We wait ALL year for this night!
We can’t believe it’s finally here!
We’re excited.
We’re nervous.
We’re exhausted.
We’re anxious.
But most of all…
We are so very, very grateful to have a Date!
We’ve got our new dresses.
Our badly neglected toes get a much needed pedicure pick me up for the BIG night.
We’re primped and ready.
Still a little nervous.
Definitely still exhausted…
Our limo arrives…
{Weird. It’s disguised as a minivan.}
We grab a quick bite at our favorite tradition, The Cheesecake Factory.
Same order for the past 10 years ~ BBQ Ranch Chicken Salad to share, no cilantro, dressing on the side.
We chat, laugh and enjoy a hurried meal, before heading off to the BIG event.
What event you ask?
Well, Prom of course!!
We mean…
Prom for Teachers
AKA~ Open House
We prepare for weeks upon weeks to open our classroom doors for just one short, blissful hour.
The kids are bouncing off the walls with excitement to “tour” their families around the class.
Here’s some highlights from our evening ~
Don’t worry, our Date was G Rated 🙂
We would be lying if we told you it was this spic and
span every day.
This is truly, as good as it gets folks!
We have
become the Ultimate Shovers!
Just don’t open a single cupboard or door.
Really.
Our class has been engulfed in Habitats and Africa for the past many weeks.
This board has been a labor of love for many years. Once we wrapped our heads around what it was we wanted to do, we pillaged all the supplies we could, begged, borrowed, and bought the rest and Viola!
Our Habitats of the World Bulletin Board~We save all the pieces from
year to year, so it goes up quick nowadays! We brainstorm facts from
each habitat and have our friends create “Flip Facts” to post up on the
board.
On
the shelf below, we display their “Habitats Around the World” books
which are a collaboration of writing and art from each of the habitats
we’ve studied.
We cover each table with a festive piece of fabric ~ Some old school sarongs from back in our “Spring Break Days”, but we promised a G Rated date 🙂
Each table has a silk tree in the middle to add some height and keep with the habitat hoopla.
On their desks, are their Art Portfolios, African Swahali Counting Books, Rain Sicks, Animal Reports and Dioramas.
A few fab dioramas. They really got into it!
Apparently, the jackrabbits’ fur was obtained from the family cat.
{Not too sure how much the cat enjoyed it, but we sure do!}
Then and Now Writing
At
the beginning of each year, we have our friends write a “Then Letter”
to us describing what they want to learn in first grade. Come May,
just in time for Open House, they write a “Now Letter” explaining what
they have learned this year. We adore seeing the growth from beginning
to end and it becomes a crowded corner during the evening. The kids are
beaming from ear to ear about their wonderful writing. We spend time
after all have left to really read and enjoy these lil’ gems…one of
our favorites.
We created this activity as a way to keep them darn busy while we assessed for report cards fondly write about our favorite first grade memories.
We created the pocket whole class and one
pencil project and writing. Then, we set all the supplies out on the
tables on several occasions, and let them go to town~The beauty of the
end of first grade! I.n.d.e.p.e.n.d.e.n.c.e.
We created 6 different writing prompts that our friends could write and draw about. Here’s one…
For
the front of each writing piece, they cut and glue pieces to create
pencils, complete with the year 2012, which some opted to color for
pizazz.
What we love the most? This activity is like the
Energizer Bunny…it just keeps going and going. Long after Open House,
our friends are now competing for how many pencils
one pocket can hold!
Who are we to stop them from writing?!?
Update ~
This product was updated for 2013 and redesigned for K-5, with multiple writing templates and options.We added our K-2 K-5 Pocketful of Memories End of the Year Craftivity to our TpT Store if you’re looking for something to keep those little minds busy as you wrap up the year!
Speaking of wrapping up…yikes, our curfew calls! Thanks for hanging in for ALL the details of our BIG night!
It’s
just like Cinderella because when the clock strikes 8:25am tomorrow, it
will all begin to disappear. The Prom will be over. The dance floor
will be empty. The carriages will ride off into the sunset and we will
be left, just the two of us, to sweep the glitter off the floor. Again.
And, we will smile the whole time because…
The countdown is on!
We see the light!
The end is near!!
We had a fantastic Date!
