Tag: clontuskert

Today we travelled 6858 kilometres or 4261 miles as part of a global Skype-a-thon. The Skype-a-thon aims to reach a global high of over one million virtual miles travelled between the 48 hours of the 3rd and 4th of December.

Clontuskert skyped the World War 2 Museum in New Orleans as part of the Virtual Classroom series in Skype. This was part of the Get in the Scrap initiative which highlights the role of scrap collection and recycling in WW2.

We learned that 1,116,000 steel cans had to be recycled to make one Sherman tank. Chrissy from the WW2 Museum brought us on a guided tour of the exhibits. We asked her lots of questions about the war in America and its effects. America entered the war on December 7th 1941 after Japan bombed Pearl Harbour in Hawaii. Warfare didn’t reach the US mainland but during the war New Orleans was a centre of manufacturing making planes, tanks and ships for the war effort. The American landing boats used in D-Day were manufactured in New Orleans.

Before our Skype session 5th and 6th class revised WW2 History and then taught 3rd and 4th all about it! We learned about the US role in the war and what a devastating effect it had on the ordinary people of Europe. In the US children were encouraged to collect scrap metal, paper and grease for the war effort. They had Victory Gardens where they grew their own vegetables and used ration books as food was rationed.

Chrissy showed us a First Aid vehicle and a travelling pigeon coup where pigeons were kept to send message between battlefields. She showed us some of the bombs used, a Sherman tank and aircraft including the C47. It was fantastic to see the museum for ourselves as she walked around the exhibits.