Top Five on Friday

Even though we only had 3 days this week
( a great way to ease into the routine of  school after summer
break),

I picked the top 5 activities that were a highlight for us in the 
First Grade Puppy Pound.

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   1. We started the beginning of the school year with a Welcome 

Back assembly on the first day of school.  It is a great way
to see all of our new and familiar faces in the audience. 
Dr. Scaletta, our principal, motivates us to do our best 
and to be kind.

2. Find Someone Who…. 
We took clipboards and a recording sheet to find someone 
who likes swimming, or camping, or baseball, or riding a bike, 
or petting their dog...you get the idea!

3. Team Building games. A class favorite was Yank Me. 
One player stacks cups and construction paper, the other 
player pulls the construction paper out so that the cups stack 
up inside each other. Students that mastered this were given 
more cups to stack!!

4. Nim--easy math game that can be played with just about
any type of counter.  Waiting at a restaurant? Play Nim. 
Waiting for an appointment? Play Nim? Siblings are arguing? Play Nim

How do you play Nim?  Gather 13 objects and put on a table
or flat surface.  On each players turn, the person can only 
take, 1, 2, or 3 counters. The object of the game, is to leave
the last counter for your opponent. Repeat.

5. Buddies... Our first graders pair up with our 5th grade 
students in our building. We meet once a week to do 
activities to build friendships. The first graders always 
know that they have a friend in the building.