Shel Silverstein...My Most Favorite Bald Guy of ALL TIME!

Shel Silverstein...My Most Favorite Bald Guy of ALL TIME!

Who doesn't love Shel Silverstein?  Not only did this guy write songs sung by Johnny Cash and Loretta Lynn, but he also wrote such timeless classics as The Giving Tree and A Light in the Attic (a collection of poems).  I love reading his poetry with my students, because much like the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, it's full of humor that appeals to both kids and adults.  I have a hard time keeping a straight face while reading this stuff aloud with my students, not to mention recording the totally awesome rap song sung by the one and only DELI RAPPERS we created from one of Shel Silverstein's poems, entitled "Peckin".  Seriously, I dare you to keep a straight face (if you can't tell, the kids kinda had a hard time too).

Welcome to SUPER HAPPY TIMES library, the only library that's open 24 hours a day, EXCEPT Casimir Pulaski Day (you'll get that joke if you're from Illinois).  Be prepared to be blown away by the acting skills in this performance of "Overdues" and pay close attention to the inspirational reading posters in the background.  Oh, and in case you were wondering, those totally awesome overalls and torn red shirt are curtesy of Ms. Sprengelmeyer's closet circa 1996.  

Here's two examples of what my students think a "homework machine" would look like, appropriately taken from Shel Silverstein's poem  "The Homework Machine" (in which the answers come out wrong).  Note to reader: the math problems on the right are mean't to be incorrect!

Cloudy with a Chance of TOTAL AWESOMENESS

Cloudy with a Chance of TOTAL AWESOMENESS

I love taking a walk down "nostalgia lane" and reinventing the way I teach a childhood favorite.  And what better than the book Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett - a book where food falls from the sky!  This was a favorite of mine since before I could actually read the words and simply made up a story based on the pictures (most likely while sitting on my dad's back porch licking an orange push-pop).  So here's my take on an all time favorite of mine, from my totally awesome group of third graders.

Give kids choice and they will be far more motivated to work and ultimately produce better work.  Not all kids are comfortable being in front of the camera or singing a rap ballad about pickles, but as you can see, some totally are, and that's why choice is important.  So check out the examples below, which vary from 3-D towns to school lunch menus.  The only thing they had to keep in mind while creating their projects was that it had to relate to the town of Chewandswallow from the book Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.  What would life really be like if food fell from the sky?  Imagine what commercials would you see or what might be on the school lunch menu.  Just remember to IMAGINE.

WHEN PICKLES ATTACK!

Here's a diorama of pickles attacking the town of Chewandswallow (notice how the upside-down pickle has taken hold of an innocent victim.....AH!). 

Here's a more appetizing example with multiple flavors of ice-cream falling from the sky.

LUNCH MENU FUN!

Hungry?  How about some "meatball pudding" or a "stale tater-tot burger"?  If that's not appetizing, could I interest you in an "old apple" or a sip of "split-pea flavored soda"?  I didn't think so, and that's what makes this lunch menu so awesome.  There's probably not much choice on a school lunch menu, where whatever falls from the sky is...well, what you will be eating until the next downpour of tater-tots!

When I Grow Up

WHEN I GROW UP

"When I grow up I want to be a farmer and a dairy store owner.  I want to do this because I like to work with animals and people.  I'd name my dairy store Tashner Dairy.  I'd sell milk, yogurt, ice-cream, and cheese shaped like cows.  My employees would also wear cow suits."

-Brody

I'm inspired by old things.  This particular project was inspired by a pair of frameless glasses I found underneath some old photographs while rummaging through my dad's antique store several years ago.  My sister and I first put them on as a joke and ended up having way too much fun with them posing for pictures.  I got to thinking if two grown adults had so much fun with a pair of old glasses, that my students would totally enjoy it too.  So...why not tell them these are the super-magical-fantastic "When I Grow Up" glasses!  Or simply put, this is what you might look like once you start paying bills and taking your future children to soccer practice.  The handmade facial hair is simply an added bonus.  Give kids a sheet of black paper, and I promise they will amaze you.  

"When I grow up, I want to be a model, a soldier, a hockey player, and a veterinarian! I want to be a veterinarian because you get to help animals.  A model gets to be on Miss America and wear dresses.  A soldier gets to work with cool machines, and playing hockey is just fun either way!"

-Laney

As you can see, Laney wants to be A LOT of things, and that's totally inspiring.  It's important kids know that they don't have to do one job for the rest of their life.  They can do many things, and what they want to do might change many times throughout their life (I'd call that healthy progress if you ask me).  The important thing is that they do what makes them happy!

"When I grow up I want to be a basketball player.  I want to do this because I like shooting hoops (especially trying to shoot hoops from half court!).  I love the excitement of the game."

-Dawson

I started this project out by telling my students that I didn't always want to be a teacher (that wasn't until much later in life).  In fact, when I was nine I was certain I was going to be a cake decorator.  My nine year-old brain could think of nothing better than a job where one could write names in multi-colored frosting while secretly eating leftover cake batter!  Who knows, maybe next year I will enroll in Master Cake Decorating 101.  It's never too late to learn something new.

"When I grow up I want to be an architect.  I have always wanted to make a blueprint for something, and I love to draw."

-Charlie

"When I grow up, I want to own a horse ranch and train horses.  I think it would be fun to ride, train, and take care of horses.  I want to do this job because I love to work with animals.  I would have a special training area for younger kids.  I think this job would be hard sometimes, because horses don't always cooperate."

-Sadie

"When I grow up, I want to be an N.B.A. player.  I want to do this job because basketball is one of my favorite things to do, and you get to travel all over the world.  You also get paid like three million dollars a game."

-Brandon

"When I grow up I want to be a veterinarian.  I want to do this job because I love animals.  I think it would be fun to check the animals to see if they are healthy, and to weigh them.  I have loved animals my whole life."

-Leah

"When I grow up I want to be a movie director, because I could make awesome movies!  I also want to be a fireman, so I can be like my grandpa.  I would love to ride in a firetruck."

-Connor

So there you have it!  Another snapshot of a totally amazing group of kids who are dreaming big.  I hope I've inspired you to make use of something that was seemingly a piece a junk, and if all else that I put a smile on your face.  If a paper mustache won't, I'm not sure what will ;)

As Joseph Campbell would say (thank you Laurel and Richy):

"Follow your bliss."