Check out holiday/seasonal resource books and $2 holiday/seasonal picture books at SproutClassrooms.com!

Activities
How to Prep for the Start of School- Organizing, decorating and planning
Supply List- My requests for the 2008/09 school year
First Day Checklist- What to do before school starts
First Day Checklist II- Another list of things to do before school starts
Classroom Supply List- Sample supplies you may want for your classroom
Teacher Supply List- Sample supplies you may want in your desk/closet
Student Supply List- Sample supplies you may want students to supply
Space Pup Puzzle- This is my favorite back to school activity.
The North Star- This is a really beautiful story about a boy who learns to follow his own path, even though it's a little different than the one taken by all others.  Use this story to start a discussion with students about where they want their paths for the year to take them.  If you have a really open classroom, you can use this as a re-occuring story throughout the year to remind students that they are in charge of their learning paths-where do they want to go next?  Check out the mini-posters-perhaps you can highlight one poster a week until the class has 'collected' them all.  Send home postcards and newsletters using the clipart.
       North Star Activity
Back to School Activity Ideas
Back to School Tips
Off to a Great Start
Fabulous First Day Ideas
Ice Breakers
Countdown to Open House
Making Open House a Hit
More Open House Ideas
Yet Two More Open House Ideas
Open House Giving Tree- Create a giving tree for open house out of large butcher paper or, if you're really handy, out of wood.  Attach hooks (I poked pipe cleaner through my butcher paper and bent it), and then hang these apples from the hooks.  Write or paste pictures on the apples, showing the supplies that you would like for the year.  Encourage parents to taken an apple or two on their way out.
Open House Ideas- From Instructor
Open House Journaling- Ask students to write in their journals about the topic 'The Most Difficult Thing About Being a Kid'.  Have their journals open to this page on Open House night, and ask parents to respond by writing in the journal about 'The Most Difficult Thing About Being a Parent'.
Fourth Grade Open House Ideas
Fifth Grade Open House Ideas
Sixth Grade Open House Ideas
The Relatives Came Unit- Parent Involvement Encouraged
              Parent Letter             Storyboard         Comic Strip Prompt
1st day class picture-Make sure to take a class picture on the first day. If time, take individual pictures. Use these for nametags, seating chart for sub tub, picture magnets on writing/reading workshop walls and for a now/then picture board at the end of the year.
Getting Aquainted- Classroom 'survey' students can complete to find out more about their peers.
Classroom Treasure Hunt- Allows students to get familiar with the classroom
Guide to the Constitution- Great for Constitution Day
Talk Like A Pirate Day- Article
Classroom Flag- As a bonding activity, we research how symbols and colors have been used on flags around the world, and then create a classroom flag using those understandings.  You can pass this pattern out to each student so they can create their own flag, and then the class can vote (two votes per child so they can vote for theirs, too).  We put all the flags in a book for the classroom library, and ask a classroom mom to sew the chosen flag for our front table.  You could even give students pieces of white cotton and fabric paint, have them paint their flags, and then hang them on clips around the room.
Goodbye, Summer- Help students say goodbye to the sun and beach, and hello to leaves and pumpkins!
Oh, the Places You'll Go Journal- Create these for your students at the beginning of the year and ask them write memories in it as the year progresses.  Use the blank sheets to glue pictures into.
Third Grade Welcome Poem- From Mrs. VanDyke's page.  Staple to a bag filled with the goodies in the poem and set the bags on desks to welcome your students.
Icebreaker Packet- Fantastic ideas for games and energizers to get your kids going the first month back.


Activity Sheets
Goodbye, Summer- Comic strip writing prompt
Student Survey- A great way to get to know your students from a parent's perspective.
First Day Forms Checklist- You know how your office always gives you 20 forms for parents to fill out and send back in at the beginning of the year?  What a nightmare!  I staple all my forms into one packet and then place this letter on top.  I'm upfront with parents that, yes, this is going to take a while, but I really do need them back as soon as possible.  It also gives them a physical checklist so they can make sure they've sent everything back in, hopefully still stapled and filled in completely.
Classroom List- Fill in with your own students
Classroom List with Scores- Room for reading, math and special needs
Parent Contact List- Keep a copy at home for after-school calls
Establishing Routines- Great to organize your thoughts and stick in the Sub Tub
Taking Inventory- Use this to organize what was in your room before school started-great for keeping your stuff separate from the school's.
Text Book Inventory- Use to keep track of all your teacher and student editions
All About Me 1- 3 fun pages
All About Me 2- Bubble page
All About Me 3- Colorful page

Beth Newingham's Open House website 1
Beth Newingham's Open House website 2