Day Nineteen and the Big Time Blogging Challenge.
What holiday do I enjoy most celebrating with my students?
These past three years have been challenging, rewarding and full of celebrations. Each year the celebrations were different. Only one was consistent.
Birthdays!
I love celebrating birthdays! My birthday, the people in my family, my friends, my students.
Growing old is not a right. It is a privilege that not everyone gets and needs to be celebrated.
And at least once a year I want to feel like the sun really does revolve around me (and maybe some other grown ups and kids do also), so having a birthday celebration is a MUST.
Here's what we did last year (it has evolved a bit):
**We all joined at the front of the class, with the birthday child sitting in the middle on a chair.
**In our best singing voices we sing a sweet birthday song called On the Day You Were Born by Red Grammer, from the album Hello World! The song seriously brings tears to my eyes.
**The kids head to their seats and work on birthday cards. I use this fun printable from Christina Bainbridge. Birthday Book While they work I play the whole Hello World! album. They love singing along and they sound so lovely!
**The birthday child passes out the treats.
**After every one has been served, the birthday kid has the first bite, and then we can all enjoy the treat.
**When all the birthday cards are written and colored, I put them into a keepsake book for the birthday child to take home. (A really fun cover comes with the PDF from Mrs. Bainbridge.)
That's it! A fun 1/2 hour. Now, I'm off to read what other celebrations my friends have written about.
so so cute! I have to run out now but I want to check out that little printable you do. I'm sure those books are treasured by each of your students that get one! :-)
ReplyDeleteVery sweet! Birthdays are a big deal when you're a kid. Thanks for the printable, too. Happy Saturday! ;)
ReplyDeleteI'm adding the birthday books to my routine too! I'm hoping that will help me enjoy them more. Sometimes (I have to admit) I get annoyed. Sadly it has nothing to do with the kids, it's the disruption to the routine and the occasional CAKE and PARTY that gets dropped off. Now that I said it I feel like a GrInch :(
ReplyDeleteOK, I feel guilty, ever since I moved up tot first grade, celebrating birthdays went to the back burner. If someone brought something we would sing to them, but otherwise,some birthdays went unnoticed. OK,now I feel really terrible that I just now wrote that. Please don't judge me too harshly. I love your little celebration. I'll have to see what my schedule is like next year since I will have 3 3rd grade classes, maybe I can come up with something for my homeroom class.
ReplyDeleteKelly
I'm Not Your Grandpa, I'm Your Teacher
I love celebrating Thanksgiving. The students make hilarious turkey hats and it seriously make me crack up every time when they put them on!!! Great question for the day!
ReplyDeleteI love all the nice things you do for your kids' birthdays. We can't really have snacks - I think they even tell parents not to bring snacks. I like the idea of them making cards for the birthday child - that would be a nice little something for everybody.
ReplyDeleteSara
Thanks Alyce for the great suggestions. I think I will give the song and the book a try this year.
ReplyDeleteSue
The Very Busy Classroom