Why I used to hate the first day of school...

Why I hate the first day of school and how I learned to enjoy it.

Personally I used to hate the first day of school. Other teachers loved it, I hated it. It was awkward, I didn't know my students, they didn't know me...it was just icky. When I first started teaching I would go through my rules and procedures and watch as my students would fall asleep, get intimidated, or just look miserable. What they didn't know is that I was even more miserable. Ick. 

I had to figure out a way to make it more enjoyable. I was tired of being in tears, literally, at the end of every first day. So I decided to bag the rules and procedures. We could go through that stuff later. I wanted to have fun. I wanted my students to have fun and I wanted to set a creative atmosphere in my room without losing control.

Here are some activities that saved me from hating that first day.

5 Circles and 10 Lines Activity:

I hand out 10" x 10" squares of drawing paper, and show this powerpoint presentation to the students.

I tell them to turn their paper over and I say: 

"We are going to start this class with a creative exercise, because that is what art is all about. Creativity. This should be fun, so try not to stress too much about it, but carefully consider your options and try to come up with a fun or interesting solution to the following prompt. "

Stop there and let the students ask questions.

(I love to see which students will ask questions

and which will just dive in.)

I choose some designs that show examples of the

Elements of Art and show them under the

document camera. We discuss them as a class.

What makes them interesting?

Here is an example of one of my students designs.

This presentation is free on my store, 

A Space to Create!

Finish the Drawing Worksheets

I pass out these fun worksheets and get my

students doodling right out of the gate. I found

these by a new seller called iworksheets It looks

like they have a ton of fun stuff to choose from!

It looks like that same seller has some bigger workbooks that can be used throughout the year. Very cool printables and creativity boosters!

Doodle Activity

Think outside the line!

Your assignment is to draw a doodle incorporating the pre-existing line into your doodle. There is no right or wrong, good or bad, just have fun and allow yourself to be creative. Don’t look for the easy way out, make your brain explore all the possibilities! Any orientation whether vertical, horizontal, upside down or sideways is acceptable!

Here is that lesson if you want to grab it.

Truly these lessons helped me to turn the first day of school from a chore, to an enjoyable experience for both me and my students. I hope you find something that works well for you and your students. Have a wonderful year!

Sabrina Wingren

A Space to Create