Head on over to Empowering Little Learners to read about a SUPER cute transition tip AND to snag your own FREEBIE poster that goes along with her idea! (One Banana, Two Banana, Three Banana Split...hehe! Gotta love it!)
Anyway, here is a transition tip of my own to share. (Well, I cannot say it is "my own" because I did not think of it myself. I do, however, use this tip in my classroom. I believe I originally read the idea in one of Peggy Campbell Rush's AMAZING books. If you do not know this teacher / author, by the way, Google her books!!!)
Okay, here is my transition tip for you!
When my little ones are getting ready to go home at the end of the day, they know to wait in one of two places: the bus line (see photo below) or the carpet, if they walk home or get picked up.
Once our Educational Assistant takes the bus riders outside, I then ask my walkers to line up on that same line. I then pass out their apple sticks.
I purchased these from The Dollar Tree. They are super cute, but I do not recommend them for this particular idea because they are made out of posterboard type of material and the kids bend them. Mine are about to get tossed in the garbage can and they will be replaced by wooden ones. (Does anyone have a better idea as to what I should hand out to the kids?)
Anyway...once everyone has their apple, we go out to the blacktop and they know they must stay in the yellow circle that is painted on the ground. (It can get crazy with adults and kids running around everyone, so I like when they are in area.) Finally, once each child sees their mom, dad, whoever...they turn their apples in to me. That is how I know who is picking them up and that they are safe. It is just a nice way to quickly check-in with me before they leave. :)
Hmmm...I cannot figure out why my pictures are posting vertically. Strange...sorry about that. Well, I keep the apple sticks in this cute little pencil pouch that I found at JoAnn Fabrics. I know it does not make sense because there is a bus on it, but the sticks are for my walkers. I just could not pass it up!
I hope you are able to use this tip in your own classroom! Thanks for stopping by. :) Remember to head on over to Empowering Little Learners to join the Linky Party and share your own idea!
Mrs. Unger... thanks so much for linking up! (You did it perfectly!)
ReplyDeleteI love your tip. I am starting Monday for sure!
BTW - did you see the wooden calendar's at Joannes? I could not resist!! I think it was like $9! I got that pencil bag too for my son. =)
Well, have a great weekend!
Jennifer
PS - I can't follow you through blogger? You only have email available? Uhm?
ReplyDeletethat is SUCH a smart idea!!! It's so stressful to make sure all the kiddos are going home with the right person! How do you make sure that they give you the apple back?? I can see my students just running off with them...
ReplyDeleteHadar
Hi Jennifer! Hehe, I DID see the wooden calendars at Joanne's and I so badly wanted one. However, I have a rule for myself when it comes to shopping for my classroom: If I cannot immediately think of how I will use it in my classroom, I don't buy it. We already have a calendar, so I passed it up. :(
ReplyDeleteAs for being able to follow me through Blogger, this is what I have to say: Grrrr! I don't know what to do! I can see my "Followers" on my husband's computer, but not mine. I have 24 followers so obviously they can see it. If you know how to fix that glitch, I would love to hear the solution!
Thanks for your Linky Party...so fun!
Hi there Hadar! Good to hear from you again! To answer your question, I try hard to keep an eye on them and make sure they stay in the circle...that really helps. The kids are GREAT at reminding each other to return their apples. Sometimes they do "escape," but the parents will remind the kids to go back and give me their apple. I have lost only one apple this year and that was my fault: We were running late and I had 5 new students that day, so I QUICKLY explained what to do with the apples, but forgot to explain in Spanish. One little girl who only speaks Spanish took hers home, but her mom returned it in her folder. :)
ReplyDeleteDo you mind doing me a favor? I would SO appreciate if you just quick wrote me back if you get this message. I don't know if you all get my messages when I comment back on my blog. Maybe I need to write you back on your blog instead? (Still learning...)
I use index cards and type my name and the child's name, laminate and hole punch. I use the stretchable plastic beading string (Joann or Michaels) and tie it to the card. This stretches over their wrist and doesn't fall off and they don't drop it on the way. I collect it from each student and their parent comes to pick them up.
ReplyDeleteTHANK YOU for that great tip, Jyl! I love it because 1) it has minimal cost and 2) they really cannot lose them. Awesome! :)
ReplyDelete