I arrived!

I am here in Churchill safely. And it is cold, -4 Fahrenheit, but it could be colder.

Everyone wanted to know how long it would take to get here. Well here is a quick recap of my travels. I woke up at 4:00 am EST. I got to Reagan National Airport at 5:00am. I got on my first flight at 6:30 to Minneapolis. I arrived at 8:15 CST. I was at Terminal G but had to take the tram to Terminal C.

I was able to get my 9:00 flight to Winnipeg. The plane got smaller to Winnipeg, only 80 seats. I arrived at 10:15. I met a friend on the plane, Jean. She is from Seattle and has traveled to the Arctic and Antarctic. We hung out in the Winnipeg airport for 4 hours.

The plane to Churchill took off at 2:45 and only had 25 seats. I did not like the lift off at all. I almost clutched my seatmate's arm but we were not close enough friends yet.

I arrived in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada, the Arctic's Edge at 5:30pm. Safe and sound and ready for adventure!

Questions for the day.
What is CST?
How many hours did it take to get to Churchill from Arlington?
What does clutch mean? (Robust Word)

Watch me get dressed!

You want to see what I am going to be wearing in Churchill everyday to protect myself from the harsh weather?!? Watch this video. It takes a long time to layer up ... I may have to get up extra early in morning to be prepared.

I want to thank Patagonia who has donated some clothes for my trip North: a waterproof hard shell jacket, ski pants, and ski gloves. I am going to need these to keep warm.

Getting My Students Prepared

How do you introduce second graders to climate change? With Winston! I read my students the book, Winston of Churchill: One Bear's Battle Against Global Warming. This book is a treasure. I can not thank Jean Davies Okimoto enough for writing this book. Winston is a polar bear who rallies the other polar bears to protest global warming. He makes a book and explains how global warming is happening. Winston and the polar bears tell the tourists the ice and their homes are melting and they need the humans help to stop this climate change. After hearing about my expedition, the students were excited and very curious.

The students have many questions for me?
Will I sleep in an igloo?
How will I videoconference? How will the microphone work?
Can I bring back a little bit of the arctic in a cooler?

The students and I have gone on to do some more research in order to prepare for our joint journey to Canada. The students will follow me through my blog and videoconferences.

We tracked my trip North with the help of Google Earth.

Then we watched a video on BrainPop. Tim and Moby taught us about the climate and landscape in the Arctic Tundra. It is cold with the temperatures varying from -32 to -70 degrees Celsius (which is -26 to -94 degrees Fahrenheit). There is not much snow in the tundra so it is nicknamed the cold desert. We learned a new robust vocabulary word: permafrost. Permafrost is a layer of soil beneath the surface that stays frozen solid all year long. I will be doing research on the permafrost when I arrive in Churchill. Tim and Moby also told us what animals I have a chance of seeing in the Arctic Tundra: polar bears, reindeer, wolves, caribou, lemmings, arctic hares and more. (I am keeping my fingers crossed to see some arctic animals.)


We learned about climate change from some amazing pictures from National Geographic. The warmer temperatures in the Arctic are changing the environment and affecting the animals that live there. You can watch and hear about a few of the animals that live in this habitat: caribou, polar bears, snowy owls, and tundra swans.

So many THANK YOUS!

I want to thank everyone who has been supporting my Arctic Edge adventure.

I have so many friends, family members, and school colleagues who have been getting excited along with me. They have helped me shop for six layers of clothes. (Who knew you could wear that many at once?) They have helped me increase my technology knowledge and plan so that I can bring this experience back to my students live from the field. Thank you Deborah and Dave, in particular, because you have listened to me recite my ongoing To Do List and helped me think about how to tackle it.

My school staff sent me off in style with a poem. (Thank you Mrs. Vazquez)

Baby it'll be cold outside!
She'll probably face temperatures a' freezing
probably come back a' sneezing.
Determined to try igloo forming
as she gains insight into this global warming...
In this once in a life opportunity,
Behind her is the Barrett community.