The Thankful Tree

I really love the idea of kids reflecting on what they have to be thankful for. So, we read the book, “The Thanksgiving Bowl” by Virginia Kroll.

The beginning of the book talks about a sweet Grandma who sets aside a Thanksgiving bowl for her family to place strips of paper detailing what they’re thankful for, and then all the little papers are read aloud during Thanksgiving dinner. Love it! I thought it was the perfect intro to adding a Thankful Tree to our room :)

I have a stack of die cut leaves that sits in a little pumpkin close to my door. Every time one of my kiddos has something to be thankful for, they write it on a leaf and give it to me to put on the tree. It’s really sweet to see what they’re thankful for :) Just today I had one of my sweet boys write “veterans & soldiers” on his leaf. Precious.

Decorating The Walls

Have I mentioned how much I love my school?! Because I really, REALLY do! I just can’t imagine being anywhere else! I love our staff, our sweet kids, and our AMAZING parents! Before the start of the school year, each grade level commissions a group of moms to come up and decorate the hallways. The parents are pretty much amazing because they take a theme and just run with it!!! The theme for First Grade this year is “Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon”. I LOVE that book!

A few of the teachers on my team already had an idea set in mind and our new moms came up and put the plan into action!

Each of us on the team has a Molly Lou Melon cut-out right outside our classroom doors, and each Molly Lou Melon as a speech bubble that contains a quote from the book…they’re all different! We also hung long mirrors inside our doors with the words “Smile big and the world will smile right alongside you” right above it!! Darling theme and a PERFECT way to start the year!

Here are a few more pics of the hallways in our buildings. If you think these are darling, just wait ‘til Open House. I swear I’ve never seen anything like it!!!

2nd Grade ~ Theme: A Royal Welcome

Kindergarten ~ Theme: Western, Cowboys & Cowgirls

3rd Grade ~ Welcome to the Jungle

4th Grade ~ Texas Our Texas

6th Grade ~ Ride The Wave of Learning

Our amazing and BEYOND talented 6th grade science teacher was totally responsible for the cuteness in their hallways. She might be the most creative decorator I’ve ever seen!!!!

Now, is that cute or what?!