Muffins With Mom and Donuts With Dad!

I wanted to make something new for Donuts with Dad this year.  I was having so much fun that I looked up at the clock and it was 1 am!  Ugh!  I then caught a few z's and went to school to face my wiggly - it's almost summer vacation - 7 year olds...  It's a good idea to have lots of activities to keep these little ones busy right up to the last day.... that's why I love these two special days in May...

I first saw a teacher/friend do Muffins with Mom and Donuts with Dad at my husbands elementary school.  I absolutely loved it!  She was wonderful enough to share her Mother's Day songs with me.  Over the past four years I have added things here and there to make it my own. 

The mothers have to figure out which picture is theirs in the hall by not only looking at the drawings but by reading the short answers and adjectives that are written about them.

 

 

 

The moms then get escorted to their child's desk to read the book that was written about them.  I try not to edit these too much.  I love that the moms and students will look back on these book and all the inventive spelling that went on as it was written.  I will help them spell words in their dictionaries to use - if they need  some help.  However, if I can read it, we call it "good".  I do make sure that they have all their punctuation correct, and no backwards letters.  I encourage them to keep it neat and do their best work... because our moms are worth it.

The night before I wrapped a six pack of flowers with tissue paper and a twine bow and placed them in the center of each table.  I have a classical cd playing.  We want our moms to feel special today.

 

 

 

Once all the moms are present, the children stand and sing a couple of songs to them.

We then move on to the next activities.

 

The day before the students planted Pansies into a plastic cup. 

 

 

This makes it easy to just drop the cup inside the clay pot that they paint with their moms.  Half the class paints while the other half of the class serves their moms muffins, fruit kabobs, and lemon water from a punch bowl.  They then switch places at their own convenience.  Here's a picture of the classroom the night before with the craft table ready and the trays waiting for the muffins.  I make mini muffins.  If you want a quick and yummy recipe for muffins (with only two ingredients!)  go here...

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/124271270942665647/

 

 

A couple of the pots that were painted...

 

 

Muffins with Mom lasts about 45 minutes.  I start at 9am and end it at 9:45 just when the bell rings for recess.  The students are ready to go outside at this time and it's a great transition that brings all the festivities to an end.

Muffins with Mom is one of my absolute favorite school/parent activities.  The mom's love it!

Here is a link to my Mother's Day book and wall display.

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Mothers-Day-Book-and-Wall-Display-1837521

 

We can't forget the daddies.....

 

Donuts with Dad is another great day you need to add to your school year.  Poor dad.  Father's Day is in June and most schools are out for summer vacation at this time.  So let's take a moment to celebrate dad.  My friend also introduced me to this fun day.  She keeps it pretty simple.  The dads come in and play board games, blocks, Legos, and puzzles with the kids.  They eat donuts, drink milk and o.j. - and have fun.

I have added a few things to make it more meaningful for my students. 

We do the pictures and the short answers in the hall and the dads have to guess which one is theirs.  The children make paper ties to hang on their dads' necks as they enter the room.  This year we are going to make books that talk about their favorite trip with dad,  favorite thing to do with them, something funny their dad did, and a day when their dad saved the day.  It all has a superhero theme with a cute little saying "Some superheroes don't have capes... They are called Dad."  Love it!  I don't have pictures of the special day yet, but here are a few pictures of the projects we are working on for this special day and a link to my TpT store if you would like to purchase this product.

 

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Donuts-With-Dad-Superhero-Writing-and-Craft-Activity-1856845

 

As always ..... Have fun!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sliding into Summer!

Time to wrap up the year!
 We are finishing up our Journeys reading program this week but we still have two weeks of school left!  I want to share a packet I created to keep us learning right to the last day of school!  It reviews all the standards we learned this year in our Journeys reading program - but honestly... it reviews any first grade reading program.  Go to my store to check out the details of the packet. 

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Journeys-first-Grade-End-Year-Review-Second-Grade-Beginning-of-the-Year-Review-1227267

I am also one of those teachers who worries about my students keeping their reading skills up throughout the summer months.  Students can fall a month behind during the summer months without practice.  I have tried everything to get my students  to read during their summer break.  Studies have shown that students' reading improve if they read to a stuff animal!  So I came up with my own adopt a pet reading program.  The students attach the reading log to the collar of their animal... Ya!  No more losing the reading log!  Also they actually feed their pet by reading to it and get to color in food dishes to represent books/minutes read.  You can also find this product in my store.

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Reading-Incentive-Star-Owner-1132659

Have fun wrapping up your year!  These last few weeks can be exhausting!  Next week we are heading to the zoo for an end of the year fieldtrip and inviting our dad's in for a Donut with Dad's morning!  I will share some of the things we have planned in my next post!