Items filtered by date: July 2011

A Simple Trick To Get Kids Excited For The First Day Of School

I think that if students count down the days til school starts, they have an opportunity to get excited.

It's also a "teachable moment" for parents to work on numbers, counting, and introducing a calendar or how to keep track of time.

A fun and inexpensive gift that helps you do that, that you can quickly make and pass out at your Open House is something that I just dreamed up. 

Our Open House is the week before school starts, which is wonderful, because it gave me a chance to meet my students and help dispel any fears they might have.

Whip these kits together and toss the Baggies in a basket.

Set them on a table with A Special Gift For My Students Take One sign.

Click on the link to view/print one.

Making these "count down necklaces" help students count, use their fine motor skills, review all of the basic colors, follow a color pattern, + get excited about coming to school as they count down the days!

My Y5’s also had to learn to count backwards from 10-0 as a report card standard. (I call this blasting off.) This is simply another fun way of doing that. 

What a nice keepsake for them to have of this special time in their life!

Here's how to make the necklace kits:

• In a snack Baggie include 10 pony beads (one of each of the following colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, pink, white, brown and black) and an 18-inch length of white yarn. 
• Tape the end into a point, with a piece of Scotch tape, so that it is easy for young ones to string their beads.
• Include the following poem:

Click on the link to print the back-to-school necklace poem.

Thanks for visiting.  Feel free to PIN anything you think might be helpful to others.

Be sure and check back tomorrow for another easy countdown idea that not only nails report card standards, but helps get your students excited about school, as it chases away any anxiety first-timers may be feeling!

Do you have a back-to-school tip that you'd be willing to share with us?  I'd enjoy hearing from you: diane@teachwithme.com

"A teacher who is attempting to teach without inspiring the pupil with a desire to learn, is hammering on a cold iron." -Horace Mann

Drum Roll Please...

Congratulations to the winner of this week's Back-To-School-Bracelet BLOG contest: second grade teacher Patti, from the state of New Hampshire.

Thanks to everyone who subscribed, bought something, commented, registered, or told a friend.  Your name still remains in our drawing.

For complete details about the CONTEST, click on the link.

I will choose our last winner this coming Friday the 26th.

Happy "Getting Ready To Go Back To School!" and for all of you who have already started, I hope your students are terrific and that this will be your best year ever!

Drum Roll Please...

Congratulations to the winner of this week's Back-To-School-Bracelet BLOG contest first grade teacher Debbie, from the state of Arizona.

Because we had a record-breaking almost 4,000 hits for the month of July (!!!) and so much new activity I decided to pick two winners this week.

So kindergarten teacher Elaina from the state of California is also a winner!

Thanks to everyone who subscribed, bought something, commented, registered, or told a friend.  Your name still remains in our drawing.

For complete details about the CONTEST, click on the link.

I will choose another winner this coming Friday the 18th. 

Happy "Getting Ready To Go Back To School!"

Drum Roll Please...

Congratulations to the winner of this past week's Back-To-School-Bracelet BLOG contest first grade teacher Nancy,  from the state of Washington. 

Thanks to everyone who subscribed, bought something, commented, registered, or told a friend.  Your name still remains in our drawing.

For complete details about the CONTEST, click on the link.

I will choose another winner this coming Friday the 12th.  Things were a little late this week as I was on vacation visiting my mom in the beautiful north woods of Wisconsin! No internet or cell service but lots of eagles and loons!

Happy "Getting Ready To Go Back To School!"