Recipes & Hand Games

This week was quite the variety show! For 6th grade, inspired by Leslie Reese’s “How to Write A Recipe” workshop and Shoesmith student Kamya J.’s poem “Recipe for A Great Summer”, we wrote our own recipes. First, students took me through how to screw in a lightbulb step-by-step, giving me both practical and emotional tools, skills, and hacks. Then, they created their own. Now, for 8th grade, this week’s workshop was particularly special because I was making good on a promise. Weeks ago, after a spirited end-of-class round of Roll-Call, I said we could write our own hand games — so we did! The theme of the week was “rhythm,” and we spent our time 1. Playing hand games, 2. Analyzing what makes a good hand game, and 3. Writing our own. The silly poetry that makes up classics from “Shame, Shame” to “Miss Mary-Mack” changes across region, city, and even block. I taught them how to play “ABC” (inspiring some students to base their new rhymes on this new-to-them rhythm), and they taught me “Tarzan” (or as I know it, Crocadilly Oh-My). At the end of class, poets taught us their brand-new classics! I’ve added two of their hand-game rhymes to this post, with a recording so you can hear the rhythm and flow!

Ms. Barker 6th Grade

"Things To Do In School" by Messiah

First, you need a cup of do your
work so you don’t fail. A tablespoon of
stay on task. 1 gallon of know when is the
time to play. With some confidence. Thank
you for your time.

"Good Energy This Summer" by Morgan H.

So this summer you need a
gallon of good vibes to be around me
also 100 cups of smelling good so
you don’t get call stanky. We need
it to be lit this summer and the fun
days we need good night rest. I’m
always down for a positive & determined
person (1,000 cups)/ a confident cool person (48 cups).

"The Recipe for a Perfect School" by Ji'Mia W.

Step one: put 3 cups of positivity. Don’t forget
you have to measure that up into a higher
degree of respect, chop up a pinch of negativity
you will also need it for the adrenaline. Don’t forget
to put your 2 cups of Intelligence, and sprinkle on
a dash of Goofiness. Bake it at 500 degrees
and confidently walk into the building of a perfect
school and your group of friends. And
watch as you and everybody else live, laugh, and
love. And as you smell the positivity you follow it
into a room of mixed emotions but you need
the negativity to face your fears, move on to the next
step and even you need negativity to be positive.
So if you don’t think you need a pinch of
negativity, you do. You also need to be drenched
in a bucket of joy to wash it all down
and do it again tomorrow.

Ms. Barker 8th Grade - Class B

"Lemonade, Crocadile" by Zamariah and Geane

(Original Hand Rhythm)
Lemonade, Crocadile, going crazy for a while
If he bites, don’t scream, feeling hot for ice cream
Moving fast, moving slow
Let’s see how long we can go

Ms. Barker 8th Grade - Class A

"Coca-Cola" by Priscella and Sanaijah

(Hand Rhythm of A,B,C)
Coca-Cola, lollipop, grab my hand and now we drop
Arizona Iced Tea, sipping on my Pepsi
Feel a little dizzy, got a friend named Lizzy
Finna go, to the sto’,
drop it low, to the flo’
Grab my Pepsi, get fo’
Walk your way up out the do’