Yesterday we traveled 4,900 miles for an exciting Mystery Skype session with Mrs. Lausensei and an 8th grade class from Punahou Middle School in Honolulu!  It was their first time doing one so it made my 3rd graders feel good to be showing the ropes to the big kids.  My students started narrowing down their location.  We found out that they were west of the Mississippi River and then that they bordered the Pacific Ocean.  They figured out that the other class did not border Mexico so it couldn’t be California.  When they found out it wasn’t Oregon or Washington state they were a bit confused.  So they asked me – Didn’t they say they bordered the Pacific Ocean?  I told them to think about what other state it could be that still bordered the Pacific.  Then Sophia said, “I’m going to ask if they border Canada because maybe it’s Alaska!”  Once they got the answer of no to her question, Isabelle said in surprise, “It’s Hawaii!”  I really enjoyed watching them put on their thinking caps and work through that.  The other class guessed our location first but we still have a fun time.  At the end, we shared our PA facts with them and they told us a little bit about Hawaii – made of 8 islands, a lot of delicious fruit, and they rarely see snow.  We told them it was a warm December so far for us and it was 55 degrees out today.  They thought that was cold as it was 78 degrees there for them.  Thanks for a great Mystery Skype session!