taffying.

We cooked. We buttered. We pulled. We got sticky. We ate.

It was taffy day for my last release time class with my precious and never-attentive third graders. It was successful in that each of the fourteen darlings took home a bag of packaged taffy that they themselves pulled. It was a success in that they had fun. One could also call it a success because Lindsay maintained her sanity for the entire hour (and only a couple times had to count to three before speaking). Overall, it was a lot of fun – buttery, sticky, messy fun.

This is how it worked – my coworker Tammy helped me cook the taffy before we went to pick up the kids at 2pm. The taffy cooled and once the third graders arrived, they washed their hands, put on a paint shirt and buttered up. Hands need to be completely buttered otherwise the taffy sticks. Once their hands were good and greasy, I scooped up some taffy and instructed them to start pulling.

Then, for the next twenty minutes, I heard the following over and over:

“I need more butter!”

“Lindsay! Mine is sticking!”

“Am I done? What do I do next?”

“Can you get the piece I dropped on the floor?”

“I need help!”

Oh my. It was chaotic but in the most organized sense possible. It was a fun and unique way to end the year of release time. I’ll miss my third graders!

And the lesson is :