Are You Connecting With Your Fifth Grader?

Noah's a fifth grader this year. When his science teacher assigned the class a biome project, Noah chose to research the tundra. He wrote:

"The tundra is a place with permafrost, which is ground that barely thaws. This biome has a short-growing season which makes life hard on plants and animals."

In his studies, Noah learned the earth has two types of tundra: the arctic and antarctic kind as well as the alpine sort. For images to use with his project, I opened a coffee table book called "Rondane" - a publication about Norway's oldest national park. We found images of reindeer habitat, food and young.

We also opened my treasure trunk and found a lichen-covered "map rock" from Rondane. When I suggested Noah bring the rock and the reindeer skin hanging in our entryway to show along with his project, he said, "YES!!!"

As we carefully removed the nails tacking it to the wall, Noah asked,"Why did you even bring this reindeer skin back from Norway?"

I explained how skiers roll up these skins, attach them to their backpacks and use them to cover the snowbenches they build at lunchtime.

"Before I left Norway, I bought cross-country skis, boots and poles so I could keep skiing when I came back to Minnesota," I said. "While traveling the west-coast mountains with my host family, we came across a vendor selling reindeer skins at a reasonable price. I bought this one to continue the tradition."

Then I confessed, " Only, I never did take it out on the ski trail. Instead, it's hung every home I've made. It's hung here for 14 years now."

"Oh!" said Noah. "Then maybe it's good we're taking it down— "
"For a dusting!" I interrupted. "Probabably..."

Today while Noah was off at school with his tundra trifold project and visuals, I set out on foot to walk the dogs down our gravel road.

As I crossed the large expanse between the glacial moraines to our north and south, the frigid temperature and wind brought to mind my fifth-grader's biome project.

When I returned home, I made my own tundra trifold project using photos from my morning walk.

"Why?" I asked myself, and answered the question with another:

 "Are you connecting with your fifth grader?"