Yesterday, our Swooper Citizen theme for the week, patience, was introduced. During Morning Meeting, students were asked to imagine they are waiting in a really LONG line for their favorite ride at Disneyland. What are some things they could do to pass the time? Answers ranged from counting the number of people ahead of you, to playing I Spy, to reading a book. Students quickly saw that waiting in a long line requires a lot of patience.

Later in the day, our class was joined by the First Graders. Ms. Atkinson and I had planned a very exciting and patience-promoting activity using sweet and delicious marshmallows.  Here is a video of Ms. Atkinson giving directions:

It’s fun to hear the excited chatter!

We proceeded to pass out the one marshmallow to each student and I secretly set the timer for two minutes. It was fun to watch how the students handled not eating the marshmallow..

Some students smelled the marshmallow.

Some spent the time squishing it.

And others just stared at them….

Here is one First Graders plan.

In the end, most of the students opted to wait for the second marshmallow, which surprised me!  We discussed how students needed to use patience during the activity, and I asked students to give examples of other times in which patience is important. (“Listening to Mrs. Delwiche” was one of my favorite answers!)

If you have a minute, watch the original marshmallow video. The children’s reactions are adorable.