Every year I invite my class of 5th/6th grade girls over to my house for a fun night. One of things I try to be intentional about as a teacher is inviting my girls into my home. I don’t want them to think that my interest in them only last for an hour and a half on Wednesday nights. I want them to feel invested in beyond the classroom.
The weather was perfect yesterday! It was beautifully sunny so we started the night outside with a round of croquet. For some of the girls this is their first time playing the game, so it’s always fun to see the reactions. Most girls really love the idea of hitting balls with mallets. It can get a little dangerous! Thankfully there were no injuries or accidents. My sister took 1st place, Ysabel took 2nd and I took 3rd. I usually land in the top 3 each year. I was happy to see my skills hadn’t worn off (since I only play once a year)! After croquet, we went over to the fire pit to roast hot dogs for dinner. It was a little too warm to be by the fire, but the girls seemed to enjoy roasting their meal and munching on chips.
At this point in the evening, we moved things inside. It was time for the feature film – Frozen! These girls are obsessed with this movie and I really like it too. You haven’t really experienced Frozen until you’ve watched it in a room of preteen girls singing along at the top of their lungs. There were moments where April and I had to hide our laughter. It was pretty incredible. We might be getting a noise compliant from our homeowner’s association.
The highlight of evening for many was our dessert. I promised the girls chocolate fondue and they were so excited for it. Fondue is one of those things I do about once a year and while I’m enjoying it, I always wonder why I don’t do it more. Large group events like this are perfect. I used melting chocolate that was formatted for fondue pots. This means I don’t need a recipe or any added ingredients. Just melt and enjoy! We had an assortment of goodies that included marshmallows, rice krispie treats, twinkies, brownies, strawberries, bananas, and oreos. All were excellent! I had one of each! Yum!
The evening came to a close with a game of Mafia. This game is always fun to play with 5th graders because they don’t always have the strategy down. Jeremy figured out I was in the mafia one game and tried to have me killed, but my loyal class wouldn’t believe him. Since he was the doctor, he kept saving himself. The only way I could have killed off was by having the townspeople vote to kill him. Again, my loyal class followed me and I got Jeremy in the end! *Insert evil laugh here* The girls were sad when our time ran out and we had to pack up and leave.
It was so much fun to have my class take over my house and just enjoy being silly girls. There was lots of good food and laughter which is a perfect combination in my book. It was a great way to spend a Friday evening! I love these girls a lot! They are amazing! And a special thanks to April and Jeremy for helping me keep them an eye on them! I seriously couldn’t have done it without them!
1st.2nd.3rd
The fondue station
The group!
Amy Scott's Thoughts 