Creating class community at the beginning of the #school year? @kajoyson writes on how to get it right first time!👌😍 https://t.co/GYfMLGiNDI pic.twitter.com/BwgEwB4J5l
— Beneylu School (@Beneylu_hello) September 20, 2017
For those who experience the true colors of all four seasons, it is hard not to agree that fall is the most colorful if not the most beautiful season of all. Each season brings a different climate and colors...but fall...well is simply fall...vibrant colors all around...red, yellow, orange and brown leaves gently spin and fall to the ground, the air is cooler and there is an urge to be a child once again and jump head first into a pile of leaves.
With fall comes many teaching opportunities...so...I have decided to round-up 5 absolutely, positively great developmentally appropriate fall activities to support Kinders and Firsties .
So let's get started and "fall" right into these colorful ideas!
1. Leaves: Leaves are everywhere during this season so let's rake them into some great lessons.
What can you do with a Pile of Leaves has so many great ideas from graphing leaves and creating leaf creatures to creative writing!
These ideas can be found right here... What Can you Do with a Pile of Leaves?
2. A Fall Maze: Enjoy this fun Autumn Maze activity while your kids practice their critical thinking skills as well as fine motor and visual tracking skills. I remember how much I loved the challenge of completing a maze when was a child. Try this and other Kindergarten activities from Education.com.
3. Seasonal Writing: Get your kinders writing about all the seasons with this fun and FREE resource. It is a great differentiated writing activity in that it includes pictures and ideas for each season that reluctant writers as well as any writer can use to motivate and support their ideas!
4. Fall Crafts are always a great idea whether you are a homeschooler or teach in a classroom. Let's not forget how important creating crafts can be for fine motor skills and to spark and inspire creativity in a child. Remember it was Albert Einstein who said,"Creativity is the intelligence having fun!"
5. 25 Great Books about Fall: These books include some of my all time favorites. Red Leaf Yellow Leaf by Lois Ehlert is a beautifully illustrated book that describes the birth of a Maple tree. You do not want to miss out on reading this story with your kinders or first graders. Take a look at some of the other great fall books mentioned. YOu will be running to the library to grab more than a few of these titles.
There you have it 5 easy peasy ideas to bring fall into your classroom this year! What ideas do you have for fall. Please comment and let us know...we would LOVE to hear from you!
Parents can't wait to meet their child's teacher on Back to School Night. They want to see the classroom and observe first hand where their child will be spending 6 hours everyday, actually, in some cases, more time than their children see their parents, if you figure each child sleeps about 8 hours at night.
And teachers...well....teachers may be a bit nervous because let's face it...it is a bit hard to stand in front of an audience of parents who only want the best for their child and you are it...you are their teacher!
I know with myself, I was always a bit nervous even after doing this presentation for over 30 years!
I always had some butterflies in the pit of my stomach and some jitters because I did not want to mess up and I wanted to present my best self no matter what...pressure on myself...absolutely.
Through the years I have come up with some easy tricks which helped me "get through it" and shine, shine, shine!
PS I am sorry if this is late and you have already had your Back to School Night, but just save this post for next year or I will post it again!!
1. I was a Responsive Classroom Teacher and being a teacher who used the Responsive Classroom approach, we always started our day with a Morning Meeting, which included a greeting, sharing activity and morning message. That being said, I always had a message on my chart board or smart board as the parents walked in for the evening.
It said something like this, "Good Evening, I am so glad you were able to come in this evening to take a peek at your child's classroom.
- Please stroll around the room and take a look at some of the work you child's has completed in this short time we have been together.
- Find your child's seat and read the letter that was written especially for you!
- Please write a note to your child and we will start our evening after the announcements! Welcome!
Easy peasy and it gives you a bit of time to walk around and chat informally with the parents for a few minutes....breathe....ahhhhhhhhhh!
2. Before we actually got started, I explained briefly how we were a Responsive Classroom and had a Morning Meeting every morning and that We were going to have a brief meeting tonight to show parents how this approach worked.
- I would then ask parents to talk to the other adults at their table.
- Say "hi" and introduce yourself and share something about your self.
- After a few minutes, I would ring my chime, which is the "attention getter" I used in the classroom and they were to stop chatting and look at me.
- Sometimes I would set up that when I rang the chime, they were to move to a different partner and chat with them...but that is up to you and how you feel your parents might respond.
This was always an ice breaker and the parents always began to chat and laugh and have a good ole' time. Sometimes I made a funny comment like, "Ahhh...now I understand why I have so many chatty students in my class this year!" They would all get a chuckle out of this!
I would then ask them to share something that they learned about one of the adults at their table or about someone with whom they chatted. Usually a few would share and if not, I would start and share!
3. Now we were ready to really get started and all of the parents were relaxed and ready to hear what Room U-1 was all about!!
I would always start by saying, "YOU (the parents) are the most important person in your child's life and you know them better than anyone so it is important that WE work together as a team and make sure there is an open communication between home and school to ensure your child receives the BEST education possible!
I would also make sure to have all the important information in a hard copy in a folder with their child's name...My classroom Brochure with all the important info was right on top along with district information and a few house keeping details.
Then I had a Power Point which had everything and anything that I felt was important for parents to understand and know about their child's classroom and teaching philosophies.
Having a Power Point was fabulous because everything was written on it with cute pictures etc. It helped me stay on topic and impressed the parents. I had visuals set up to support the slides and everyone was laughing and totally felt at ease.
Granted...some years were better than others, but these 3 tips will make your Back to School night Rock and maybe add a little sparkle to your night!
Have a Sparkling Year!!!
