Microscopes and Knobs

So today my adorable children come to me with bright and smiling faces ready for another Science lesson. Today we are learning about microscopes.
So I go to the back of the room and pick up a box and bring it back to the front.
I said "What have we been talking about these past couple of lessons?"

"Living and Non living" the class responded in unison

"So what does this box have anything to do with that?"

"Ms TERRY!!!!! is there an animal in the box?!?" Charlotte asked intrigued
With that the kids back away from the box as if it were a contagious disease.

"I don't know. What do you think is in the box?"

"Something living!" someone shouted from the back of the room.
"Jars with non living things that were once living!" I heard from the left.

At this point I HAD to play with them. They really set themselves up for it. The box just contained the microscope but this opportunity was too good to pass up.

I walked to the desk pretending that I almost dropped the box due to a sudden shift of weight uncontrollable by me within the box. The children screamed due to the unexpectedness and probability that their guesses could actually be correct. I set the box on the front lab table where all the kids could see.

"I don't know. It feels as if something is moving in there! Charlotte, girls..feel the box. Is it moving?"
7 tiny hands reached for the box
"Yeah? Yeah. Yeah! I think it is!!!!" the girls responded.

I tried to hold back my sudden burst of laughter and I did a decent job with the only result being a mischievous smile on my face.

"I don't know. Lets take a look" I opened the box as if I was trying to shield the creature from making a mad dash for it. "I have to corner it first to get a good handle on it" The kids are peeking around at this point, curious as to what I have captured in my box.

I screamed when I whipped out this microscoped and they children did too! AHAHAHAHAAAAAAAA they wanted to hit me. They were legitimately scared. Am I mean? Forcing them to wear lab coats and pretending live animals are in a box about to pop out at them? Yes.

Ok but then we go on and discuss the parts of the microscope. Being the goofy person I am I point to the focusing knobs and ask
"So what do these little knobbies do?"
The class bursts in to laughter
"Whats so funny?" No one responds.
"Ok back on task. What about these knobs?"
They could NOT hold themselves together. Ms. Heron my awesome cooperating teacher interrupts "Ms Terry, you know knob is a dirty word right?"
"No! Omgosh! What is it?" I say in disappointment that my students are more hip on the times than I am.
"It means penis"
BAHAHHAHAAH the class is rolling on the floor.
Yeah so I said knobby and they thought little penis.
"Ok class get it out of your system...Let's all say penis"
"Penis" they responded in unison.

"Ok now say focusing knob" They couldn't do it without laughing. I told them I would award them a merit for the first person who could say focusing knob without laughing. It was an impossible feat. Finally little Alex was able to hold a straight face which then quieted the laughing fit for the time.

Then I went on with instruction and set myself up for more failure unintentionally.
"Ok so what I want you to do is play with the knob and see how far down it goes before it hits" (hits the slide on the stage of the microscope)
My little 6th graders have dirty DIIIIIIIRTY minds.
Anyway it made for another fun and interesting day with my students that I absolutely adore. I love teaching :)