Name: Thrive! NCHE Homeschool Conference
Start: 2025-05-22T00:00:00-05:00
End: 2025-05-24T23:59:59-05:00
Location: Winston-Salem, NC

Tagged: first day traditions

This topic has 14 replies, 13 voices, and was last updated 12 years, 10 months ago by simple home.

Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 15 total)

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June 29, 2012 at 3:46 am
artcmomto3
Participant
We are starting our first day of school on Monday after taking the month of June off. DD will be starting 2nd grade, and DS Kindergarten. Last year was my first year homeschooling, and I regret not taking a day to just do some fun things to start our year. I didn’t even think about it until we were well into the first few weeks of school.
Since we did not complete Module 1 we will pick up where we left off – hieroglyphics. I am going to let the kids write their names in hieroglyphics using a template a friend loaned me. Maybe even do a stain glassed coloring page to put in the window that goes along with Ancient Egypt. I thought I’d fix a nice breakfast that they love as well. Any other fun ideas? Maybe a math game? Write in shaving cream on the kitchen window.
It would be cool to make something crafty to keep. My friend (same one who loaned me the Egyptian things mentioned above) has her girls make a stepping stone each year. That is not something I would want to collect multiples of each year, but I like the concept.
June 29, 2012 at 11:08 am
JennNC
Participant
This is a fun topic! I’m not good with things like this so I’m going to be listening in. 🙂
June 29, 2012 at 12:57 pm
Tecrz1
Participant
This isn’t super creative but I like to take a picture of each child holding a sign with their new grade level written on it. Much easier to store than stones 🙂
Tara
June 29, 2012 at 1:46 pm
sara p.
Participant
I like to measure their height on a chart we keep hanging up and also their weight. Then we compare it to the last day of school.
Since we really don’t do much for nature study in the summer, they always enjoy doing this on their first day.
June 29, 2012 at 6:13 pm
suzukimom
Participant
I did the sign thing our very first year…. my son looked so sad and dejected I haven’t done it since… lol
Special breakfast? (Cinamon buns or something?)
June 29, 2012 at 9:41 pm
Katrina in AK
Participant
I like the keepsake idea. We’re hoping to start next week, and my sons really want to do the diet Coke/Mentos geyser to celebrate.
June 29, 2012 at 10:08 pm
Kris
Member
We usually go out to breakfast on our first official day of the school year. Then the kids do a self-portrait (crayon, colored pencils) and write their names and ages on the front. I save those to look at through the years.
Kris
June 29, 2012 at 10:11 pm
suzukimom
Participant
” really want to do the diet Coke/Mentos geyser to celebrate.” – oh, my son would LOVE that…..
“the kids do a self-portrait (crayon, colored pencils) and write their names and ages on the front.” – I like that idea too…

June 29, 2012 at 10:18 pm
anniepeter
Participant
This is getting my creative juices (what little bit I have) flowing! THAnks for sharing. How about goal setting and/or habits? Anyone do anything special along that line at the beginning of the year, to get everyone fired up about that part of the journey? I’m trying to think on that one.
June 30, 2012 at 2:24 am
teachermom
Participant
We always have a breakfast of pancakes in the shape of the new grade for the year. We also do an “all about me” type of booklet or few pages and some fun graphing (at dd’s request) and dd decorates her portfolio/notebook cover. I posted some info here if you’d like to take a look: http://teachermom.typepad.com/ltb/2012/05/all-about-me-back-to-school-tradition.html and here: http://teachermom.typepad.com/ltb/2012/05/another-first-day-tradition-graphing.html and one more here:
🙂 http://teachermom.typepad.com/homeschool/2012/06/first-day-of-fifth-grade-in-pictures.html
Enjoy your first day! 🙂
-Kim
June 30, 2012 at 2:35 am
BetsyR
Member
I too regret not doing something last year as it was not only first year homeschooling (well, online public school) but also my first child’s first year of school. I’m determined to do something this year but always feel so overwhelmed & unprepared…does that ever change??!! lol Anyway, I was thinking that one of the things I got so excited about as a kid was getting up the first day to get to use all my new school supplies (I went to public school) & wear an outfit I specifically picked out for my first day (not necessarily new). So, since I haven’t been able to get organized enough to get to the store to do this with my girls to get school supplies, I’m going to do this on Monday for our first day back & probably psych them up for getting to wake up to use their new stuff the next morning. We will also probably make a special treat & do one of the science experiments my oldest has begged to do. The stepping stone is a good idea…we have a kit that’s been sitting around for about 3 years b/c I didn’t feel I could take it on at times with my youngest in the mix or maybe I’m too perfectionistic : ) My friend told me (in effect) I need to learn to live by a saying her father has shared with her that basically says a good plan carried out is better than the perfect plan never executed…they wrote that one for me lol! So, here’s to doing something special for the first day even though it is not the perfectly laid out, fairy tale plan I’d like to come up with : )
June 30, 2012 at 12:59 pm
artcmomto3
Participant
Wow! Thanks for all the suggestions! What great ideas! And by special breakfast I was thinking of pancakes and bacon. I don’t usually prepare a big breakfast every morning. Oh, and we did make paper chains for the kids to count down to the first day of school.
I really need to get back to blogging again. Maybe this will give me the kick I need.
Thanks again!
June 30, 2012 at 1:00 pm
Monica
Participant
Great ideas, Kim! Love your “All About Me” page and the M&M Math!
July 3, 2012 at 3:21 am
Delkroemer
Participant
ooh, I love all the ideas! This will be my third year homeschooling, first year as a CM homeschooler though, and
I like to take students photos, kind of like a picture day, on the first day of school. They are usually holding a paper or craft with their grade level on it for the photo. We also have a special breakfast and the kids get a backpack full of goodies and school supplies. This year, I’d like to make tshirts with our homeschool name on them for a fun first day activity too and maybe schultuetes instead of backpacks this year.
July 4, 2012 at 2:50 am
simple home
Member
For all my kids, kindergarten year means baking an apple pie (in honor of the first letter A!) for our first official day. We read How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World.
Have fun!