I have posted a picture much like this for the last several years:
In the past, it’s been a much bigger map on a different wall (that wall is now our word wall so we had to use a different space), but it serves the same purpose: showing kids all of the connections they’re making on their blogs, Twitter and our class blogs. It’s an amazing feeling to have people you don’t even know read your words and find them interesting enough to talk about. And somehow this seems even more important and amazing for younger learners.
So I need your help! When you read our blog, talk to us on Twitter , or comment on our Kid Blogs, could you please tell us where you’re from so we can add you to our map? We’re excited to start seeing the connections that can be made!
20somethingkids and 1kookyteacher 
I’m Charlie Beushing’s friend Graeme Dennis and I am located in Washington, D.C., our nation’s capital!
Yay! Thanks for commenting, and for telling us where you live. Isn’t he a smartie-pants, that Charlie? Love how he shared what he found. How do you know him? We’ll add you to our map tomorrow! 🙂
Charlie’s Dad and Mom and I went to college together!
Hi, I teach high school chemistry and physical science in Port Huron Michigan .No school for the last 2 days because the temperature has been around -25,
Wow! -25? Is that the real temp or the wind chill? Either way that’s crazy cold! Do you have snow to go along with that snow? Somehow to me cold with snow is better than just cold all by itself. 🙂 Thanks so much for adding Michigan to our map!
Hello! I am Cathy Bacon and I live in Griffin, Georgia. ( just south of Atlanta). We are friends with Nate’s family. His dad (Tod) and I grew up together. We have been friends for over 40+ years.
Hi, Cathy! Thank you so much for reading, and for leaving us a message! It’s so fun to meet new friends! I go through Atlanta all the time–usually on my way to Florida! What’s your favorite thing about living in Georgia? 🙂
Aloha from Hawaii. I’m Jackie Burney and my family and I live in Honolulu (Pearl Harbor to be more precise). We know the Raebers from our mutual time in Groton, CT. Kirsten and I were in the same Mom’s group and our kiddos had many playdates.
Wow–all the way from Hawaii! That’s awesome. Thanks for reading our blog and also for commenting! I’ll have to say thanks to Nate (and his parents!) for advertising our blog to his family and friends. 🙂 Are you in Hawaii for the military? I know Mr. Raeber used to be in the Navy. I’m sure that our Rm. 202 kiddos would love to hear about life in Hawaii. What’s your favorite thing about living there? 🙂
Hi! We are writing from Mystic, Connecticut. We were lucky enough to have met the Raeber’s when they lived here before Tod retired from the Navy. We met in the Mystic mom’s group just prior to Josh being born. We miss our friends and only get to see them when they visit family annually in Boston and NY.
Yolanda,
Thanks for your comment! I’m so glad the Raebers shared our blog with you. 🙂 Is Mystic, CT the same as in “Mystic Pizza?” I hope that even though you don’t get to see your friends often that at least this way you can “visit” them (or Nate at least!) through our blog! What is it like living in the Northeast? I’m excited to add your pin to our map! 🙂
Hello from Auckland, New Zealand! I am friends with Charlie Bueshing’s mum. What a fantastic idea!
Karen,
WOW!! Thanks for reading and thanks even more for telling us about it! I believe you are our farthest pin from Kirkwood so far! I have been to New Zealand–Auckland, even! I went on a trip to Australia and New Zealand my senior year of high school and MAN was it a beautiful place. I was there during your winter, though, so I would have liked it to be a little warmer. Have you lived anywhere else besides New Zealand?
Mrs. Bearden
I grew up in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (might be another pin?) but have lived in New Zealand most of my life.
Karen–Wow! You sound like you lead a very interesting life! It was great to be able to mention Malaysia to the class today and have them be so curious about what it is (some hadn’t even heard of it before!) and where it was. I’m super excited to get all of these pins in our map and exploring many new places in the world we didn’t even know were out there! 🙂
Hi there! My name is Hannah and I am a friend of Charlie’s mom, Kate. I am from the Olympic Penninsula of Washington state.
Hannah,
Wow, Kate has been busy today spreading the blog love, hasn’t she?! Thank you so much for reading and for leaving us a comment! I have never been to Washington. What is your favorite thing about living there?
Mrs. Bearden
Hello from Amherstburg, Ontario Canada!!! I am a friend of Charlie’s mom Kate :). This is such a fun idea!
Cathy,
Thanks! I appreciate your reading our blog, and for leaving us a comment! You’re our second pin on the map from Canada! Have you always lived there? What do you like about living in Ontario? Our kiddos would love to learn about your hometown if you could share something. Thanks again!
