I love reading stories and doing a fun activity with the kids. When I am in a classroom teaching a fun lesson sometimes I think, "I could do this all day." Then reality sets in. A few of my first and second grade classes wanted their beginning of the year lesson to be about friendship. I found the cutest book in our school media center, Crazy Hair Day by Barney Saltzberg. The story is about a little boy (hamster) named Stanley who rolls, wraps, dyes and sprays his hair to get it super crazy for Crazy Hair Day at school. When he proudly marches in to his classroom, he discovers that Crazy Hair Day is next week! Stanley spends a lot of time in the bathroom and then finds out who his true friends are. The book is a sweet lesson in friendship and kindness.
After I read the story as a class we discussed what a friend is. In the upper grades the students answered the questions: What does a friend say? What does a friend do? What does a friend not do? In the lower grades we focused on character traits of friends. The students then used these character traits to decorate Stanley's hair on a worksheet. The kids had a great time coloring and decorating, and hopefully learning about friendship.
After I read the story as a class we discussed what a friend is. In the upper grades the students answered the questions: What does a friend say? What does a friend do? What does a friend not do? In the lower grades we focused on character traits of friends. The students then used these character traits to decorate Stanley's hair on a worksheet. The kids had a great time coloring and decorating, and hopefully learning about friendship.