Back To School Birthday FREEBIE!
We have recently added a new product to our FREE RESOURCE LIBRARY that you might be able to use in your classroom right away! For birthdays, we like to give our students a little treat. For years I would buy Happy Birthday pencils and then struggle to pass them out on the kids birthdays. I would always start off the year on the right foot, but as the year progressed, weekends and vacations caused me to forget who got a pencil and who didn’t. The past few years, I have whipped up these birthday balloons and now I never forget. They sit in a jar at the front of my classroom and I write each kid’s birthday in my planner. On their birthday I put their birthday pencil on their desk and they always start their day with a smile. They are super simple and editable!
Getting to Know You: String Web Activity
String Web: On the first day of school every year, we do a Getting-To-Know-You web using a ball of yarn. It is so simple but the kids love it! They love it so much that during the last week of school we do a memory book, and many of the kids mention it in their memory book as a favorite thing! It is so simple and you can find out more here on the blog! But basically each kid says their name and something about themselves. They hold the string in one hand and then throw the ball of yarn with the other hand. Another student catches it and does the same….and so on until everyone has had a turn. If there is time, you can do a second round. We have done “favorite sport,” “favorite subject,” “favorite thing to do outside of school,” and more!
STEM: Spaghetti and Marshmallow Tower
Starting the year off with STEM is one thing we love to do! One final thing we wanted to share is the STEM activity we do on the first day of school. Students have to create the tallest structure they can using dry spaghetti, masking tape, and a marshmallow! It is so much fun and VERY EYE OPENING as a teacher with a room full of kids you’ve never met! The leaders emerge, teamwork is required, and it is a lot of fun! Best of all it is VERY LITTLE PREP! You just need the supplies and they kids do the rest! If you are looking for this and more STEM activities, you can check out my yearly STEM bundle here. This is the set that we both use to do our monthly STEM challenge. Check it out! 🙂
Remember to Smile 🙂
I have heard that famous line, “Don’t smile until January” many many times and I find it absurd! I smile with my students, joke with them, and laugh with them. I am known as firm but fair…and I like to think I am also funny! Each teacher has their own way of running their classroom, so if this philosophy works for others, that is great. For me, I can’t through the first morning without many smiles, giggles, and a lot of fun. Take a deep breath and try to create a wonderful classroom community!
~Heather
