To welcome children to school and help them get to know one another.

Materials:

• Book: The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
• Big Buttons with a letter of the alphabet written on it, or Hershey's miniature candies.

Plan:

1. The first activity is called, "I'll get to know you." The teacher (ahead of time) tapes either a big button with a letter of the alphabet, or a piece of candy underneath the child's desk. The teacher would make sure that there are 2 of each letter and then space out the letters.
2. Example, under Johnny's desk a button would have the letter "A" written on it, and then across the room, under Brenda's desk, there would be another button with the letter "A". (Older grades should use two of the same kind of candy).
3. When the teacher rings the bell, the children scurry to find their match and then must find out 2 facts about the person.
4. After everyone has found their match, the children would sit in a big circle to introduce their new friend and tell the class two facts about the person.
5. As a closing activity, I read the book The Giving Tree, by Shel Silverstein I open up a discussion about what it means to "give" and to give things that you cannot buy.
6. I then ask the children to go back to their desks and write a letter to their classmates telling what they plan to give to the classroom. For younger grades, simply have them draw a picture.

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