The world-renowned infant-toddler and preprimary programs in the northern Italian city of Reggio Emilia offer teachers in the United States ways to use the resources in their own landscape to break through the boundaries of textbook-driven instruction in the social studies, to go beyond mandated curricula, and to explore learning possibilities that extend outside the classroom environment. For the schools in the city of Reggio Emilia, the beautiful old city is seen as a primary living document that can foster learning about history and culture. Children present their findings through multiple forms of documentation. The authenticity of these young learners' works and studies can challenge educators in the United States to rethink social studies teaching. In this article, the author relates how she used the same principles practiced in Reggio Emilia school with her 3rd-grade class in Birmingham, Alabama.