They made GIANT hot air balloons out of crepe paper (think about 5 feet tall) and launched them over the school in January. They actually went up quite high and were retrieved on the other side of the school grounds. I think Michael's group was able to launch theirs three times before it became too damaged to fly again. It was quite an event: the whole school came out to watch the balloon festival.
As I've mentioned in other posts they had a variety show in April. Michael naturally had to participate...
At the end of May they put on a Invention Convention. This one actually involved quite a bit of work, but under mild pressure they will tell you they had a ball doing it. As groups of 3-4 they researched a specific invention, made working models, and gave creative presentations of how the invention worked.
The presentations were set up in a convention format in the multipurpose room, with different booths to visit. The inventions included things such as the diaper, the personal computer, electricity, the zamboni ice machine, cameras, microwave ovens and much more. Michael's group presented Eli Whitney's cotton gin. All day long, younger classes took turns going through the "Invention Convention," and the parents toured it at night.
The fifth grade took half a day off school to attend a middle school orientation and tour earlier this month.
They of course presented a couple performances of the band concert (though all the dress rehearsals got them out of doing math, they say it actually was of a lot of work).
And then there was the "lock-in," which deserves its very own paragraph. This was the granddaddy of all the fun to be had this year. (I can't show you any pictures because parents weren't allowed in!) They started the evening at 6:30pm with the Battle of the Books - a game show type competition based on the 5th grade reading list. By 8:30pm, it had cooled down to about 100F outside, just the right temperature for a massive class vs. class water gun fight on the school lawn. Since they were wet anyway, they declared a truce went swimming at the pool - which is right next to the school grounds. At 10:30pm they had a snack and watched a movie on their mats and sleeping bags, with the sexes segregated, in the gym and the multipurpose room. Supposedly this is when they brushed their teeth (right!). I'm told that lights out was around midnight, but I have no way of knowing for sure.
The next morning a couple of buses took them to the company dining hall for breakfast, then back to the school for the Battle of the Books finals. They came home at lunchtime and didn't have to go back to school after that. What fun! We owe a big thanks to the 5th grade teachers who planned, directed and chaperoned the whole shebang.
As I said before, next week they have a field trip, swimming and bowling. And then the year ends on the 30th with a "clap out," where the kids parade through the school while everyone claps for them as they walk out the doors for the last time. I'm sure I'll be puddle of tears for that one.
I sure don't remember 5th grade being so fun. I think it was just like any other year. As I ponder it though, it's such nice way of making their last year of elementary special, a way to celebrate being at the top of the elementary heap before starting over at the bottom of the middle school heap. Michael has worked really hard this year and I think he deserves every minute of it. I guess I'm just a bit envious.
No comments:
Post a Comment