Great First Day

We had a great first day in the Bair's Den! Team Kit Kat (4A) stayed in their morning classes all day because we attended several stations to help us learn about Bear Creek, and boy.... was there A LOT to learn!

First we got our homework folders because we had tons of paperwork to take home. Families, please check your child's homework folder for your contact paper and medical form. These should be filled out and returned as soon as possible.

After getting all of those papers situated, we went up and learned about the cafeteria (so many choices, so many things to remember) and recess. We even got to play a little bit on the playground! After our small break we headed down to check out the science lab and learned about all the different things we can do during Bear Time. We'll have reading clinics, band and orchestra will meet during that time, and on Day 6 we have Free Bear! Ask your child to tell you all about this. In the afternoon we had another session to learn about the walking path and how to act while out there.

Probably the most fun we had was a team building activity to learn each other's names. We stood in a circle, picked a person, said their name, and threw a bean bag at them (gently!). Once everybody had a chance to throw to somebody, we tried it again. Then we did it a little faster. And then it got crazy because Mrs. Bair kept adding in more and more bean bags!!! We didn't quite understand how this was a team building activity because we only really learned one person's name, and to be quite honest, things got really silly. Kids described their feelings as frustrated, tiring, fun, nerve wracking, crazy, confused, excited, and emotional. Whoa..... that doesn't sound like team building!

So we started to talk and think about what was easy and what was hard about the activity and how it relates to our class. When there was only one beanbag, it was really easy, but the more that was happening the harder it got. In reflecting on this lesson, our classmates came up with these ideas about how this activity relates to what happens in the class:

• It's okay to make mistakes. Sometimes there's a lot happening at one time, and you're going to make a mistake. You just have to keep going.
• You have to focus on yourself. If you followed your own pattern in the game, it was easier not to mess up, but if you worried about everybody else things got messed up.
• You have to think about how your actions affect other people. If you threw the bean bag too high or didn't say somebody's name, your action messed somebody else up and that could mess up the whole game.
• Sometimes you have to think about other people's perspectives or opinions. Just because you like something doesn't mean it's fun for everybody.

Pretty cool, huh? Sometimes it's not just about learning math and reading at Bear Creek. :)