"First Day of School" LInky Party and Award

Happy Monday! I love that it's not a Monday at school yet. Although I am excited to get back and fix up my room, get projects ready, and meet my new little kiddos. Last year's class was SO wonderful. I hope this year will be as much fun. So since I'm thinking about the start of the year, I thought I'd link up with Michelle at

for her "First Day of School" linky party.

She asked what teachers do in their first 1/2 hour or so while kids are coming in, parents want to talk/ask questions, and there's just so much going on. Oh my, that's a crazy time, isn't it?

At our school a supply list is sent home in June, so kids come with sometimes with a bug bag of stuff. So I need something for them to do without me for a while. I put a small container of playdoh on their desk with a coloring sheet and their new crayons. This way they have a choice of activities and the kids have something easy to do while they chit-chat. Meanwhile, I write their name on the bag of stuff they bring, ask parents if they're supposed to get school lunch or if they brought a lunch, and who is picking them up. And I make sure they know what time to come back for their little ones! I write their name on their supplies the best I can because there are some things they bring that I don't need so I send them back home or give them to another teacher. Like pencil boxes. I bought a class set of these

so I send home the type that closes up and tell the kids they can use them when they do their homework. Storage space in my students' desks is really small, so these fit better anyway. I just bring them home at Christmas and in June and run them through the dishwasher to get them clean again.

When I take the kids to the rug, we go over a few rules, I introduce myself with my "ME bag" and show them some photos of me, my family, my pets, and tell them about my hobbies. I explain that they'll take home a bag with this poem attached

This poem comes from Mrs. Bonzer's First Grade Friends. Click on picture.

They'll put up to 3 items in the bag and bring them to school to share. Then they get a little time to decorate their bags.

We usually go over rules again and talk about a few more of them, do calendar and take a school tour after that.

That's pretty much how the first little while goes.  I hope you'll link up and share some of what you do!

Yesterday I was very sweetly awarded the Versatile Blogger award by Maggie from First Grade and Fearless. Thanks so much, Maggie! To accept this award the rules are to:

1. thank the blogger who gave it to you (check, done)

2. include a link to their site (here it is)

3. include the award image in your post

4. give 7 random facts about yourself (This is so hard. I don't think I'm that interesting. I'll try to think of something.)

5. nominate 5-10 other bloggers and tell them about it.

Here are my nominees:

She's also having a "50 followers" giveaway. It's an Amazon gift card....... Betcha want one!

Tales-of-a-First-Grade-Teacher.

My 7 random facts (this really is hard and I'll try not to share things I've shared before. If I do hopefully you'd forgotten and they'll sound new to you):

1. I used to do counted cross-stitch and really enjoyed it. It's a hobby I should pick up again.

2. I included the Ramblings of a Deaf Ed Teacher's Mind blog because it made me think of all the deaf/hard of hearing kids I've had in my class for inclusion.  They were all such great kids! And I learned so much from their teacher about hearing loss, too!

3. I love to read mysteries. Right now I'm reading Todd Borg's series that take place in Lake Tahoe.

4. It turns out that I like 1950's sci-fi movies. I just learned that this summer. There's a summer outdoor movie shown every Friday during the summer in a park not too far away. This summer their playing sci-fi movies. We saw The Day the World Stood Still. Right now I'm watching/listening to The Blob. The movies are a little corny by today's standards, but they're fun. It surprises me that I like them!

5. I raised rabbits in 4-H for about 11 years. 

6. Every year my mom and I organize the rabbit show at our county fair. We do all the paperwork, get the judges, etc. The rabbit show was last Friday. Here are a few pictures:

Aren't they cute?

7. My blog turned 1-year old on July 15th. I can't believe it! Here's my first post if your interested in reading it.  

http://www.firstgradefoundme.blogspot.com/2011/07/my-first-blog-ever.html

I've had fun going back to some of those earliest posts. I've learned so much since then.  

Thank you so much for stopping by my blog. I really wasn't sure anyone would want to read it when I started. Now it's just been so wonderful to meet all of you and share/get so many ideas!

PS- there's still an opportunity to get in on a Chicka, Chicka, Boom, Boom Letter Exchange. Carole is looking for participants for hers. You can check out her blog here.