We started our first day with Play-Doh! It helped get out some nervous energy for some, plus, it kept them busy while I gathered school supplies, collected paperwork, and all those othe necessary "teacher duties." I think it was a BIG hit with the kids!!
To help get to know each other a little better, the kids filled out an About Me Apple Puzzle. They filled in things like their favorite food, favorite books, things they are good at, qualities they look for in a friend.
Then, I had them get in small groups, mix ALL the pieces together, and see if they could put their own puzzles back together. It was cute hearing them work together to sort the pieces out.
We reviewed how to take care of the books in our classroom and what we needed to be good readers (quiet, a cozy spot, a "just right" book). It seems I have a class of readers!! They loved having a chance to look through the book baskets.
The last activity we did on the first day was an M&M Wrap Up. Everyone got to pick 1 M&M out of the bowl. Each color stood for something to tell us.. for example, if they got a blue M&M, they were supposed to tell us something they were excited about for the year. They asked to do this activity each day the rest of the week. :)
Silent Interviews - like charades! They had to act out 3 things about themselves (without opening their mouths). Their partner had to try to guess what they were acting out!
Each child brought their favorite book to school and had a chance to share what they brought and why it was important to them. We talked about how sometimes books have special memories attached to them. I read them one of my favorites from childhood, Me First. My mom read the book to my sister and I because we would always argue over who got to do something first. I liked listening to them share their books.
We played a game called Find a Friend. The kids had a board and each box had characteristic in it (Likes the beach, likes to fly a kite, has a dog, etc). The kids had to go around the room and find someone who fit that characteristic. They could only use each person's name once.
Cannon was the first to finish! Way to go!!
After 10 minutes of walking around and socializing, these were my friends that were able to complete the challenge!
Okay, so we have the VERY last lunch of the day (at noon). I was constantly hearing, "When can we eat?" or "I'm hungry." So, of course, on Friday when I told them we would be making a snack before lunch, they were thrilled. We made Friendship Trail Mix. Each item in our mix stood for something.. the bowl was like our classroom. We had our kind friends (Teddy Grahams), friends who follow the rules (pretzel sticks), kind and positive words (marshmallows), happiness (M&Ms), and hard workers (Chex cereal). I then asked what would happen if we added in a rotten, stinky banana. Of course EVERYONE groaned and said it would taste yucky!! We talked about we don't want rotten bananas in our classroom -- people who are mean, don't follow the rules, and are "grouchy." Needless to say, we did NOT add the rotten banana into our mix!
I hope your children had a good first week of school. I'm worn out, but I definitely think it was a successful week! Rest up and I'll see everyone bright and early on Monday morning!
