Go FIRST GRADE, It's Your BIRTHDAY! A Birthday Month Mini Unit Coming Soon!

So this idea came to me when I realized at the beginning of last school year that a TON of my students came to school and DID NOT know their birthday! My literacy coach was doing a pull out group with ELL students and came back and reported the same thing months later.
No more!
I'm creating a mini-unit that will include tons of super fun birthday activities, and a study of the months. This will be perfect for those first few weeks of school.
I also don't want to admit this but i *hate* celebrating birthdays in school. Our district has a wellness policy- so they ask parents not to bring in cakes and cookies and I have to tell them no.

I'm not totally ungrateful. I learned my lesson my first year of teaching when a parent brought in a FULL-BLOWN-PARTY for my class (different school district).  I'm talking: table cloths, party hats, and noisemakers. Took up an hour and a half. Oops.

This is what I KNOW they were thinking in their hearts. Photo: My first year circa 2006.

LOL. I'm so embarrassed! Oh no I di-int let this happen!! Seriously, there was all but a blow-up Jump Jump and petting zoo in the back of the school. Ha ha ha. =)

SO in an effort to avoid turning my classroom into Chuck E. Cheese's but still celebrate and recognize birthdays, I'm creating a mini unit called:

"GO FIRST GRADE, IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY!"
Included, we'll...
* Study the months (Holidays etc...)
* Make birthday "presents" for each other. These activities will be made at one time, then stored away by me. Then, when the day comes around- there is no scrambling for a birthday pencil and certificate- we already made a fun present!
*Have fun with lots of birthday related balanced literacy activities and thinking sheets
*Read lots of Birthday themed books (book list will be included with accountable talk prompts- of course!)
*Shared Reading: Original Poetry by Yours Truly :)
* Do a little birthday themed math
* Printable book for guided reading
*Anchor Charts for each month of the year

*Kid-Friendly CELEBRITY birthday match up activities

(who has the same b-day as the Biebs?FUN. They'll be SO into it.)

and much more!

Here is a sneak peak of a FEW items!

 I love y'all, but there are no promises on when this will be done. I'm L-O-V-I-N-G my first summer where I don't have to work waaaaaaaay too much!!!

I'm trying a lot of these activities out on my friend's children (bwhaha!) I'll post photos of the activities when I'm all done!

Hope you're enjoying summer,