A Farewell Fish Party!

You may remember our class pet from last year, Mr. Jasper Smiles? He joined us again this school year. His place of honor was on the testing table in the middle of the Elementary Learning Center.

With the winter months quickly approaching us, I really didn't want to arrive at school one day and find the poor guy frozen stiff. I decided that I would take him home for the winter months where I had better control of room temperature. :-)

Because I was taking him home, we decided to have a goodbye party for Jasper yesterday. (So much better than a funeral!) The students have grown quite attached to the little guy, and the older ones were always excited when it was their turn to feed him.

We went all out for this party! In the morning we went down to the kitchen and made blue Jell-O, putting it in a fish bowl (a BRAND NEW one!). Each student got to stir and dump something in the bowl. About an hour or 2 later we added Swedish fish to "swim" around in the blue Jell-O.

While the kiddos did their schoolwork, I was down in the Kindergarten classroom decorating for the party - complete with blue balloons, green streamers, and party hats. Jasper even got his own place of honor!

Later in the day, the students came downstairs. We had so many fun activities planned, but unfortunately, not everything could get done. However, we did decorate our party hats with fish stickers, read a story called "A Fish Out of Water", play a game called "A Fish Out of Water", taste test different fish crackers, and enjoy the blue Jell-O with Swedish Fish. The students had all written notes to Jasper, but we ran out of time to read them to him. I will have to promise to read them to him later on. Oh the things we do for a fish!! He has no idea how much he is loved. :-) One of my favorite notes I helped one of the first graders compose goes like this:

"Dear Mr. Jasper Smiles,

Can you not get frozen this winter? I really really like you but you have to go now. I will miss you!"

You know you are a teacher when you are not ashamed to wear a party hat to a farewell party for a fish! :-)