Mrs. Bearden
Hello from outside of Los Angeles. We live in Claremont, California. I went to high school with Nate’s mom, Kirsten. My husband is the orchestra conductor at one of the Claremont Colleges (Pomona College.) I am also a musician and have played on soundtracks for movies and even a few video games. Hollywood is a big industry here.
Kira,
Wow! I’ve heard of Claremont before, but I don’t think I realized where it was in California. Sounds like you have a very musical family! Are the soundtracks and video games anything we would have heard of? What do you play (or do you sing?)? We’d love to hear more! Oh, and thanks for commenting on our blog! 🙂
Hi – What a great idea! I’m Melissa, I grew up with Nate’s mom in NY and have lived in San Francisco, CA, for the past 17 years.
Melissa,
Thanks for reading our blog, and for leaving a comment, too! Wow–from NY to CA? What is it like to move all the way across the country? I’ll bet that was a big change! Did you have to leave family, or did you take them with you? LOL Have you lived anywhere in between? We’d love to hear more! 🙂
Hola from another former Navy wife and playgroup member who knew Nate and his family during our time in CT. We are currently living in Barcelona, Spain.
Meghan,
So needless to say, the Navy provides for many connections to be made all around the world! I don’t know, but I can imagine it’s like having another whole family to love! Are you in Spain because of the military or something else? We’d love to hear more about what life is like there! When I mentioned we had a comment from someone in Spain the kiddos were super excited to hear more about it! Thanks for your comment! 🙂
I am Nate’s mom’s best friend from childhood. I live in Wildwood now, but just a year ago, we lived in Seattle. Love this idea…how fun for the kiddos! Hi Nate, from, Aunt Missy
Missy,
Thanks for your comment and for reading our blog! This had been such a great opportunity to see how far our words can spread really quickly, as well as becoming more aware of places around the world we’ve never heard of! I’ve never been to Seattle before. Does it really rain all the time there? (I know, that’s probably just an overstated rumor, huh?) What took you there from Wildwood? How is it different living in Washington than Missouri? 🙂
Dear Mrs. Bearden and class,
Seattle is an amazing city, in an amazing part of the country. The Pacific Northwest is stunning with all the evergreen trees and mountains, and mild weather. Yes, it rains a lot there, but it is not typically as hard a rain as here. Most days, if I put on a hat and a waterproof jacket, my dog and I could still get out and get a nice long walk in! If you ever go, the best time is between July 4 and Labor Day. For some reason, you are never quite guaranteed good weather until then….but, then it is 70s and dry! Our joke while we lived there was that the year round forecast is always 52, partially cloudy with a chance of rain. If you dress for that weather, any time of year, you are probably safe! We lived in the Seattle area twice, once in the late 90s on Whidbey Island with the Navy, and then from 2005-2013, in Maple Valley (southeast of Seattle) with Boeing. Now, my husband works for Boeing up by the airport. Missouri and Washington are different….first of all weather. Secondly, I am pleased to report that the schools here are way better than what we had where we were. Also, we used to have a teeny piece of property (.1 acre) and now we have 1+ acres! It is a huge treat for us to not be right on top of our neighbors. We miss our friends, obviously, and things that are familiar. We miss fresh salmon, and a very casual outdoorsy way of life. Seattle is a relatively safe city and I never worried about taking the kids in by myself, day or night. However, this is much closer to family, and the Raebers, so that is a great thing! Tell Nate Happy Birthday for me!
Wow! Thanks for all of your great information! You did a great job of describing Seattle so we could imagine being there. And yes, I’ll tell Nate Happy Birthday. 🙂
Hi! I’m writing from Mystic, CT. My husband and I live with our 3 and 6 year old daughters in Nate’s old house!! Good luck with your project!
Hi! I’m super interested in knowing more about Connecticut now! I haven’t really thought much about it before (since I don’t know anyone who lives there and I haven’t visited), but just today we’ve had 3-4 comments from people that live there, I remembered that one friend in our class used to live there and another one was born there! I’d say we need to do some research! What is your favorite thing about living there? 🙂
Hiya! It’s how Scots say hello! Writing from Aberdeen, Scotland. I’m Wendy and friends with Nate’s family. Nate’s mom and I have known each other since our time living in Virginia Beach, VA 17 years ago! Great idea for a project!
