Book Blessings and chalkboard labels

Ok...I was commenting on a post, when my next teaching idea came to me.

I like to do something in my class each week...all week long.

Book Blessings.

They're not quite a book report, but it kind of gets them in the groove of it for later in their life...

What I have the kids do is sign up for a day of the week - I do Tuesday through Friday, because well...some of my kids have weird living arrangements and their weekends aren't all that consistent. So I like to remind them on Monday. They sign up on Friday, of the week before. I usually try to have the same amount of kids for each day.

Now, inevitably, you are going to have kids that are NOT ready on their day. Which, of course, ruins my whole "same number of kids each day to take the same amount of time each day" thought process....Sigh.... Oh well, just move them to another day.

You can have them focus on whatever you want. But for a long while, just to get them used to it, I just have them focus on why they liked the book: their favorite part, or illustration, or favorite line, or character. Whatever. Just so it's an advertisement to the rest of the class to get them to read more too! It's really just a 30 second blurb about the book.

Below is my sign up sheet - I use a "number" system, where every child has a number, and they just write their number in the day they want to sign up for. I'm not supposed to have more than 18 kids, but I broke it down to where we could have 5 kids each day.

Click the pic to grab a copy :)

Now, it might take some pulling teeth in the beginning, but eventually, I have kids that start asking if they can share their book even if they've already shared for the week, just because they want to tell everyone to go read the book! :)

Now, here's my craft I did the other day - 

Chalkboard Labels!!

This literally took me 2 minutes to do!!

All I used was the mailing label stickers, chalkboard paint (that I already had on hand), and the foam sponge paint brushes.

I painted the labels, let them dry, then I cut them all cutsie, and put them on my flour and sugar containers!

Now, the trick to chalkboard paint is that before you start writing with it, to scribble all over the surface with chalk, then wipe it off, and THEN you can write on it easily. :)

My Book Blessing

And go check out my book blessing (hehe) over at The Best Ending - click the picture of the book!

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