Back-To-School Night - almost ready

I always have the most generous helpful parents. This year I am trying a "Pinterest" idea I adapted to my dog theme. I am hoping to get some of those special materials that we need throughout the year without filling newsletters with requests.  Cute?!

I also remade my "Take Five When You Arrive" reminder for my students. I put it on the door so the students can see the reminders from the hall or classroom. I hope the visuals make good cues.

 

And finally, I ramped up my Photo Booth this year.  I turned the Imagination Station around to make it more of a "booth."  Then I added a purple satin backdrop (I actually had a purple satin backdrop). I made little and big mustaches for some family fun. I know the kids will look way cuter than I do.

Good Luck!

Get Ready for the whole school year.

Kindergarten Photo Booth for Open House

This "pin" has been very popular! I pinned it last year and as Open House time approaches teachers must be thinking about having a photo booth for Open House. Last year I had a "photo booth" with an FDK twist.

The booth itself was simple.  I just got out one of my handy-dandy black sheets (see previous posts for my love of black sheets 100th day) I used gorilla tape to attach the sheet to our Imagination Station. You could also: use black paper over a chart stand, tack a black sheet to a bulletin board, find a bare wall . . . Then I printed up a little Photo Booth sign.

Classroom paraprofessionals got their photos taken too. 

 This photo shows a little of the black sheet and sign.

When the child and parent visit on Open House night they get a list of things to do and see in our classroom. The list includes: Get Your Photo Taken in the Photo Booth. On a small table next to the booth I put white construction paper strips - one with the first name of each student in my class. The student holds his/her name right under his/her chin. Later I combine all the photos for a collage and make copies.  Then on the first day of school the students are able to take home photos with the first name of all their new friends. I also use the page for my sub folder (we teachers might use it the whole first week too).

AND then we use the name cards for a first week activity. I've seen lots of versions of this project on Pinterest but I think I first heard about it at a conference. Students tear up tiny pieces of construction paper and glue the pieces over the letters in his/her name. Each letter is a different color - in rainbow order of course. We sing a "rainbow song" that is also our first week Poem, so this is perfect.  Each child in my class is assigned a rainbow color too. We call ourselves the Rainbow Class (or FDK but never the dog class despite the classroom theme).

THEN I hang the names on black paper over our lockers!  "Our class is a rainbow . . ."
SO that little photo booth pays off big time! I am definitely doing this again this year.