I would like to know how some of you celebrate your students birthdays.
It seems like several teachers at my school have all out parties. With 20+ kids in a class, I worry that too much class time will be lost over the course of the year if we go to big birthday bashes in school.
Thanks.
At my school, the parents can send a cupcake or special cookie to be passed out and eaten during lumch time. I like it because the mess and amount of time spent for celebrating are limited. Supposedly, next year there will be no sweets allowed at school. I haven't heard the details yet, but it will be interesting to see how we celebrate or have parties without sweets
Diana
in my room i don't make a big deal out of birthdays because i am scared to death of forgetting someone--so no birthday song.
i put a card on their desk, their favorite candy bar (they fill out a survey first day), and a pencil.
they (and their parents) are told that they may bring in treats to share. i usually have the child pass them out for us to eat WHILE working on something--copying spelling words, read aloud...
students who have weekend/holiday/summer birthdays have an unbirthday sometime during the year.
of their favourite candy bar! I'm going to have 31 students next year... that's a lot of candy bars =o)
I've done pencils and bookmarks in the past. I also have a "special" chair (it's my chair, which is a computer chair so very comfy) and the kids get it for the day. I've done homework passes as well. the sky's the limit!
I buy the cheap cellophane bags at Dollar Tree or similar place and put in a pencil, bookmark that I make off the computer, a smelly birthday sticker, a NO HOMEWORK pass, and a birthday "badge" to wear. I do this in the summer and keep them in a treasure chest that I got one time from Highlights magazine. I used to also include a sucker (lollipop), but candy is now taboo at school. When a child's birthday rolls around, I am already prepared. The weekend kids get theirs on Friday. The summer babies get theirs either on my birthday in December or on their "1/2" birthday (six months from their actual birthday). If a parent wants to send cookies or cupcakes, they can but it is not encouraged. If they do, we eat them last period, just before we go home.
On birthdays we did several things for the birthday child. Our para made up a birthday hat (in our school colors - blue and green) for each of my students. It had their first name and their birth date in glitter. I gave out a birthday certificate; the student would read it out loud and we would all sing to the birthday child. I also typed up different birthday poems on fancy paper - rolled the poem and wrapped it with different wrapping ribbon and placed all the poems in a fancy birthday bag that hung by our calendar all year. Each birthday child would get to pull out a poem and then read it to the class. Of course they loved this and then took it home to share with their family. They got to put the class birthday star and birthday bear on their desk for the day and finally they were the line leader all day. Some parents brought in goodies. P.S. During the last month of school any students having birthdays during the summer were given a day to have all these happy traditions happen to them! "SMILE"
I make sure I have a list of all birthdays at the beginning of the year and each month I put up a little sign that announces the birthdays for that month. I have birthday certificates, bookmarks and pencils that I put on the student's desk before school on their birthday. I also have a dancing flower that sings a song (it's not "Happy Birthday" but they don't mind) and we play that for the birthday kid at the end of the day. The student of honor comes to the front of the room and everyone's allowed to get up and dance around if they want to. Then on the count of three we all yell "Happy Birthday, ___"
In my calendar kit, I have all the little squares for each holiday so each year before school begins, I double check the date the holiday falls for the year and place them in a baggie in chronological order. I also purchase the birthday calendar squares and as soon as I get my class list (a few days before school) I write each child's name on the square and put them in with all of the holidays. That makes it easy for me each month as I change the calendar, I have my holidays and birthdays right there. (when I get a new student I have to remember to add them!)
Like another poster, I make up birthday bags using the cheap celophane bags from the $ store. I include a pencil, eraser, sometimes a sharpener, a card and a few pieces of candy & cheapy toys.
The morning of the birthday, I ask the student to the front of the room, give them their gift and a birthday badge sticker. The whole class sings happy birthday. I like to do it in the morning instead of waiting til the end of the day when parents usually bring cupcakes because several of my students cannot afford to bring treats. That way, they get their special birthday time without the pressure from the other kids asking "did you bring something?"
And for those who have summer birthdays, it's simple--we just celebrate "half birthdays". I was a summer birthday kid and HATED not having a special day!
At the end of the school year, my students and I walk to a nearby park for a cookout to celebrate summer birthdays. All summer birthdays are assigned a picnic item to bring, ie. plates/napkins, hotdogs, condiments, dessert, etc. I cook the hotdogs in a crockpot in the morning and have a parent volunteer pick up all our goodies a bit early and take it over to the park's pavilion to serve us.
As for regular birthdays, I leave a birthday pencil and "It's my birthday" sticker on their desks. For however old a student is, he/she invites that many friends up to line up for birthday high-fives. We eat the birthday treats during our regular snack time, and I keep Little Debbie stuff on hand for students who don't bring birthday treats.
I like to keep it very simple. At Back-to-School Night, I request that the parent contact me with the date they would like to send in a treat. I like the treats to be very simple, like a cookie, cupcake, or brownie, and no drinks are to be sent in. Just before lunch, we sing to the person, and they get to distribute their treats at lunch to the class. They then can go during recess to last year's teacher and the Office staff (school policy) and give them a treat. I also give them a birthday pencil and award. Just Friday, one parent ignored my request and sent in a large birthday cookie in a huge box. It was scored, but no napkins, plates, or a spatula for removing the pieces were sent in. That was irritating.
I've done it different ways in the past, but what I did last year really meant a lot to the kids. I found the idea somewhere (since teachers are greeat at borrowing ideas!) to have the students draw the name of another student and create a birthday card. Then, I passed all the cards around the room and the kids signed each one - except their own. I would then place a pencil inside the card (because when do they NOT need pencils!) and put the card on their desk on their birthday. After we signed, etc. the cards, I asked my summer birthdays when they wanted their card. Right away of course! It made it easy on me and was special for them.
At our school, the media specialist also started a birthday book club. In lieu of spending money on cupcakes, etc. (which we discourage!), a parent could donate $10 to the library in their child's honor. A book would be purchased with (part of ) the money and a name plate would be placed in the front of the book with their name and that it was for the birthday club. A picture of the student holding their birthday book was also posted on a b-board for all to see. I plan to do this for my son when he is with me next year in kindergarten.
We celebrate birthdays similarly to many of the other posters here... I put a birthday certificate, bookmark, sticker and pencil on the student's desk the night before the birthday. We also celebrate half-birthdays for the summer birthdays.
Since we are not doing treats anymore (cupcakes slowly evolved into "pink boxes" full of doughnuts...) we encourage the students to donate a book to the classroom library. (Our school purchased a stamp which says "donated by" with a cute picture.)
One thing I'd like to add is a collection of different birthday songs, so the student could choose which song to play/sing to them!
Birthdays were always a big deal in my family and when I taught 4th grade at a private school (13 students) I kind of did make a big deal out of them. Each student brought in a special treat for the class on their day; summer birthdays each had a day at the end of the year. I also got each one of them a gift that was applicable to what they liked/wanted/needed. For instance I had one student who really liked dinosaurs so I bought him a 3-D dinosaur puzzle. I had another student who wanted to be a FBI agent so I bought him some "spy gear." Another student loved music, I gave her a cd. I gave the students the gifts after school let out and each one was thrilled with their gift. Obviously, a class any bigger than this would be completely impractical and get mighty expensive!
I suggest you not use "regular birthdays" in referring to birthdays falling during the school year. I am now an adult, and have a summer birthday, and I'd suggest the same celebration for either an in-season or out-of-season birthday -- the only difference being that you can't use the actual day of the out-of-season birthday.
06-16-2006, 06:54 PM
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