Grandparent's Lunch

What a wonderful lunch we had with Grandparents today.
Prizes were given for...
Who came the farthest ($5 gas card)
Who has the most grandchildren (Picture frame)
Who is the "most mature" (candle)
Then we ended with my favorite song.
Click here to listen...I think you are wonderful...
Just a perfect lunch was had by all.
Tomorrow we are off to "communities and neighborhoods".
Hope you'll continue to follow us.
Michele

Friday Freebie...Family

This has been a great week with my first grade kiddos learning and exploring the family unit.
Today we were busy getting ready for Grandparent's Lunch to be held the day after Grandparent's Day.
We made our "hugs" and will fill a baggie with polka dot ribbon filled with "Hershey hugs and kisses" to them.
Another book we read was My Dog Is As Stinky As Dirty Socks.  What a wonderful story to read before you complete family portraits.  In the story the little girl is describing how she just wasn't happy of the family portrait she drew at school despite the fact her teacher loved it! This is a "must read".
I am including one of my favorite activities from my family packet as a freebie.  It has the students begin by completing a question form about their family.  Students then partner up and compare and contrast their families.  Awsome for communication, critical thinking, and cooperation.
Enjoy the weekend everyone!!

Click here for freebie

My Video 9/6/13 at OneTrueMedia.com

Love using this option for updating parents. On True Media

Make a video - it's fun, easy and free!
www.onetruemedia.com

Counting and Number Order...a little math fact practice too!

I hope you had a fabulous three day weekend.  I decided that "three days with family and friends...priceless!".
I am sharing with you two games today that focus on counting, number order, and a little math fact practice too.
One of the Role and Count only goes to 6 and using 1 die.
The second game goes to 12 and uses 2 dice.
As they roll the dice they have to add the two together.
We had a wonderful time playing this game today.
Michele

Numbers to 6

Numbers to 12

It's Friday

What an exciting first full week we had here in Henson's first grade.
I'd love for you to stop by My Big Campus and see what I have set up this year for my website.
It is working out well for communication.  Just click on this link. My Big Campus
Another fabulous site I found is Remind101.  At this site you can text parents important reminders.  You cannot see their number and they cannot see yours.  Great for "wear red", pack a lunch tomorrow, field trip, spelling test tomorrow...you know all those reminders that always come in handy for a parent.
Check it out!
Remind101
So onto next week.  All About Our Families...just in time for Grandparent's Day next Monday.
Enjoy your three day weekend.  Michele

Behavior..."freebie"

Okay so dismissal solved not onto behavior in the classroom.
Over the weekend I brainstormed what to do this year for behavior.
Last year my theme was pirates so my behavior system was focused on "treasured behavior".
This year I am polka dots so...
Here is what I came up with.
Each child has a stop light and a colored button on their desk.
With a simple slide to yellow I can warn a student and a slide to red can mean STOP!
A child must be on green in order to get a star at the end of the day on their behavior chart.
A filled chart is a trip to the treasure chest.
WOW!
So far so good.
I have the patterns for you below.

Click here to download

Controlling Dismissal Frenzy!

At our school of 700 students and 18 buses each day...dismissal can be pretty scary for our little kiddos.
This year our 5 first grades asked for 5th grade buddies.  We started with them coming to our classrooms to wait with the kiddos until their bus was dismissed and then they would walk them out.  YIKES..5th graders and a room full of anxious 1st graders did not mix so...I created these visuals and put them on paint stirrers.  Now two fifth graders stand at the end of the hall with the sign as a bus is called.  They take the all the first graders for that bus out.  Ahhhh!  Much better.  So I made a set for you with out bus numbers so you can add them to your files if you can use them.  Enjoy the week everyone!  Michele

Click here for a set...