People Finder
STE Second Graders Carve Out Fun
-
Dobby the Pumpkin after being carved into a jack-o'-lantern. "These boys work so hard academically all year," Mrs. Lane said. "It is wonderful to give them the day off and have nothing but fun academics for the day." (Photo: Lali Lane).
-
The second grade boys class shows off their homemade pumpkins. (Photo: Lali Lane).
-
Dobby the Pumpkin sits at his assigned desk, working on a math test. (Photo: Audrey Nguyen).
-
Made from a recycled plastic container, Elliot Frost's pumpkin was painted from the inside instead of on the outside. He used a Sharpie to draw on its eyes and mouth. "My favorite thing about my project was that it can hold candy for me," Elliot said. "It just held some of my Halloween candy. Like, I got three bags full of candy, and one of them was my pumpkin." (Photo: Audrey Nguyen).
-
Luke Neumayr presents his project made from all recycled materials. "We nailed in some stuff into this candle, and we made it out of some things like hair clips and buttons for the eyes and stuff," Luke said. "We made a pet squid for it; it was originally going to be hair, but it just didn't work out. My mom helped me make it." (Photo: Audrey Nguyen).
-
Parker Brito opens up his pumpkin to show the class. He used his mom's empty laundry detergent container as the pumpkin's body. "My dad bought spiders, and he helped me use the hot glue gun to glue them on," Parker said. "My favorite thing was that I got to smell the thing my mom uses to do the laundry." (Photo: Audrey Nguyen).
-
Josiah Ma shows the pumpkin that he made with his parents to the class. He put a tea candle inside of it, and Mrs. Lane turned off the lights in the classroom to show everyone its glow. "My favorite thing about Pumpkin Discovery Day was that all the math and grammar and spelling that we had to study for was canceled that day," he said. (Photo: Audrey Nguyen).
To celebrate Halloween, the Saint Thomas’ Episcopal School second grade boys class welcomed their newest classmate: a large orange pumpkin. Lovingly named Dobby the Pumpkin by the class, the boys would come in every day to see him doing silly things, like sitting in the class beanbag chair, completing a math test, or wearing a wig. During the playoffs, Dobby even wore an Astros cap.
"It's so fun to watch the kids react as they come in each morning: finding Dobby and seeing what his antics are from day to day,” Mrs. Lali Lane, the second grade boys teacher, said.
“He was really naughty in very mischievous ways and very bad ways,” Parker Brito added. “Like, he would leave a mess and not clean up.”
Two weeks after Dobby’s mysterious arrival, the class would have Pumpkin Discovery Day, an annual second grade project where students get to fashion their own pumpkins out of any materials of their choice–basketballs, mason jars, and even dust pans. Students are tasked with making science and math predictions about Dobby, in addition to writing a report about their personal pumpkins to hone their writing and grammar skills.
“Each project is so unique and so much creativity goes into each one,” Mrs. Lane said. “It's so fun to hear the kids describe how they created a pumpkin that started out as something that didn't resemble a pumpkin at all, like a laundry detergent container or a beach pail.”
Each student individually presents his pumpkin to the class. Next came many students’ favorite part–carving Dobby the Pumpkin into a jack-o'-lantern. Mrs. Lane started Pumpkin Discovery Day 17 years ago when she first started teaching second grade. At first, it consisted of a simple pumpkin carving. It has since turned into a full day event for students to have fun while still learning.
“It was really fun, and I got to take home one of the seeds,” Elliot Frost said.
“I got to take home some of the seeds too,” Parker Brito added. “I want to use it to plant a pumpkin.”
Dobby the Pumpkin after being carved into a jack-o'-lantern. "These boys work so hard academically all year," Mrs. Lane said. "It is wonderful to give them the day off and have nothing but fun academics for the day." (Photo: Lali Lane).
The second grade boys class shows off their homemade pumpkins. (Photo: Lali Lane).
Dobby the Pumpkin sits at his assigned desk, working on a math test. (Photo: Audrey Nguyen).
Made from a recycled plastic container, Elliot Frost's pumpkin was painted from the inside instead of on the outside. He used a Sharpie to draw on its eyes and mouth. "My favorite thing about my project was that it can hold candy for me," Elliot said. "It just held some of my Halloween candy. Like, I got three bags full of candy, and one of them was my pumpkin." (Photo: Audrey Nguyen).
Luke Neumayr presents his project made from all recycled materials. "We nailed in some stuff into this candle, and we made it out of some things like hair clips and buttons for the eyes and stuff," Luke said. "We made a pet squid for it; it was originally going to be hair, but it just didn't work out. My mom helped me make it." (Photo: Audrey Nguyen).
Parker Brito opens up his pumpkin to show the class. He used his mom's empty laundry detergent container as the pumpkin's body. "My dad bought spiders, and he helped me use the hot glue gun to glue them on," Parker said. "My favorite thing was that I got to smell the thing my mom uses to do the laundry." (Photo: Audrey Nguyen).
Josiah Ma shows the pumpkin that he made with his parents to the class. He put a tea candle inside of it, and Mrs. Lane turned off the lights in the classroom to show everyone its glow. "My favorite thing about Pumpkin Discovery Day was that all the math and grammar and spelling that we had to study for was canceled that day," he said. (Photo: Audrey Nguyen).
Want more buzz like this? Sign up for our Morning Buzz emails.
To leave a comment, please log in or create an account with The Buzz Magazines, Disqus, Facebook, or Twitter. Or you may post as a guest.
