Geography and Tea--Why Not?

For our unit on Asia in our World Cultures and Geography program, one of our parents led an engaging lesson on the origins of tea and how it spread from China across the world. She covered the Etymology of the word "tea," how the teas of the world originated from a single plant species, and how different ways of processing the same tea leaf result in different types of teas. She covered a lot of geography, but she also had a lot of tea samples--the kids had a great time taste-testing. This lesson is a excellent example of how kids can be engaged in geography and history with fun, hands-on, activities. It takes a lot of planning and effort, but the kid's enthusiasm makes it all worth it!