Play Dates with Playground Organisms

Team Bond members went out on the playground to find other living organisms to catch and observe.  The organisms were then welcomed into our classroom to be compared to our crayfish, using a Venn diagram.  Here are the blog entries that were created from the lesson:

The students created Venn Diagrams. 

Hi! It's Hulk!  Yesterday we got to meet a worm, and it was really weird. It wiggled and jiggled. In the cap, it went in a circle over and over again.  Honestly, I just wanted to scream.  I did not like the worm, but here's some interesting things about it: it eats leaves, it slithers around, it is very slimy, and it lives in dirt.


From, Hulk (KT)

Here was the worm that went around and around. 

Hi! It's Killer.  I have a new roommate.  He's wild, he has legs just like mine.  His name is Beetle.  I don't know if he had a big mouth like mine, but he doesn't have claws.  He also sprays a weird orange liquid and his color is different...he is black. Oh by the way, I killed Lucinda/John.

From, Killer (KK)

Meeting a Roly Poly

Yesterday I met a lot of different bugs. I think that's what they were. I met a roly poly. He had a lot of legs. He got scared and rolled up into a ball. He had a shell like me. He was really small. He had an antennae like me too. He was really cool!

Yours truly, Fightie (AL)

A lot of roly poly critters (isopods) were found underneath this cement block. 

I Met a Beetle

Today I met a beetle. I wondered what the beetle would eat??  Well the beetle had the same kind of walking feet as me. I wondered where the beetle lived?  The beetle did not have a tail like me. We did not have a lot of things in common. 

Sincerely, NN (ZS)

Beetles were all over our grass outside our classroom window. 

The death of John…

I went in the classroom. I Iooked at the crayfish. There was one crayfish, and  I couldn’t find the other crayfish. I looked under the seaweed. I saw that John was chopped in half.  I wondered who did it. It had to be Killer, as he was the only other crayfish in the basin. I freaked out and told everybody. Everyone crowded around me. Most of the people were like,

“Killer killed John!”       

Collin suggested that we should kill Killer, but everybody said no. I told Ms. Donahue that I found a dead crayfish body, but she thought it was just a molted crayfish.  I picked it up and showed her the severed body parts. She agreed, John had been murdered.

Mrs. Bond took a photo of me with the body parts.  Here it is!

Afterwards Mrs. Bond put him in a cup, and we passed him around to see what it looks like inside a crayfish.  It was a neat perspective to see our crayfish from...however, we would have preferred to have John in one piece! 

This post was authored by M.B.

I Molted Already!

Hello! A crazy thing happened over the weekend...I molted!  Bummer that the kids weren't around to see it.  My shell split opened, and I tossed and turned a bit.  Next thing you know...my shell was beside me.  One Claw tried to come up to me to fight, but he was really going after my old self.  Funny guy!  Anyways within a few minutes I started growing bigger and bigger.  It was so cool! I immediately had to hide and protect myself, as my shell was still very soft.  Luckily, the kids in Mrs. Bond's class noticed my molting, and she put in some houses for us.  This was very much appreciated, as I now feel much safer. Overall, I think I am going to like my new carapace (that's the hard shell that protects me.)

Bye For Now,
The New and Improved N.N

Welcoming Our Little Ones into Team Bond 2017

I have been teaching this unit on the Structures of Life for many, many years.  Each year we get a supply of crayfish that are typically around 4 inches long.  This year, I think we were given the youth of the crayfish crop, as they are only about 1 1/2-2 inches long.  They are sooo cute!  (I know...could that even be said about them??? Until now I wasn't so sure.)

Team Bond 2017 has enjoyed sharing their classroom with them over the past 2 days, and they have started their Diary of a Crayfish blog entries.  Below are some of the best ones! In parentheses will be the initials of the blog authors.

This is how our crayfish arrived...pretty camouflaged too!

9/28/17

First Day at Home

Today I went in a room full of heumans.  (I tried to spell it right.) Also, I think they are called Team Bond??? I have a roommate named Mr. Nugget.  Mr Nugget pinched my back leg. Mr. Nugget is way bigger than me.  They tried to feed me, but I wasn't hungry. 

By Sally (ST)

The First Day

Today I woke up, and I was in a classroom. I tried to escape, but I was in a deli container. They filled up a bucket and put me in it. They named me Mr. Nugget. I realized there was someone else with me...they named her Sally.

From Mr. Nugget (JG)

This was my first time at Team Bond.  My name is N.N cuz that's what they called me.  I had a friend.  His name was One Claw. The kids kept petting me.  It was refreshing.  The kids took a picture of me.  When I first met One Claw we fought. On my second day in Team Bond, One Claw and I kept fighting. I was acting mean to the students, so the students kept petting One Claw. 

From N.N (ZS)

Hello!  My name is N.N!! I love to be picked up by Noha and only Noha (I think I spelled Noha, but I am not that great with spelling!)  Anyway...I got a little scared when I got into the classroom so I jumped into the basin, but I noticed they could still reach me. I also noticed that some of the kids could be nice though. 

Day 2:

I am still adjusting to the Team Bond classroom, but I like my owners Jake, David, Zane and Trey. Noha wasn't here today.  They noticed that I like to pinch.  One Claw is actually kind of fun, but sometimes he invades my space. 

From N.N (JB)

My Story

Hi, I'm Sassafrass!  I live in a gray tub of water with Mr. Sassafrass, and he kept attacking me. I got mad and started pinching him.  Then, people started petting me and him, but I didn't like it.  Someone tried to pick me up, so I snapped at them. People are weird! 

