October 2006

BUG OBSESSION!

So, a praying mantis flies into my room unexpectedly. The students ask a few questions, I give a few answers, and then it all begins....

Soon afterwards in my way to school I find a giant beetle. I assume it is a dung beetle because....well I'm not sure why but, he had the horns that looked like they would be great for rolling dung. So I put him in a cup bring him to school, and soon afterwards he received the oh-so-clever name of "Mr. Poo." Instantly, every child was fascinated and in love with our new class pet. The kids put some dog poo in his box to see if he would roll it. Well, after I did a little internet research I found he was actually a Rhinocerous beetle. Oops, minor error on my part. :) They also sell for $12 on ebay. I asked the kids if they wanted to sell him and use the money for a class party or keep him...well, needless to say he's been an important part of our lives for quite some time now. (they only live 4-12 months, so I need to start prepping the kids for the his loss) We nearly lost him once already when he escaped and fell into the trash can. THAT was a close one!

Well, here are the pictures of Beto and Griselda with their beloved Mr. Poo. (Oh and we found out the hard way, that he flies.)

In one of my classes we made cornhusk dolls and created companies and company flyers. We then had a shopping day where the kids bought each other's products with American dollars. It was both exciting and chaotic, and all along they didn't realize how much English they were learning...waahaahaa (evil laugh).