Fuzzy buddies #SOLC17

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Two Writing Teachers

My shoulders and elbows are a little bit stiff today.  Nope, I didn't play tennis or work out yesterday.  I spent the afternoon gluing googly eyes to pom poms.

Yes,  you read that correctly.

Last year I was wandering the aisles of Hobby Lobby, looking for something to make for my students about to take the PARCC assessments.  I considered...

• stress balls (too bouncy)
• balloons with flour (too messy)
• candy (too much sugar)
• erasers (too small)

Then I remembered a little fuzz ball with feet and antennae that I got from the fun fair in elementary school.  That was it!  I would make a fuzzy buddy!

Allison (my youngest) helped me glue eyeballs on pom poms last year.  Then I gifted them to the intermediate students at school.

"See, they don't have a mouth, so they are quiet!" I explained.

By the end of the week, some of the students had built little houses for their buddies, and even the "coolest" 4th grade guys were being protective of their new fuzzy pet.

This weekend I bought supplies and received help from Mikayla, a friend of Lindsey's on spring break.  We crafted over 200 fuzzy buddies.  Today I slipped into the 3rd-5th grade classrooms.  I started in 5th grade with kiddos who had a buddy last year.

I showed them a pencil kit from the principal, and then I held out the bag of buddies.  

"Hooray!  Cool!  Oh, yeah!" resounded through the room.

My sore shoulders are worth it.  My heart is full!