Time is racing by and it is hard to believe that it is already December. At Chief Paul Memorial School, we are in full holiday project mode. I introduced a November Thankfulness Project on the first of that month. Each day, students commented on what they were grateful for and we kept a running tally of their contributions. It was so fun to hear their ideas. Some of our favorite suggestions were "glitter", "books", "dogs", "starry nights" and "school". I noticed that most of what they were grateful for were everyday things that many of us don't really focus on as adults-like winter coats. These first-graders are already showing some wisdom.
The day after Thanksgiving, I was busy decorating my classroom door in a Peanuts Holiday Theme. I chose this specific theme as I had the pleasure of introducing Charlie Brown, Linus, Lucy and the Peanuts gang to my students in November. We watched "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" and it was the first time any of them had seen anything Peanuts related. They all absolutely loved Snoopy. It was pretty clear that Snoopy needed to be featured on our door. In past years, I'd be Black Friday shopping, but this year, I spent the day creating a door design. I really wanted to surprise them when they came to school on Monday. It was well worth my time when I saw their excited reactions. They loved it. I am so lucky to work with these kind and appreciative students who get so excited about little things.
