Texas
Traditions
Cowboy Breakfast
It's our tradition  (and the tradition in San Antonio where Mrs. Vaughn
grew up) to "kick-off" the Rodeo with a cowboy breakfast.  We eat
sausage biscuits, drink orange juice, sing cowboy songs, and read
the first cowboy book!
It's a great way to introduce our unit on Texas/Rodeo!
Of course, you can't study rodeo events
without practicing a few!
We get stick horses, 3 barrels, and  
borrow the gym.
Students run around the barrels in a
clover-leaf pattern (a must! or they are
disqualified) while the others are cheering
them on.
After each run, we announce their times.
The top 10 riders compete against each
other to be Grand Champion!
And just like at the rodeo, the Grand
Champion receives a winning belt buckle!
Chili Cook-Off
Each year we end our Texas/Rodeo unit with the annual
Chili Cook-Off.
Each class makes a pot of chili using their own top-secret
recipe... remember there are NO beans in Texas chili.
Then we create catchy names for our pots and let the
judges decide.
Of course, every pot win a ribbon.  We have an award for
everything:
*Best Chili
*Spiciest Chili
*Meatiest Chili
*"Most Interesting" Chili
*Best Named Chili
*Most Texas-Tastin' Chili
Barrel Racing