The Penguin Year

     It's August, and that means it's time to get creative!  It's time to think about the upcoming year and prepare for the new group of students who are so lucky to have you as their teacher.  Once September gets here, there's no time for thinking or creating, so this is your chance to get your creative juices flowing!

     When I think back to the summer of "The Penguin Year", it was yet another summer that I was moving.  This time I wasn't moving classrooms, but I was moving out of my home and things were pretty chaotic.  So despite my house being upside down with boxes everywhere, I had penguins to make, so in the middle of it all, I made penguins!

Making penguins!

          In addition to 30 penguins, I had my "Maggie" to make too,  so right there, on the middle of my living room floor, I would spend my summer evenings getting all of the pieces of my door ready to receive my new students. Unfortunately, my real Maggie wasn't always cooperative!

Maggie "helping" me!

Helping is so tiring!

The finished Maggie!

     And although my August days were long and tiring, creating something new and unique for my students truly relaxed me and when it all came together that year, as it always does, it was totally worth the time and effort I put in.

The Penguin Year

The kids LOVED their penguins!

     But the door is really just the beginning of the creating!  It's everything else that goes into making the first week of school truly unforgettable for your new students!

     In my next blog post, I'll share some of the theme-related traditions I share with my students every year.  Happy August!!