Starting to Plan the First Week of School: Yarn Web and Student Scavenger Hunt

As all teachers know, the first day of school can be full of giving directions and going over all of the rules.  Amidst these discussions, I like to get my students out of their seats and moving around.  I love to foster a sense of community right away and its important to help the kids get to know each other right away.  

On the first day of school, I do a yarn web game with my class.  It is so simple, yet my students love it and continue to ask to play is again throughout the whole year.  One time I even had a student who told me on the last day of school that it was his favorite part of third grade (not sure if that was a compliment or not).  For this activity I have my students sit in a circle and the first student holds a ball of yarn.  That student says their name and something about themselves.  Once they do, they hold the string and throw the ball of yarn to someone else in the circle.  Then that person says their name and something about themselves, holds the string and throws the ball of yarn to someone else.  My students love the web that the yarn creates and I think that they also love the idea of "throwing" in the classroom!  

Another thing that I love to do with my students is a student scavenger hunt.  I print out the scavenger hunt and allow my students to move about the room and talk to each other.  We talk about asking questions to other kids and I send them on their way.  They ask another student a question from their paper and if that student meets the criteria, they sign the box.  I have created 5 different scavenger hunts.  This allows for different ways to do the activity.   

Option 1: All students use the same sheet

Option 2: Students have different sheets

Option 3: A different sheet is used with the whole class for 5 different days

Get my scavenger hunts here.

These are fun activities that help to make the first day exciting and more memorable!  
~Heather