Ice Cream Sundaes, Shaving Cream, Egg Drop, and Mythology

Every year, first through eighth grade students take a standardized achievement test. Odd-numbered grade levels also take an ability test. When testing was over, to celebrate, the class had an ice cream sundae party! These kids made the most interesting ice cream sundaes. There were ten different topping choices and four ice cream flavors available - no one child had the same combination. 

 An activity the class always seems to enjoy is playing with shaving cream. I love using shaving cream to have children practice spelling words, math facts, sight words, digraphs, shapes, diphthongs, and the list goes on. On this day, the kids just played with the shaving cream. I let them get in small groups and they had some fun! It was used for sensory exploration.  

The middle school students are terrific mentors to the younger elementary students. One of the things that makes St. James a close community is the relationships between the grade levels. The amount of support these children demonstrate to one another is exemplifying.  The middle school invited the lower school to the “Trajeggtory” Challenge. To this challenge, we could bring six items from the classroom that would keep an egg from cracking as it was being thrown over a volleyball net. The further the egg went without cracking the better. The first graders were so excited to be a part of the challenge. I split them into two groups and they came up with their design and gathered the materials. We did not win, but it was a great experience and fun lessons were learned. 

 Roman carnival is an annual event that the middle school students put on for the entire school. The students dress as Roman mythological characters and educate us all about who they are dressed as. They also have booths set up for the students to visit to play games while learning. It was so nice to be outside and see all of the children interacting and learning together. 

The next two weeks will bring this year to a close. It definitely started off atypical, and we aren’t back to “normal”, but it has been a great year with this tremendously sweet class!!

Mrs. Gordon