We are workung on our Explorer u it in social studies. This week we are looking at Christopher Columbus. To help students understand the Columbian Exchange students took part in a smells of the new world activity. Students went from cup to cup trying to figure out what each food item was that came from the new world. It was not as easy as it sounds. Students learned that corn, chocolate, chili peppers, peanuts, vanilla and potatoes all came from the new world. Many of these food items helped improve life in Europe. We also learned that there was also a negative effect of this exchange, many new diseases were unintentionally brought to the new world which the Native Americans had little resistance to and many died.