The first day of school will be here soon, and it conjures up mixed emotions for many of us! On one hand we dread the thought of the early mornings, the late afternoons, the exhaustion, and the stress of getting everything ready on time. On the other end of the spectrum, we feel the excitement, the thrill of the first day, and our first peek at our new student’s names.
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| My First Bulletin Board! On day 1 the hearts are blank. On day 2 the pics are up! |
At my school, on the first day of kindergarten the parents stay for the first hour. The parents and kids rotate through centers, making a raccoon hat together, a red painted hand-print, writing a note to their children, filling out a quick and easy information card, and touring the room and bathrooms. It culminates with everyone gathering around as I read the Kissing Hand story. After all the parents have left the room, the kids and I have a chocolate KISS together!
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A “daddy” helping to color a Raccoon Hat! I love watching the interactions between the child and the parent during this first hour.
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Time to smile! Daddy and you did a great job! It’s a huge advantage having the parents stay and help!
There are 30 children in my kindergarten classes on most years, and yet this hour goes incredibly smooth considering there are usually 70 or more individuals in the room that morning. Each parent is given a clip board with this Letter.
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It culminates with everyone gathering around as I read the Kissing Hand story. After all the parents have left the room, the kids and I have a chocolate KISS together!
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This is me reading the second book of the morning after the parents have left. It’s called Lizard’s Song. You can see the Chester Raccoon puppet, a red dish filled with chocolate kisses, The First Day of Kinder sign, and my beloved Mrs. Wishy Washy Big Book.
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| THIS IS EVIE'S "NECKLACE" FOR THE END OF THE FIRST DAY!
At the end of the day, the children proudly wear their Raccoon Hats and Badges as they are greeted by family! The First Day of School is exhausting but always a great success!
 To see more ideas for the first day, check out my "COUNTDOWN TO KINDERGARTEN SURVIVAL Kit! |
