Praying Mantis and Bats in the Wind

 

Chet the Praying Mantis

This week I read a story with my 3rd grade reading group about Chet, the Praying Mantis. He is a private investigator who is asked to solve the Case of the Missing Drops. My students guessed the drops were chrysalis for butterflies. The villain in the story was Batty Bat. Near the end of the story Chet uses his camouflage skills to hide in a tree while Batty Bat and his gang are discussing the location where they hid The Drops. 
    We had 5 minutes left in the period and as we were sitting outside for the lesson... I asked the children to imagine Chet hiding in the tree next to us and Batty Bat with the gang. Then I suggested the town of Bug Box and Buggy Hall at the base of the tree. A few hours later as I was waiting outside the 3rd grade class with my 5th grade tutoring group one boys says, "Ms. Deena can I go see the Praying Mantis on the tree?" "HUH?! WHAT!?" Sure enough, there was a real Praying Mantis on the base of the tree exactly where I had asked the third graders to imagine the scene.
    Four of the 6 students in my 3rd grade group were in the tutoring group inside and I was able to show them the real Praying Mantis. They were fascinated.
BUT WAIT...
    That evening I was sitting in my living room working on homework. Molly was in her tree enjoying her hummingbirds.
    Two "birds" hit the sliding glass door! Except they were not birds they were bats! Molly jumps down and started pacing the floor in front of the door crying for me to let her out to get the "flying mice." They scurried under the edge of the planters.
We hoped they were gone.

    My landlady had the maintenance team look in my outdoor storage closet and it did not seem to be harboring bats. He did see a handful of bat early the next morning around the neighborhood. We have tile roofs and the bats sleep up there during the day. I had never given it any thought. Now I have...

Spirit Week

    The week before Halloween is spirit week at school. For five days the children get to dress up as different things each day. 
    The students had a blast getting to wear fun costumes with the finale of getting to wear their Halloween costumes at school. My school is Kindergarten to 5th grade. We were wrapping up a trimester and the teachers have to get report cards ready this next week. Our PTO gave the kiddos a carnival outside. Each child got a bag of candy and prizes to take home. 
    I was completely exhausted after five days of dress up, trying to keep up with my university classes and having 10 inches of rain last week.
    YES, we had 10 inches of rain in a one week!
I had to empty my rain gauge twice! It only hold 5 inches. Two days ago I dumped it out and we are at one inch in the past storm. 
    I found this little note in my email this week. It spoke volumes to my tired soul.

Breathe~ 











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