UPDATE: I asked Reddit to give me lesson plan topics for my classroom of 2nd graders and then spent the last 2 months teaching them. Here’s how it went.

I wanted to give a small update to all the kind folks who gave me lesson plan topics 2 months ago. I have been extremely busy the last few months, so I have not found the time to update until now. Sorry about that!! <br><br>2 months ago I asked Reddit to give me lesson plan topics for a classroom of 2nd graders. I received over 2000 comments for things that Reddit wanted me to teach the kids. After reading all of them I narrowed it down into a top 20 list and then I asked them to vote on their top 5.<br><br>I waited 24 hours and tallied everything up. The top 5 things were:<br><br><br>1) Why humans cannot lick their elbows<br>2) How to read minds and control people<br>3) How to teleport<br>4) How to talk to dogs<br>5) How to make friends when you are shy<br><br>Let me tell you, some of the Reddit users had VERY strong opinions. Some people got very angry that things like “how to do laundry” and “how to cook a chicken” were not included in the top 5. <br><br>I then narrowed these 5 topics down into 20 lesson plans, distributed throughout the last 2 months of school. I grouped topics together were necessary, and made sure to not tell the kids that these were Reddit topics. You can see the full list of lesson plans below, as well as pictures of the kids actually doing the activities.<br><br><br>Full Lesson Plan List:<br><br><br>How to Train Your Brain: Introduction to Mindfulness for Kids<br><br><br>History of Teleportation<br><br><br>Why Some People Can’t Touch Their Toes<br><br><br>How to Read Minds: Introduction to Empathy and Understanding Feelings, and Being a Good Listener<br><br><br><br>The Magic of Teleportation! <br><br><br>The Psychology of Reading Minds: Asking the Right Questions and Active Listening, Solving Telepathy Brain Teasers<br><br><br>Lab: Teleport a Penny<br><br><br>I Can Lick My Elbow!<br><br><br>How to Speak Dog: Introduction to Dog Body Language and Communication Skills<br><br><br>Brain Teasers: Read My Mind and Guess the Number!<br><br><br>How to Train Your Mind (And Your Dog!): Brain Games and Tricks, and Positive Reinforcement Dog Training Skills<br><br><br>Lab: Magic Cups and Balls<br><br><br>Lab: Slime Making and What is a Non Newtonian Fluid<br><br><br>Lab: How to Make a Volcano<br><br><br>Lab: Solar Oven<br><br><br>Lab: Building a Birdhouse for a Homeless Dog<br><br><br>Lab: An Introduction to ASL<br><br><br>Lab: Yoga and Mindfulness for Kids<br><br><br>Graduation Day: Fifth Grade Mind Readers and Dog Whisperers and Teleporters!<br><br><br>---<br>The activities were a huge hit with the kids. We have a blast every day, and they loved the topics that Reddit chose. As a teacher, I am usually alone on the island with no other adults to talk to. My students are very sweet, but sometimes I wish I had another adult to talk to during lunch. It was nice to have a fun connection to the adults of Reddit.<br><br>I would 100% do this again, and recommend this activity to other teachers. I think it is a great way to involve the community and teach the kids to be good humans. The activities were super fun, and the kids had a blast.<br><br><br>I did have one negative comment from a parent, and that was all. And let me tell you, they were pissed. Some of the parents saw the lesson plans and did not like the topics, but the only negative comment I got was from an older couple who have custody of their 2nd grade grandson. When they saw the topic “How to Read Minds” on the lesson plans, they got very angry and called me a witch. They yelled at me for a while saying that they didn’t send their grandson to my class to learn how to be a witch. I explained that it was just a fun game and we were only practicing empathy and ASL, but they insisted that I was “leading their grandson down a dark path of evil”. I was shocked at the time, but looking back on it, I think it’s very funny<br><br><br>I didn’t end up losing the student, and the grandparents seemed to calm down eventually, but it was definitely a memorable moment. <br><br><br>Thanks for your interest in this little project! I hope this was as fun for you as it was for me. Even though I am done with the project, I will continue to lurk and help with questions when I can<br><br><br>Have a good day, and happy teaching!<br><br><br>TLDR: I asked Reddit to give me topics to teach my 2nd grade class for the last 2 months of school, and we had a blast. We learned things like how to train a dog, how to teleport, and how to read minds, and the kids loved it.