"How do snakes hug?" and other tales from DAA's newest crewmate

Hello DAA friends! I’m Elsa, the newest addition to the first grade crew. I arrived just this week, and so far I love my new home. I’ll be updating you on my life in first grade from time to time. Since I don’t have hands, I’ll get some help from all the first grade writers to tell my story. For today, I’d like to tell you about some of the things the first grade crew did to get ready for my arrival.

 The first grade herpetologists have been studying snakes for the past few weeks, and they already know so much about me and all my reptilian relatives. I’m just a baby, and I feel safe knowing that these responsible herpetologists are learning all they can to take care of me and learn from me. They have read books, participated in discussions, watched videos, and done art projects about snakes. They’ve learned about my behaviors, physical features, and life cycle.

The day before I moved to DAA the first graders voted to decide on my name. Here are the options they came up with:


I like Elsa, but I think I would have made a great Kevin the Hawk.

 The whole crew is curious to learn more about me. When Mr. Brophy, the snake expert, brought me to DAA they had a lot of questions to ask him. Here are some of my favorites:

 “Do snakes close their eyelids when they sleep?”
“How do snakes hug?”
“How quiet do we need to be around our snake?”
“Did you know that if you took the wings, legs, and big beak off a bird, it would be just like a snake?!”

First grade is curious, and they definitely have more to learn about me. Check back soon for more updates on my life at DAA!