Back to School Fun Days
Some special days in September you might like to celebrate with your class. Lots to choose from.
Jan Homden has put together a list of ideas for those special days to celebrate in September: Read a Book Day, National Grandparent’s Day, Teddy Bear Day, Moon Festival, Hug Your Hound Day, Rice Krispie Treat Day and Comic Book Day.
September 6th – Read a Book Day
Here are some ways you can celebrate Read a Book Day:
DEAR TIME – Drop Everything And Read.
Ask the children to either bring to school 3 favourite books from home or choose 3 books/comics/magazines/ etc. from the school library or class book corner. Select a special sound e.g. marimba, drum beat, piano & rain, classical music , summer music etc. Whenever the children hear that sound during the day they drop everything and choose something to read from their selection. Everyone reads for 15 minutes. This could be extended to the whole school: students read, principals read, teachers read, the admin staff read, the caretaker reads and visitors to the school are offered books or magazines to read.
OR
Introduce the children to 3 different authors throughout the day or choose to read 3 stories by the same author
Choose to read a fiction book, a non-fiction book and a book that is an old favourite to the children throughout the day
Buddy the younger children with the older children and select a time when they can get together to share books or ask parents if they would like to come in at a given time to read to groups of children.
September 8th – National Grandparent’s Day
A special day for children to spend with their Grandparents. On Saturday the children could help make and decorate a cake for their grandparents. On the 8th invite everyone to go for a walk and have a family picnic or tea (with cake). The children could paint a special picture, make a card, or pick flowers to give to their grandparents.
Read stories about Grandparents : How to Babysit a Grandad by Jean Reagan and Lee Wildish, I Love my Grandad by Giles Andreae (Author) and Emma Dodd (Illustrator), I Love My Granny by Giles Andreae (Author) and Emma Dodd (Illustrator), Gangsta Granny by David Walliams, Grandpa’s Great Escape by David Walliams
Songs about Grandparents: For younger children – Grandparents Are Special | Original Kids Song from Treetop Family, For older children – Grandparents Day Song /Audrey Ayers
September 9 – Teddy Bear Day
A day for the children to bring their teddies to school. Have a teddy bears picnic to say thank you to the teddies for all the fun times they have had with them. The children could make fairy bread or jam sandwiches or teddy bear shaped biscuits to share.
Teach them to sing the Teddy Bear’s Picnic song sung by Anne Murray and My Teddy Bear – Super Simple Songs. Read stories about some famous bears: Paddington Bear, Winnie-the-Pooh, Corduroy, the Berenstain Bear family.
Watch – We’re going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen and illustrated by Helen Oxenbury. Click on the link to join in with Michael Rosen as he reads and acts out the story.
Time to get moving: Teddy Bear Teddy Bear Turn Around | Circle Time Song for Preschool | The Kiboomers
September 13 – Moon Festival
Click on the link to watch the legend The Story of Chang-E – or listen to Miss Chu as she explains why we eat mooncakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival and presents the Mid-Autumn Festival legend using shadow puppets.
This festival takes place every year with the full moon that falls on the 15th day of the 8th month on the lunar calendar. The Moon Festival/Mid-Autumn Festival is celebrated in many countries as well as becoming a popular event in the calendar of many multicultural cities around the world. Families celebrate by coming together and sharing food under the full moon. The festival traditions centre on giving thanks for nature’s rich harvest and enjoying a special time spent with friends and family. Important values in to-days world.
Picnic Role Play – children will enjoy having their own picnic under the moon!
Make a large moon to hang above the Role Play Area. Cut out a circle from thick card and cover with tin foil. Suspend with nylon fishing line. Provide a rug, picnic basket, plates, bowls, mugs, cutlery etc. and pretend food. The children could make colourful lanterns to hang over the area.
Or, organise a Whole School Picnic. Hang lanterns and invite everyone to bring a picnic. Bring the school community together under the moon – a great start to the school year.
Listen to – 刘珂矣《月满弦》Liu Keyi – Moon chord, and Shui Diao Ge Tou – a song for Chinese Moon Festival.
Popular Stories to read: Lin Yi’s Lantern by Brenda Williams and Benjamin Lacombe, Thanking the Moon: Celebrating the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival by Grace Lin, Nonni’s Moon – by Julia Inserro (Author), Lucy Smith (Illustrator)
September 14 – Hug Your Hound Day
Give your four-legged furry friend a big hug & treat them to their favorite treats!
As the 14th is a Saturday how about organising a school community get together with a FUN dog show! (Emphasis on FUN) Children could make posters to advertise the event and make rosettes for the winner and runner up in each class. Think of rules to keep everyone happy e.g. Dogs must be kept on a lead at all times. Dog owners must clean up after their dog. Think of different classes: large dogs, small dogs, long haired dogs, short haired dogs, best puppy, best rescue dog, the dog with the waggiest tail, the funniest dog, etc. Children could paint pictures of the dogs to advertise the different classes.
Ask at your local veterinary clinic or animal rescue centre if any of their staff would like to come along to judge the classes and check if you have insurance or need a licence.
OR
Just take your hound for a long walk to the dog park/beach to say hello to their friends.
If you have been thinking of adopting a dog, take this day to visit your local dogs shelter/rescue home.
Enjoy the antics of that lovable hound Kipper: Kipper Helps Out
September 18 – Rice Krispie Treat Day
A day dedicated to the no-bake, quick to make, yummy, marshmallowy treat – perfect for snack time and to share with all the staff at the school.
The children will enjoy making and sampling these treats – they can weigh the ingredients, watch the butter change from its solid form to liquid and take turns to stir the marshmallows into the saucepan. There is more stirring when the Rice Krispies are added to the mixture and pressing to be done when the mixture goes into the tin with the (optional) sprinkling of hundreds and thousands on top. The children could then take some of their treats and visit the rest of the staff to wish them a Happy Rice Krispie Treat Day!
Ingredients
Serves: 24
- 50g butter
- 200g mini marshmallows
- 150g Rice Krispies/Bubbles
Method
- Melt butter or margarine in large saucepan over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until melted and well blended. Cook for 2 minutes longer, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
- Add cereal. Stir until well coated.
- Using a buttered spatula or greaseproof paper, press mixture evenly and firmly in buttered 20 x 30cm tin.
- Cut into 5 x 5cm squares when cool.
Recipe from: allrecipes
September 25 – Comic Book Day
A genre that has helped many children find their way into reading and Comic Book Day encourages people to read and share comic books. Who remembers those all time favourites: The Beano, The Dandy, Eagle, Bunty and Twinkle?
Collect a basket of comics and ask the children to bring their comic books into class to share. Talk about how comic books/magazines are different to other books they have read.
Children could have a go at creating their own comic strip. They could work in pairs to put together a storyline, invent some characters, and let their imaginations run wild.
Have a look at the words or sayings in comics and together compile and display a list e.g. Pow!, Zap!, Whoosh!, Bang!, Splat!, Boom!, Thwack! Look at how these words are portrayed and take this opportunity to introduce or revise the meaning of onomatopoeia.
Have a great start to the new school year.
Jan Homden, Consilium Education
Feature Image: Mark Rimmel – Unsplash
Other Images: Pixabay
