Snakes, Singalong, and Tellin' Tales

As I arrived at Sandhills Farm Life School for a day of singing, sharing "snakes," and telling folktales, I stopped off at the office to offer greetings and show Brianna pictures. Here's the team that tries to bring sanity to the grueling enterprise of educating over 500 young 'uns. They do a lot of the dirty work and run interference to shield the battlefront teachers from needless interruptions. Not surprisingly, as soon as we were posed, Miss McNeill had to answer the phone. Sensing someone else might be next, I backed up a step and snapped anyway.
Left to right: Miss McNeill, Janice (loves snakes), Kim, Tammy (likes snakes, but not as much as Janice), Judy.

Thanks to a young friend named Cristian (and many memories of big brother Josh) I was invited to spend the afternoon with Mrs. Dumas's 3rd graders. She's the lucky (?) one that inherited my dear old classroom with about half of my "stuff." It's still the Adventure Classroom! And EVERY classroom should be! But today, state testing was not on our minds.

After a lunch of questions on top of questions (do you remember..., do you still like snakes..., why did you have to stop teaching?) we began our afternoon with a grand singalong. I was delighted that Mrs. Cioccolanti's class could join us, too.

After sitting on the carpet for a few songs we got revved up with some action/motion numbers.

Like Ballin' the Jack.

First you put your two knees close up tight,

Then you sway 'em to the left and you sway 'em to the right,

Step around the floor kinda nice and light,

Then you twist around and twist around with all your might

Stretch your lovin' arms straight out in space,

Then you do the Eagle Rock with style and grace,

Swing your foot way around, then bring it back,

Now THAT'S what I call Ballin' the Jack! YEAH!

Below, the classes learn the "Broadway finale."

And anybody remember "Boom Boom, Ain't It Great to Be Crazy?"

A horse and a flea and the Three Blind Mice

Sat on a curbstone shooting dice,

The horse he slipped and fell on the flea,

"Whoops," said the flea, "there's a horse on me!"

Way up north where there's ice and snow,

There lived a penguin and his name was Joe,

He got so tired of black and white,

He wore PINK SLACKS to the dance last night!

Boom, boom, ain't it great to be crazy? YES, IT IS!

Then, there was that

"Desperado from the wild and wooly west,

who came into Chicago just to give the west a rest.

He wore a big sombrero and a gun beneath his vest,

And everywhere he went he gave his "Wa-hoo!"

Oh what a big, bold man was this desperado,

From Cripple Creek way down in Colorado....

Like I said,
and everywhere he went he gave his "Wa-hoo!"

After an hour of lively singing, it was time to switch to my snake show, Snakes Alive. Unfortunately, I had nary a live snake to introduce today. The two pictures below were taken last year, with a small but friendly black rat snake who was eager to meet my class.

Black rat snakes are my favorite because: they grow up to five feet, long enough to be interesting; they are constrictors, therefore fun to let wrap around you; they become gentle with just a little handling; they control mice; they are plentiful, therefore available on the school grounds and Nature Trail; and they put on a GREAT SHOW.

But, in the absence of a real snake, the Show Must Go On!

Soon, I plan to blog about my whole "fake snake" collection, its origins, classroom use, and growth. For now, just peruse the photos and see if you can spot some of these specimens: the Chicken Snake or Rainbow Snake.

The Rope Snake, Copper Tubing Snake, or Tire Tool Snake.

The Busted Radiator Hose Snake, Antenna Snake, or Wiper Viper?

Beyond just identifying the snakes, we discuss their feeding habits, natural habitat, powers of camouflage, and other pertinent facts. Along the way, I teach a lot about real snakes.

After the snake show, I ended the day with my favorite Grandfather Tale, "Wicked John and the Devil" and an African folktale called "The One You Don't See Coming" (it's that most dangerous jungle creature of all, that steals your mind away--SLEEP)!

All good things must come to an end, and this day did, too. But the kids gave an enthusiastic farewell to Chipper (all set for a trip to Hawaii--or at least White Lake) and one of my snake pals.

Every day I spent at school this year was a really fun time. I still get the adrenalin boost every time. Now I've just added pre-schools, daycares, and rest homes to my list. I never want to stop doing this fun stuff, whether with young or old. We all need to have some fun in our lives.