Back to School

First Day of School

Think about your earliest memory of heading back to school. Maybe you think of a new outfit you wore that first day of kindergarten. Maybe you remember buying new school supplies. For me, I remember the smell of leather. Leather, because back then (yes, I am talking a l-o-n-g time ago), kids had real leather book bags. Not a backpack. A book bag. The kind with a strap over your shoulder. Sturdy and guaranteed to last more than a year. 


 

In the fall, my parents took me to the local variety store (no Dollar Store then and my little town certainly didn’t have a Walmart and still doesn’t), to pick out my new book bag. As soon as I walked through the doors, the pungent smell of leather hit me in the face. I remember looking at a wall, with row upon row of book bags, wondering which one I would pick out.

I’d be so proud heading off to school on that first morning. And excited! Maybe a little nervous. 

First Day of Kindergarten (not quite 5 years old)

I genuinely wanted to be in school, to be with other kids and most importantly I wanted to please my teacher. It never dawned on me that other kids wouldn’t be excited to go to school. I’m sure there were more than a few of them. Perhaps it was because someone at school was teasing them. And the situation never changed year after year.

Now the interesting thing about my “first day of school memory” is how it helped shape me as a teacher.

I wanted to make sure every kid went home from my classroom filled with excitement. That they had FUN in my classroom. So, here’s one of the activities I like to do on the first day of school. This Scavenger Hunt will have kids talking to one another, discovering a bit about what they did over the summer. And of course, for the new kid in the class, it is a way to transition into the class and meet others.

You can download The Scavenger Hunt to use in your classroom. 

 

If you like it, you check out some more ideas in Back to School Activities for the First Week.

There are so many ways to build friendships in your classroom - to build your own class community. There’s more to come on that topic in the next blog.

Until then, grab a coffee and a bit of chocolate, because chocolate makes everything better. And breathe. That first day back to school will soon be behind you.