Wendy–Wow! Scotland, huh? I so appreciate your reading our blog and sending your kind words. We’re already so amazed at how far we’ve reached. I may have the goal now of not just every state, but every continent! So far we’ve gotten at last North America, Australia and Europe, and I have some connections in Asia. Do you know anyone that lives in Africa or South America? It’s a long shot, I know, but it’s worth a try! I’m so glad that Mrs. Raeber shared our link with you! What’s the best thing about living in Scotland? Have your been there long? 🙂
Hello from Georgia, Vermont! I know Nate’s mom from when we were kids in Hyde Park, NY. Georgia is located on Lake Champlain and is not very far from Canada. It’s also not very far from where Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream got its start. All of the first graders in our school get to go on a field trip to the Ben & Jerry’s factory to see how the ice cream is made and packaged… and they get to eat some too! Does that sound like a good first grade field trip to you? 🙂
Amy–thanks for your comment! Who knew that Georgia was in Vermont? I sure didn’t! Close to Canada AND Ben & Jerry’s? Double bonus. 🙂 I know my friends are super jealous of the ice cream field trip. We only get to go to the zoo around here. It’s a fabulous place, don’t get me wrong, but I’m pretty sure every 6-7YO would rather have a yummy treat! What is the weather like in Vermont? 🙂
Hello from Cape Cod! We live in Hyannis, MA. We need to come visit Nate sometime soon! We are friends from the Navy !
Laurie,
Thank you for reading, and for commenting! It seems like Nate’s family knows so many people from so many interesting places! I have heard of Hyannis, and especially Cape Cod, but have never been there. What is the best thing about living there? Are you buried in snow right now–we’ve heard that you have been getting all of the snow that we’re missing! 🙂
Mrs. Bearden
We live in New Albany, Indiana, right across the Ohio River from Louisville, Kentucky! I grew up in Missouri with Mrs. Bearden….and I even got to sing at her wedding!
Thank you so much for reading our blog and replying! I don’t think that before you moved to New Albany that I 1) knew it existed, and 2) realized how close it was to Kentucky. How is it different living there than when you were in St. Louis? 🙂
We have lives most of our lives in at. Louis until last fall when we moved to Bozeman, Montana. We are in a valley surrounded by mountains on all sides. We regularly see bald Eagles flying around! This area is loved for the great hiking, fly-fishing, and snow sports–but unfortunately we are having a record-breaking warm winter. It’s been in the 50’s and sunshiney for the last month. The Bears are even coming out of hibernation a month early! Most people hunt here. I have a friend who got a bison tag, a once in a lifetime event, and was able to shoot one close to Yellowstone National Park. It will feed their family all year. Our neighbors shared some elk sausage with us that they had made from an elk he shot!
Thank you for commenting, Carrie! I love the way you described Bozeman–it sounds amazing! The pictures I’ve seen of your area are beautiful as well. The story you told about the elk the other day is hard to believe! Do people around you have gardens and farms, too? I would love to finally be able to start one here, but it’s so hard to know if the weather will hold out. I know you didn’t move to MT until it was almost fall, but what will the summer be like there?
Greeting from Manhattan, Kansas! I’m Jen’s cousin– I’m going to share the blog with my friends who are scattered across the country and around the world! 💜
YAY! Thanks for reading, Katie, and joining in on the fun! Besides telling us you’re from Kansas, I’ll bet we could learn something from you about animals. I just thought of something…we’ll be learning about plants and animals next quarter and maybe we could Skype with you! I know your job has given you lots of interesting info you could share with us! Thanks for sharing our blog, too. 🙂
Hello from Huntsville, Alabama! I’m, Carrie, and my husband, Jamie, is Jen’s 1st cousin. Huntsville is the home of NASA. It is often called “Rocket City.” Huntsville has many engineers who do research and develop new products and ideas for the U.S. military. Huntsville is home to The Space and Rocket Center, where lots of kids (and adults) get to go to Space Camp. Huntsville is also home to Homer Hickam who wrote the book “Rocket Boys” that was later turned into the movie “October Sky.” It is a story about Homer’s life and how he was inspired to get a better education because of his interest in rockets. He studied and worked hard and became an engineer for NASA.
Carrie–Thank you for reading and for commenting on our blog! You did such a great job of describing your town and I know I have many kiddos who will be interested in hearing it tomorrow! I didn’t know the connection to October Sky, but it totally makes sense! Remind me–do you and/or Jamie work for NASA? Probably a question I should know the answer to….sorry! Is everything in Huntsville space-related? I imagine that the street names are all inspired that the amazingness of the solar system and outer space! Thanks again!
We do not work for NASA, but we both work for military contractors. Space is just one of the many things that engineers, scientists and analysts get to work on in Huntsville. Missiles, missile defense, radar systems, helicopter and propulsion engine technologies and all kinds of things are developed here. Since so many engineers and scientists work in Huntsville, there are also many other technology companies that have joined the city’s technology base, like Adtran that designs and builds telephone and internet equipment. We are the “Silicon Valley” of the South. I’m not sure about street names so much, but our big theatre complex in town is called the Von Braun Center, named after Werner Von Braun who was one of the early leaders in NASA and considered one of the “Fathers of Rocket Science.”
