Sen. Chuck Grassley is branching out from Twitter to Skype.

The Iowa Republican, who has taken some heat for the informal style of his tweets, used the Internet conferencing service to chat with fourth- and fifth-graders from Hospers Elementary School in Hospers, Iowa.

In the Senator’s grandfatherly description, the children “looked right into the camera of Skype” to ask their questions.

To be sure, this was not as tense as some press conferences. One child asked what Grassley liked about being a Senator.

“I see being a Senator similar to being a teacher. It is a public service,” Grassley says he responded.

And what did he tell the kids he found frustrating about his gig? “People misinterpreting [my] motives.”

Though the Senator said he enjoyed his question-and-answer session with the young ones, he prefers discussing policy issues with older kids, whether it is through Skype or in person.

“I’m not a teacher of younger kids,” Grassley tells HOH. “I explain things in a way that younger kids may not understand.”