The first graders experienced a virtual field study, courtesy of Google. GEMS was selected as a trial school to test out Google Expeditions. (Think of a 3D Viewmaster that be used in a 360 degree environment.) The first graders took a "field study" today to Canada, California, Kenya, and the Amazon. While there, the students were able to compare several different biomes, such as the tundra, tropical rainforest, temperate forest, savannah, and desert. 
I selected this experience from the many amazing expeditions as it perfectly complimented our inquiry into biodiversity. Throughout our expedition we discussed the evidence of food chains (e.g. holes in the giant trees within Redwood National Forest in California were likely the work of woodpeckers hunting boring insects) and animal adaptions (e.g. discussing how the herd of zebras we saw in the Kenyan savannah were baffling predators with their stripes). 
Here the first graders are sharing feedback with Heather from Google:
