Snack Time=Socializing

How do you create an efficient snack time in your classroom so that you aren't using too much time up, but still making sure tummies are full so kids can learn?
Do you send a snack calendar or do kids bring their own snack each day?
Please share your tips and tricks so we can all get a glimpse of your Snack Time Successes!

Mrs. Bainbridge over at Teach, Laugh, Learn...Everyday is having a Snack Time linky party! So I thought I'd join my first linky party!! Super excited. Here's how I do my snack time.

I think snack is important for my kindergarten students. Not only does it fill up their little tummies, but it gives them a time to socialize. We have snack towards the end of the day after specials. Each day, while they are at specials, I lay out that days snack so that when the students get back they can sit down and eat. However, before we eat snack I make sure that we, as a class, thank the student that brought in the snack for that day. I really like this, because it puts a smile on the child's face. If a child forgot to bring in snack I pull out extra snack that we had left over in the cabinets and I still let the child get a thank you.

We spend about 10 minutes eating snack before going into our Unit time.  But during that 10 minutes, I let the students talk to one another. Of course there is no yelling and if the students have been particularly unruly that day, then they have to eat snack in silence. They don't like this, and honestly I don't either. I think it is good for them to be able to talk to one another as it builds important socializing skills.

Here is the note I send home at the end of the month for next months snack. I have a list of ideas for snacks that can be brought in, and if I have any students in the classroom who are allergic to something last year I had peanut and dairy allergies in my class I put it on here as a reminder. 

 If you would like this document, please leave me a comment with your e-mail address. I will send it to you. I can't figure out how to upload a document onto blogger. Sorry. :(

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog! I hope you will find it entertaining, and find some interesting things that you can try with you new kindergarten students this year! Can you believe that summer is over? I know I can't. In just 4 days I will be meeting my new group of kiddos. I'm getting super excited, but am a little nervous. Thursday night is Back ti School Night where the parents and their children will come and meet their new teacher. Then on Friday morning, I will get to deliver a speech (yay!), introduce myself, and help parents be a little more calmer about leaving there children at school for 8 hours, 5 days a week. Di I mention that I do not like public speaking?? Well...I don't. I get nervous. Very nervous. Hopefully with my cute power point behind me I won't get too nervous. Although I've taught kindergarten (at the same school) for a year, I've never done the beginning of the year with kindergarten. Last year I started in 3rd grade and then go transferred after Labor Day because the school I was at had hired to many teacher. Am
 I nervous? To say the least, yes!

I still have plenty to do though! I have to do my Welcome Back Board (which I think will be Buggy About Kindergarten :) with students names on ladybugs!), name tags, and plans, etc. etc. Woo. This week is going to be exhausting! I will post some pictures of my classroom this week, along with some fun Ladybug themed things that I have created based on things I have found on other teacher blogs! THANK YOU! You guys have been such a huge inspiration to me!