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| End of School Year |
| Art: Autograph Picture Book Let each child draw something they rember about each child and move the books in a circle so each child get s each other's books. Sweet Dreams Now I lay me down to sleep, I count these hands instead of sheep. I'll dream of how the year did pass, in (name of teacher)'s class! Decorate a Pillowcase with fabric markers (or perhaps tye dye it) and add the following poem: Now I lay me down to sleep I'll count the memories of first grade to keep And always remember the friends I made When I was in Mrs. _____'s first grade. You can write it on a pillowcase, or what I did last year is irion it on. Then you have the children dip their palm in fabric paint and then I wrote their name underneath. Games: Play BINGO Try having Potato Sack Races(using old pillow cases), Shoe Mix-Up (Have children take off their shoes and mix up the whole pile, then have them race to put the shoes back on.), Tug of War (using a huge rope...we do one class versus the next class, then we do kids vs adults..they loved that one!) and Sock Throw (We put a tennis ball into a long sock and the kids have to throw it to see who can throw it the furthest!). Language: Write letters for next year's class. Give them advice or tell the best part of the school year.favorite Save the letters to read on the first day of school in the fall. Let's stand up and give a cheer! Kindergarten's finally here. One, two, three, hip, hip, hooray! Here's my picture the first day! From the first day to the last, Kindergarten went too fast, Summertime will be a ball, But nothing beats first grade next fall! Dear Parents, I give you back your child, the same child you confidently entrusted in my care. I give them back pounds heavier, inches taller, months wiser, more responsible and more mature than they were. Although they would have attained growth in spite of me, it has been my pleasure and privilege to watch their personality unfold day by day and marvel at this splendid miracle of development. I give them back reluctantly, for having spent this time together in the narrow confines of my classroom, we have grown close, have become a part of each other, and we shall always retain a little of each other. Ten years from now if we meet on the street, a light will shine in our eyes, a smile on our lips, and we shall feel that bond of understanding once more, this bond we feel today. We have lived, loved, laughed, played, studied, learned and enriched our lives together. I wish it could go on indefinitely, but give them back I must. Take care of them, for they are precious. Remember that I shall always be interested in your child and their destiny, wherever they go, whatever they do, whoever they become. Their joys and sorrows I'll be happy to share. Please call on me if there is anything further I can ever do for them. I shall always be their friend. With Love, Dear Parents, I've worked with your flower, And helped it to grow. I'm returning it now, But I want you to know. This flower is precious, As dear as can be. Love it, take care of it, And then you will see... A bright new bloom with every day, It grew and blossomed in a wonderful way... In August just a bud, in January a bloom, Now a lovely blossom...I'm returning to you in May. Remember this flower, As dear as can be... Though rightfully yours, Part will always belong to me! Sincerely, The Teacher's Garden In the year 200_, on the 3rd of September You came into my class, how well I remember. Some of you were smiling and giggling a lot Some were very quiet and a few tears I could spot. You were all in my garden just waiting to grow So this gardener got busy with her rake and her hoe. I fed you the water and let in the sun You took in the soil, but we had only begun. Each day as I worked in this garden of mine I saw you all growing so strong and so fine. Then finally one day I took a good look And saw each of my flowers with their favorite book It was obvious then that you had worked, too Soaking up all the food that I had given to you But although you have blossomed, you still need to grow So I'll pass you on now to another gardener I know. She too has a rake and hoe she can use And plenty of food from which you can choose. I hope you will keep your roots open wide Take in all her food and keep it inside. Yes, a gardener can work all night and all day But the flower must be willing to take in each ray. So work very hard in your garden each year Do the best you can do and you'll have nothing to fear. Grow strong and tall, reach up for the sun Stay as nice as you are and have lots of fun! ALL I REALLY NEED TO KNOW I LEARNED IN KINDERGARTEN (a guide for Global Leadership) All I really need to know about how to live and what to do and how to be I learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate school mountain, but there in the sand pile at school. These are the things I learned: a.. Share everything. b.. Play fair. c.. Don't hit people. d.. Put things back where you found them. e.. Clean up your own mess. f.. Don't take things that aren't yours. g.. Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody. h.. Wash your hands before you eat. i.. Flush. j.. Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you. k.. Live a balanced life - learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some. l.. Take a nap every afternoon. m.. When you go out in the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands and stick together. n.. Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the Styrofoam cup: the roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that. o.. Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup - they all die. So do we. p.. And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first word you learned - the biggest word of all - LOOK. Everything you need to know is in there somewhere. The Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation. Ecology and politics and equality and sane living. Take any one of those items and extrapolate it into sophisticated adult terms and apply it to your family life or your work or government or your world and it holds true and clear and firm. Think what a better world it would be if we all - the whole world - had cookies and milk at about 3 o'clock in the afternoon and then lay down with our blankies for a nap. Or if all governments had as a basic policy to always put things back where they found them and to clean up their own mess. And it is still true, no matter how old you are, when you go out in the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together. Recipes Graduation Snack Whip together 8 ounces of softened cream cheese and 1/4 cup of seedless strawberry or raspberry jam. Lightly spread the mixture on flour tortilla or Lavash bread, then roll up each sandwich diploma style and tie on a ribbon made of Fruit by the Foot. Makes 4 to 6 sandwiches. CANDY BAR AWARDS! Make up awards to match candy bars, such as: ALMOND JOY AWARD: for the person who is always happy BABY RUTH AWARD: for baseball-minded student BIT-O-HONEY AWARD: for someone very sweet BUTTERFINGER AWARD: for the person who broke the most things accidentally DOVE AWARD: for the class peacemaker GUMMY BEARS AWARD: for a very lovable child, who is always laughing JOLLY RANCHER AWARD: for the person always telling jokes KIT KAT AWARD: for the student always at the teacher's side LAFFY TAFFY AWARD: for someone with a sweet disposition LIFESAVERS AWARD: for the person, who is always helping someone in need MILKY WAY AWARD: for the class daydreamer MR. GOODBAR AWARD: for the student who exhibits the good qualities of friendship NESTLE CRUNCH AWARD: an alternative to pencil chewing NUTRAGEOUS AWARD: for an outstanding personality NUTRAGEOUS AWARD: for the wild and crazy person in class SKOR AWARD: for athletes in the class SNICKERS AWARD: for having an outstanding sense of humour SWEET TARTS AWARD: for a sweet girl / boy SYMPHONY AWARD: for anyone musical TEDDY GRAHAMS AWARD: for the most huggable THREE MUSKETEERS AWARD: for the one always with the group WHOOPERS AWARD: for the best storytelling ZERO MATH AWARD: for outstanding performance in Math |
Have you Tried?. . . Give your class a fresh perspective; teach your class outdoors, in the library, or even in a school bus. Bring in guest speakers. Parents are a valuable resource; let them talk to your class. Introduce new media to your class Be your own guest speaker by dressing up as someone else. Have your children teach the class.Order or make graduation hats and/or t - shirts that their child can wear. Bake a cake and ask parents to donate juice, paper products, forks and whatever they think would be great. Make up certificates to hand out. Create a CD of pictures that have been taken over the year. Remembering favorite things and redoing them ..... ooblick, slime, bean bag and parachute games, making volcanos is always big too. having a luau Gift Ideas A CUP OF GOODIES JUST FOR YOU! This little cup of goodies is to you from me with lots of love. Inside I have put some treats for you to use this summer! A piece of sidewalk chalk for this summer when you need something to do (be sure to ask your parents where it's okay to draw!) A Band-Aid for one of those summer ouches! Hugs and Kisses for those times you need them! A pencil and eraser to practice writing over the summer. A postcard with my address on it so you can write me sometime this summer to let me know how you are and what fun things you have been doing. A summer reading log and bookmark ... return the completed log to me in September and receive something special! Have a wonderful vacation, remember to come visit me next year. Enclosed is a coupon that you can return to me next year for a free trip to the "Treasure Chest"! RULES OF THE ROAD To make one bag, duplicate the poem and note. Glue the poem to the outside of a paper lunch bag and then sign the bag. Next, place the note inside the bag with the following items: a ruler a handful of Hershey Kisses a pencil a marker a penny an eraser. The poem on the outside says: In this bag you will find some things That hold the key to what your future brings. It is with great sadness that I watch you depart Because you have a special place in my heart. The note that goes inside says: A [ruler] to remind you that there are always rules to follow. [Hershey Kisses] to remind you that you are loved. A [pencil] to remind you that there are still many things to learn. A [marker] to remind you to leave a good mark wherever you go. A [penny] to remind you to use good sense. An [eraser] to remind you that it's all right to make mistakes. END OF THE YEAR "HAPPY" Here is something to remind you of Kindergarten. Seeds to remind you how much you have grown. A sucker to remind you how sweet you are. A bookmark to remind you to always enjoy books. Money to remind you how much you are worth. (use play money) All in a cup full of love and sealed with a kiss. (All items in a cup with a Hershey's Kiss.) END OF YEAR GIFT Frisbee --- the year has flown by, hope your summer is longlasting Chalk --- chalk it up to a great school year, summer is here! Bubbles --- hope your summer is bubbling over with excitement!!! Crazy straw --- I hope you sip up some summer fun! Flower seed packet --- Take time to smell the flowers, and forget-me-not!! Summer Survival Kit The items were all symbolic and this is what they were: sidewalk chalk: to chalk up another year of learning Smarties candy: to remind you how smart you are pencil: to list all the things you learned this year small beach ball: to remind you of the ball we had sticker: to remind you to always stick together forget-me-not seed packet: (can be printed out or copied from a bought one) class list of phone numbers tootsie roll: to help you roll into next year jewel: to remind you how priceless you are |
| Prop Box Ideas Include the following collections of objects and materials for children to create, discover, and use for imaginary play. Store collections in boxes or baskets to be accessible at any time (indoors or outdoors) for children to enhance their dramatic play. |
| Idea Web Introduce and explore the following topics to expand and inspire new activity ideas. Summer DAZE End of the School Year |
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| "Optimism is the father that leads to achievement."
- Helen Keller |