FIRE GAMES!

Okay, it's June, there are three weeks of school left and we are all starting to "check out!" In an effort to keep French Class fun and allow the kids (and me) the chance to blow off a little steam, I try to plan, active lessons with lots of games for June. It is always my hope that the good old Canadian sunshine will make an appearance allowing us to go outside to play these "educational" games I make up with French vocab. What better way to embrace a foreign language than to run and laugh in the sunshine hollering out vocabulary words?

This morning, I stopped by the drama room and raided the costume closet for clothing that would fit the unit I've been teaching on...clothing. The kids have been learning the French words for things like dress, pants, skirt, shirt, jeans, shoes, hat and neck tie. I found some great plaid pants, some flannel shirts, huge "moo moo" style dresses, long skirts, high heel shoes and a couple furry hats and outrageous ties. I could think of a bunch of fun dress up games that would have the kids roaring with laughter while hearing and saying the French words for all of this clothing, perfect! The sun though, refused to shine and I was forced to create a game space inside my classroom which doubles as the "Foods Room." Since I am the foods teacher this isn't really a big deal. We've grown used to working around the stoves and sinks and even enjoy sitting on the kitchen counters for group projects from time to time. Today, I hid the clothing (I had three sets of everything) in the kitchens with sleeves poking out of the ovens, skirts spilling out of the cutlery drawers and neck ties dangling over the mixers. I divided the class into three teams, called out the first item (une chemise) and watched as one member from each team, scurried around the room searching for a "chemise" to bring back to their cheering team. This would have been so much more fun and loud outside, but we made it work. At the end of the game, I had them return the items (one by one as I called out each one in French) to a new hiding spot. I insisted that they have part of the clothing showing, or hanging out of each drawer as I really didn't want the next class banging cupboards open and shut. Once all items were hidden, I dismissed that class and waited for the next one. We played this three times with three different classes before recess. After recess I had grade 8's and we were helping the grade threes with a podcast project, so we left the French/Foods room and headed to the K-1 wing of the school. While we were gone the "hot dog" ladies came in to use the Foods room to steam and warm hot dogs (gross) for hot dog lunch day. They have done this every Monday since September without incident, however they did not notice the plaid sleeves hanging out of the ovens when they pre heated them today!!!

Yep, there was a fire! Two actually. They burnt a hole in a plaid shirt and had to run a flaming skirt to a sink and dowse it with water.....oooooops!!!!!!

I think it is kind of funny, considering no one got hurt, but I think it scared some of the parents, including the one who wrote to the principal about fire safety and how it should be reviewed with me!