Today I took my kiddos Christmas shopping...
If you are envisioning this frazzled teacher pushing along a shopping cart making sure her 4 energetic students don't get lost in the rushing crowds of the crazy mall, you are QUITE mistaken. :-)
My first year teaching I did actually go Christmas shopping with my kiddos at a nearby dollar store, but I soon concluded that was not going to be an every year occurrence!
Now I bring the store to my students! I purchase some dollar items to add to our "store", and coupled with what already is in our "prize box", there ends up being quite the selection. For the past two months, my kiddos have been saving up their "treasure" specifically for this Christmas shopping extravaganza. (Treasure is something they can earn each day if they have followed the class rules, and haven't lost any smiley faces to Mr. Sad Bear -the behavior chart in the classroom. :-)) From saving up all their treasure these past two months, their glasses were almost overflowing with treasure today! They were so excited to finally be able to "buy" Christmas presents for their friends.
This afternoon I set up the "store" in the next room, and I took the children in one by one so they could purchase a gift for their 3 friends. If they had treasure left over, they were allowed to buy something for themselves. Surprisingly, all went rather well, and as I wrapped up each selected gift, they wrote out the name tags to put on top of each one.
I think what they enjoyed the most was the secrecy of it all. They did ask me if they were allowed to say, "I bought a present for each of my friends," to which I assured them that was okay because it was not giving any secrets away.
If you are envisioning this frazzled teacher pushing along a shopping cart making sure her 4 energetic students don't get lost in the rushing crowds of the crazy mall, you are QUITE mistaken. :-)
My first year teaching I did actually go Christmas shopping with my kiddos at a nearby dollar store, but I soon concluded that was not going to be an every year occurrence!
Now I bring the store to my students! I purchase some dollar items to add to our "store", and coupled with what already is in our "prize box", there ends up being quite the selection. For the past two months, my kiddos have been saving up their "treasure" specifically for this Christmas shopping extravaganza. (Treasure is something they can earn each day if they have followed the class rules, and haven't lost any smiley faces to Mr. Sad Bear -the behavior chart in the classroom. :-)) From saving up all their treasure these past two months, their glasses were almost overflowing with treasure today! They were so excited to finally be able to "buy" Christmas presents for their friends.
This afternoon I set up the "store" in the next room, and I took the children in one by one so they could purchase a gift for their 3 friends. If they had treasure left over, they were allowed to buy something for themselves. Surprisingly, all went rather well, and as I wrapped up each selected gift, they wrote out the name tags to put on top of each one.
I think what they enjoyed the most was the secrecy of it all. They did ask me if they were allowed to say, "I bought a present for each of my friends," to which I assured them that was okay because it was not giving any secrets away.
The presents piled high...
The presents now wait anxiously underneath my Christmas tree, and are greatly anticipating being ripped apart on Wednesday when my kiddos come over to my house for a Christmas party.
Christmas and the teacher's house all in the same week?! Yes, my kiddos are bursting with the excitement of it all. :-) Now I just have to prepare my house for 4 rambunctious kiddos!! If I survive it all, I will be sure to post pictures!
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