My Second Day

Today was my second day.  I got to be petted, but I got sick of it. I pinched Mr. Sassafrass' eye. Fun, I guess???  I'm gonna go with the flow. The kids realized I had 6 legs and an antenna (Although as Mrs. Bond types this she is hoping they realize I really have 8.)  I also have an antennae. Well...that's my 2nd day! 

By Sassafrass (CS)

________________________________________________________________________________

New this year, kids will also be creating posts to their See Saw journal.  There are already some great video journals on our class page! U+IF600

A Crayfish Field Trip

One of our crayfish is super calm and nice.  Check out the video demonstrating this below:

Because of this, I let the preschool teacher know that one of my groups of students could come and share their crayfish with her kiddos.  Well, this led into other groups wanting to take their crayfish on a field trip, so that's what we did last week...crayfish field trips!  

Here are the diary entries from the crayfish about their trips:

5-11-17

Today I went on a field trip. Me and Sally Sue went to the preschool class.  One preschooler asked to put me on her head.  The preschoolers learned about me most from Callie the Human. 

Sincerely,

Flower (SA)

Today I went on a field trip to a preschool class.  Kids asked, "Can I touch him? Can I touch him?" It was very quiet because I think they said to be quiet to the preschoolers. A lot of heads were above me, so I kept raising my pincers.  Some of them screamed. I am still enjoying it here in Team Bond!

From, Pug Life (NT)

Today I went on a field trip, and I saw kids touching me. I heard them talking about me and they made me feel happy. Happy like a crayfish! Also, Foxy was in a small hut hiding.  That made me feel bad for him.  Then we had sort of a wavy trip back to the classroom and more kids looked at me and Foxy. That is what I saw today on my field trip!

From, Chicken Nugget-Cheeto-French Fry

May 15, 2017

Finally our crayfish had appetites!  The kids were at PE and Music while the crayfish ate, so I video taped one of the crayfish eating. 

The Crayfish Have Been in Team Bond for a Week!

Well, with one week under our belt, we have done pretty well with our new crayfish.  We did lose 2 more crayfish early last week, and the kids did a good job burying them outside our classroom windows...complete with headstones! The other 8 are doing well, and the children are enjoying observing their structures and their behaviors.  Here are some of the blog entries for you to enjoy!

May 4, 2017
Ouch!  Today Thorn tried to kill me, and I retaliated and fought back. I had a playdate with Pincher, but I was too scared to play. Thorn pinched a kid named Johnny.

From, Snapper (CR)

May 8, 2017
Today we had so much fun in Team Bond!  I had a playdate with Pugly.  It was a little scary because they put us on a desk with no water. When a kid put their hand in to get me, I pinched him. I didn't mean to...I just did. This one kids wanted me to pinch him, so instead, I clapped and his finger was in between, so I clapped his finger. It was another great day in Team Bond.

Bye, Tiny Tim (MN)

May 8, 2017
I got a home!  I'm so happy that I can do my own thing without people watching me.  I went out of the water. It was weird.  I was happy to be put back in the water.

From, Bob (TK)

May 8, 2017
Today at Team Bond, kids touched me.  I raised my pincers at them.  They put me on the table. I waddled around and always raised my pincers. I like pinching people. It is very fun!  I also got a house.  It was hard to get into it. I had to raise the house up with my pincers. The kids always try to touch me, so I back up to avoid being touched, but I am still loving being in Team Bond.
Love, Pinchers

Visiting Team Bond in 2017

It was an exciting day for special deliveries in Team Bond!  Not only did my class receive their box of 36 Rubik's Cubes from www.youcandothecube.com, but they also welcomed in 10 crayfish as part of our Structures of Life unit. We will be continuing this blog to share our crayfish's adventures and document our observations in a creative way!  We hope you enjoy them!

May 2, 2017

Today I came in a new room with a lot of colors.  I won't stay long, so this is probably like visiting someone. I was happy when I got my name: Chicken Nugget-Cheeto-French Fry. I am small, and I don't like snapping much.  The cat food looked weird. I think the kids call themselves Team Bond.

From, Chicken Nugget (CJ)

It was a casual day trying to find our new home.  There were 12 crayfish.  We halted on the counter of Team Bond. They put us in a basin with food. I saw five kids who soon became our owners. They called me Killer, Cutie, Pug Life, and Pugly, which is now my name.  They put me in another basin filled with female crayfish.

From, Pugly (DC)

Today I had a weird experience...I had to see a weird heumen (I can't spell good, but I think that is how you spell it.) So they were putting cat food in my face.  I almost ate it, but I could not.  They thought I was dead 1,000 times...a new record. They took a picture of us and put in on an app called See Saw. I had a playdate with Foxy.  She kept hiding from me.

Sincerely,
Chicken Nugget-Cheeto-French Fry (JR)

Today I went to Team Bond and there was a lot of kids. My name is Pinchers. I have 1 friend with me.  The kids love us! I was scared before, but I am sweet.  People loved touching me.

From, Pinchers (JT)

Hello! I just got finished getting shipped to Team Bond third grader's room. When I first got here, all of the kids were staring at me. When I got in my basin fill of water, the kids decided to name me Sally Susan. After I got in my basin, my new roommate came, and his name was Tiny Tim. Me and Tiny Tim loved our new basin.

Love, Sally Susan (ML)