photo.  It both answered and sparked some questions, but I will spare you the new ones! Want to share Mason's comment, though:  "I bet your buns can freeze in 2 seconds!"   Enjoyed the Audio WATIZIT.  We already know the answer, so you don't have to reply, but I was amazed that many of our ideas were similar to others':  blizzard, snow, Scott's Ghost, iceberg breaking off, seal eating a penguin.  Sophie got it right: wind.   Kirk, I want to thank you for making this a meaningful experience for our students.  This is the first time we have had to teach about Antarctica in second grade.  Stretched for age-appropriate resources, we consider it fortunate that Maren Nelson found your site.  You have truly made this experience come alive and have meaning for our students.  I'm sure they will never forget it!  We will officially wrap up this unit on Friday, with an outdoor celebration.  The kids will try the bucket-heads, and they will also try to be a dogsled team, and pull classmates across the snow on a toboggan.  Although we will be moving on, I do expect that we will continue to follow you throughout your stay.  Our team loops with students for 2 years, then we get a new crop.  Do you think you could go back to Antarctica in 2011 so we don't have to write new lesson plans?  Ha!    Thanks again!    Ann Berne-Rannow

Kirk Beckendorf

I can imagine the new questions. You can tell Mason that you wouldn't want a metal seat. I have very much enjoyed conversing with you and your students and am so glad they have enjoyed the experience. I would love to hear how the bucket heads and dogsledding turn out. BTW on the bucket heads activity ina true rescue everyone is attached to a rope and the person on one end never leaves the building, otherwise everybody will be lost. On another note, dogs were extremely important to the early explorers and even recently for scientists and explorers but dogs are no longer allowed in Antarctica, since 1994, concerns about them transferring disease to seals and them harrassing marine mammals caused them to be removed from the continent.
I would love to come back in 2011, but preferably sooner.
Thanks so much for joining in on my journey!!!
Kirk