Fabulous Freebies on the 15th (July)

Phew!  It has been a crazy weekend and I have spent the majority of my day resting and recovering from my best friend's wedding!  We had a BLAST at the wedding and I was so happy I could be a part of her special day.  And now she's in Maui for her honeymoon so, needless to say, I'm not jealous at all...

Here's a picture of the beautiful bride and I on the big day!  Is she not the prettiest bride ever?

Okay, so back to teacher-related things.  I honestly can't even believe that it is mid-July and the summer is slowly disappearing before my eyes.  This realization got me thinking about the first day back.  As a teacher, I'm sure you're all aware that your summer is never truly a summer off.  I am constantly brainstorming and thinking of new and fun ways to revamp my classroom, trying to wrap my head around new curriculum, and keeping my fingers crossed for another successful year.  With that all said, I was looking back on my first day plans from last year.  I know there's a couple things that I want to change but one thing that any and all primary teachers know you need to have on-hand is an activity for kids to do when they come into the room and find their seats.  Which is where Molly from Lucky To Be In First's "Fabulous Freebies on the 15th" linky party comes into play!

To help eliminate MADNESS (though can it ever really be eliminated?) on the first day as we wait patiently for all the kids to arrive, I put a really simple coloring/drawing sheet on their desks. 

I allow the kids to draw a picture of anything they want and add words if they would like.  I then save this page the entire school year and send it home on the last day with their last day drawing and writing page.  It's so fun to see all the progress they have made through the year!

I hope some of you are able to use this simple freebie!  Have a great night!