Tall Tale

The second graders took turns today presenting their animal projects. Each student had chosen one creature (tiger, elephant, gorilla, cheetah, dolphin, penguin, cat, dragonfly, etc.) and then mounted on their posters the photos, illustrations, and information about the habitat, diet, lifespan, and other fun tidbits of their animal.

During one presentation we learned that the snow leopard could be found in the mountains of Nepal, and specifically in the lower regions of Mount Everest.

I interrupted the speaker to ask if the children knew anything about Mount Everest. They did not. It’s the tallest mountain, I told them.

Hold on.

“No,” said Quin. “It’s not.”

Really?

“There’s a mountain on Mars [Olympus Mons] that is 21.9 kilometers. That’s higher than Mount Everest.”

O.K., I said. I should have qualified that. Mount Everest is the tallest mountain on planet Earth.

“Yes,” agreed Quin. It’s the second-tallest mountain in the galaxy.”