May 9, 2012

Every Trick in the Book Tip #1

Do you find it's getting harder and harder to keep the students attention the closer and closer we get to summer vacation?

I've been bringing out every trick in the book.

Tip #1 Bring in a special guest!

Teddy painting Van Gogh sunflowers with the help of a Kindergartener.
Kindergarteners painted "Teddy Bear" portraits. Next, I told them that Teddy was going to come to school to see the pictures they made of him. BUT, he is only four years old and he doesn't know the school rules. So we had to teach him (which was really a review of rules for them!)

1. Raise your paw.
2. Paws to yourself.
3. Indoor voices.
and the list goes on. . .

What happened next I didn't plan. The kids started making Teddy make his own art pieces. Here he is drawing a kite and the next class he painted Van Gogh Sunflowers!

A BIG shout out to my friend Kristina who loves Teddy's and tells the best stories about her bears adventures to her students. I find it hilarious and thought my little ones would too!





3 comments:

Phyl said...

Sweet post.

When my son was in college, sometimes he'd be home visiting when school was in session, and he'd stop in and visit in the art room and spend some time. The kids treated him like he was a celebrity - "BEN!!! Sit by me, BEN!" He was a DJ on the campus station, and I'd stream the show while the kids were working, and the kids got all excited whenever they heard his voice.

Unknown said...

That is so cool! It's great to have any younger male role models in general come into schools! It seems like it's all woman and the boys especially are so eager to have another one of their kind hehehe. Really, though, it's so important to bring in other "cool" role models! I can imagine what a hit Ben was!

Anonymous said...

Erica,

I couldn't PAY my students to use "indoor" voices today. It was like somebody or something dumped a big bucket of crazy on both of my schools today! I had already taken all of my stuffed animals that I keep ondisplay in the artroom home for the summer or I'd have used your idea! I have 3 penguins, a shark, a chameleon, two owls, 2 cats, a dragon, Elmer the elephant and a Britto Teddy bear. I really could have used them today! Great post!

:)Pat