Fresh pens, paper and backpacks at all the stores. Heavier traffic in the mornings and afternoons. Cooler weather. All tell-tale signs of another school year beginning. We’ve compiled a Top 5 list of Back to School ideas, which will hopefully inspire you and get your school year off to a great start!
1. Nose wiping station. The start of fall brings refreshing breezes, but also germs. We love this idea for a Nose Wiping Station that we found on Montessori Mama and How We Montessori. Pick a corner of the classroom and set up a shelf with tissues that the children will be able to reach. Hang a mirror above the shelf so children can see themselves as they wipe their nose to make sure they clean it sufficiently. Not only will this station keep germs from spreading, it will also encourage self-help and health skills. (Image from How We Montessori).
2. Class collage. This SEEC 3-year-old class made a class collage at the beginning of the year to honor individuality while also creating a classroom culture. Using collages are a great way to talk about multiple, unique parts that make up a whole. The class visited and observed “Dam” by Robert Rauschenberg at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, and made their own class collage, complete with photos of their faces.
3. Documentation. Documenting can seem daunting when you’ve got so many other things going on at the beginning of the year, but these ideas could make it easier, while making learning more visible in the classroom. The image on the left is from the TransformationEd blog and features their Rabbit Road, which depicts their learning process during their inquiry on Rabbits. Displaying the journey on a linear road is a concrete way that children can see their work over time as they explore a topic. The image on the right is from the Science Notebook, Teaching, and Technology blog, which depicts another documentation idea – choose a space in the classroom (that children can see) to display blank sheets representing each month of your school year. At the conclusion of each month (or throughout) add images or work that share what the class has been doing. Keep them up all year long, even as you switch out other displays and documentation, to help children see their work and progress over the whole school year.
4. Organizational hacks. In our opinion, there are few greater feelings than starting a new year with an organized classroom. This yahoo list has 15 organizational hacks from around the web that will help you feel fresh and ready. (Image on left from Motherhood On a Dime, image on right from Organized Cassroom)
5. Exploring Questions. Fostering a sense of wonder and curiousity is something we take very seriously here at SEEC. One of our four-year-old classes spent a considerable amount of time exploring questions last September and October to set them up for an inquisitive year. To read more about their unit, click here.
For more Back to School ideas, visit our Pinterest board here. Happy Back to School everyone!
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