Episode 19: Podcast Recap

In this episode, we talk about how we go about our very first day in the art room! If you have a rotation schedule, the first day of art probably lasts a whole week. You have to repeat the same information to every class you have. And that can be a lot. But it’s important! 

First off, make sure you know your schedule and have clean up alarms set if that’s what helps you stay on track. Allow for extra time to get through everything on the first day with the younger kids. If you’ve been teaching in the same school for a while, this information might be more like a review for your older students! Prioritize what the most important things are you need your students to know on day one. Going over emergency drills is a definite must! Going through the class list to make sure everything is correct and any important things about your room (like where not to go!) are also things you probably want to do first. You can turn these things into a video that you show each class and it can save your voice (and sanity) by the end of the week! 

Going over some of these first day things can be pretty dry and boring at times. Why not make it a game or activity? We talk about scavenger hunts and decoding games to review. Keep things short and simple so you can get the kids making art! Even if they only make something for 5 minutes, it will go a long way for them. All they want is to create and have fun! You don’t have to go over every single procedure for you room on day one. Just the absolute necessary and the rest can be taught when you get to that particular thing during the year. For example, on day one you probably aren’t using the drying rack or washing hands. So why teach them the details about it? Save it for when they need to know it. 

Kindergarten. Oh, kindergarten. It’s just a whole different beast! What you do on day one for kindergarten will be different than any other group. They need every little thing spelled out and broken down for them. You will NOT get through everything you plan. And it’s okay! 

Listen to the whole episode to hear how we go over different procedures, what things we choose to go over on day one and what we have ready beforehand. You can even work on different tasks that first week in order to prepare for other things in your art room for week two and beyond!

Keep blending,

Laura and Hayley