First Day of School Morning Work

We survived the first day of school!! And I'm still standing (barely) and alive to blog about it. (also barely) Nobody cried, nobody got lost, nobody had an accident. I'm in love with my new bunch and all in all, I'm calling day one a smashing success! That said, the first day is still the first day. It's jam packed from the moment we walk in until the moment we leave. I think the two most hectic times of day on the first day of school are when the kids are first arriving and then again when they're packing up to leave. I offer no grand insight about the latter...pray!? But the entering part, that I might be able to help you out with. ;)

                                              {Click HERE to snag graph for your class}
  
  When my kids walked in this morning, this is what they found waiting at their tables. The table caddies hold enough crayons for the kids to share and also a handful of sharpened pencils. Also, a cup of pattern blocks and their first morning worksheet. I have all the kids bring their backpacks with them to their desk and help them find their name tags. Then, I quickly go over the directions for this activity, before letting them get busy. My favorite part about this very basic activity is that when they're done, they can build and create patterns with the blocks. This keeps them happy and busy at their seats while I take attendance, call tables over for breakfast, and bag all the supplies that are about to burst out of their backpacks...

"Sorting through all the supplies that come in the first day of school takes no time at all..." 

SAID NO TEACHER EVER!

I loathe the supply collection process the first day of school. My mission is just to grab it, bag it, and sort through it after school when the kids are gone. While my kids are working on their morning work, I quickly start scooping up backpacks and putting everything inside into super market bags. (I bring a ton to school the first day.) On a scrap piece of paper I write the name of the student whose bag I just emptied and put that into the bag too. Then I set it to the side and move on to the next bag. Any supplies I need my students to have day one I have ready to go so that I don't have to worry about individual student supplies until I have the time to sort them.

It works for me. :)

 {Instagram @Fallingintofirst}

We did lots of other activities today. And stop the world- I remembered to take pictures!!!

 But I think I'll save the details for a first week recap this weekend.

Right now I have a one track mind.

Shower. Food. Sleep.

 Because it's training season all over again!!! ;)