Hey gang!
This is Dean Pyle and I live in North Carolina!
We didn’t have school today because we had an inch of snow! 😉
We love Mrs. Bearden!
Dean–THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for visiting! It’s funny how much an inch of snow can interrupt your life when you’re not used to getting any! Did you go sledding? LOL Hope you’re doing well–we miss you!! 🙂
Hi Mrs. Bearden and her first grade friends! I used to teach at first grade at Robinson until I moved back to my home state of Washington 2 years ago. My family and I live in Seattle, Washington and we’re very close to the University of Washington – GO HUSKIES! I teach first grade at Olympic View Elementary and we have been lucky to have the Seahawks visit us among other cool things at our school. Perhaps we can do a video chat or a class letter to all of you soon! I love reading Mrs. Bearden’s blog and seeing all the fun you’re having 🙂
Have a great day,
Mrs. Kumar
Olympic View Elementary in Oak Harbor? We used to live in Coupeville!
Leah–thanks for your comment! I think it would be really great to have the Seahawks come to your school, and I’m not even a football fan. 🙂 I would TOTALLY welcome a Skype or chat or something. Let’s connect about how to make that happen. 🙂 Do you still have a blog? Remind me of the address and I’ll check it out!
Hello learners!
I am writing to you from Tempe, AZ, a suburb of Phoenix. It’s already 80 degrees here and it’s only February. That might sound good to you right now, I bet.
Where in Missouri are you? (I moved to AZ from MO.)
What are some of your favorite books?
Hi first graders! I’m writing from Elk Grove Village IL I teach at Elk Grove High School. We are a suburb of Chicago. It is SO cold here. School was cancelled yesterday because of the cold! Brrrrrrr!
Cold is the theme of all of the tweets and responses I read lately for sure! Your “cold” must be colder than ours, though, because we haven’t had a day off yet. 😦 All we want is a snow day! Fingers still crossed. 🙂
Hello to all of the students in Mrs. Bearden’s 1st grade class, especially Evan Riggs. I am writing to you from SINGAPORE where I work in an international school. We have students in our school from 45 different countries. We are celebrating Chinese New Year. It is the Year of the Goat, and I wish all of you GONG XI FA CAI !
WOW!! All the way from Singapore? This is an amazing greeting! We actually have a friend in our class who went to SAS in Singapore! Do you know more languages than just English? How do you know Evan? Thanks so much for your comment and Happy New Year to you, too!
Hi everyone, I live in Santiago, Chile. Now in February it is our summer here, so the weather is great!
Hello from Kutztown, Pennsylvania! I am a fourth grade teacher here in Kutztown. We have a lot of Mennonite families that live on farms around our town, so it is not unusual to see horse and buggies driving through town. Our town is also home to the country’s biggest and oldest Pennsylvania German Heritage Festival. Lots of our students help out at this festival for one week during the summer. Good luck filling your map! I enjoyed reading about how you taught fifth graders about blogging!
Hi, Kerri! Thank you for your comment! It’s interesting to read about the buggies in your town. We are a small town in a big town; our school is in a suburb of St. Louis. Do you live near any big cities?
Greetings from Accra, Ghana. I love seeing these kinds of projects. I hope that you and your class are enjoying your “trip around the world”. I work at Lincoln Community School in Accra. We are an American international school with about 800 students from over 60 different countries. It is a fantastic place to be. Please let me know if I can share more information. My son is in first grade here, perhaps his class could share something with yours. Have a great week and safe travels!
Hello from Jerome, Idaho! I am Janet Avery, an educator in Jerome School District. This is a fantastic project – it was fun reading who has visited, and where they are from. Isn’t it incredible that you have folks checking in from all over the WORLD? Some interesting facts about Idaho – many people not from the West confuse Idaho with Iowa. 😉 We are much further North and West than that state, although we do grow corn here too. Idaho is most famous for the potatoes – russet potatoes to be exact. Jerome is in the Southern part of Idaho right by the Snake River Canyon. Although it is considered a desert, when the first settlers decided to stay here, they discovered that the soil is extremely fertile – it just didn’t have water on it. Because of that, our valley is known as the Magic Valley – everywhere water was added (through irrigation), crops would grow! Let me know if you would like me to help connect you to more classes here – I am the curriculum director for our district! By the way, I found out about you on Twitter – I am also the moderator of our state educator chat #IDedchat! Have a fun adventure!
Hi class! I’m writing you from Denver, CO! It is very cold and snowy here right now! Colorado is a great place to visit, or live, during the winter if you enjoy the snow and the beautiful mountains!