Follow up notes from Karen:
It was great having your kids over for the day yesterday and I'm glad it turned out to be a positive experience.If I can get a couple photos from the parents, I'll post them here!
As requested here are some tips on what seemed to work out well for us and the kids.
First this is our rough schedule:
10:00 Gathering time, waiting for all to arrive.
10:15 Active games. We played Simon Says and Red Light Green Light, in Spanish of course.
11:00 Snack and talk a little about why it's good to learn a different language. We had various Mexican style foods for the kids. Some were trying things for the first time which was good for some and not for others. We had familiar foods as well so everyone got something to fill their belly.
11:30 Scavenger hunt. The kids took their little picture books and had to search the yard for the corresponding sign and name so that they could write the name in Spanish in their book. Those who finished first were able to sit and color the pictures in their book. Some were very excited about being able to color the pictures.
12:30 Lunch and free play
1:30 Make ice cream. We split into two groups and made two different kinds. Each kid was eager to have a job and eager for the finished product. It was my plan to make toppings as well, but it seemed over ambitious so we didn't do that part. At this time there were only 2 teachers so a third person here would have been able to do the topping part. In the end it was fine just having ice cream, bananas, and whipped topping with a fresh cherry on top.
2:00 Clean up and work sheet/free play.
2:30 Ice cream time. Everyone wanted seconds, I hope there were no belly aches last night.
3:00 End of day
1. With 15 kids of varying ages and interests it was great having three adults to guide everyone. This way one could lead the activity and the other two could help with keeping people in line/adding explanations or encouraging those who were a bit reticent. I realize this won't be possible with all the classes, just saying it worked really well for us.
2. Having a reward system was very motivating for many of the kids. It was extra work for us and I'm not sure how necessary it was, but there were some who found it to be a lot of fun.
3. We asked the older kids to help the younger ones when they saw the need and they really did pitch in and help. The younger kids tried their best to keep up with everyone.
4. We started the day with some active games and pretty much everyone enjoyed that.
5. We planned plenty of activities just in case we ran out of things to do. There were some who enjoyed table top activities and some who weren't into it so we didn't force anyone, though sometimes only a little encouragement or one on one was needed.
6. We had music to help set the mood.
7. Becky was great instructing the kids in the Spanish language and was full of enthusiasm. She also brought great snacks, treats, and decor as well as an awesome little book of helpful phrases which the kids were all trying out. Thanks Becky! Danny was great at keeping the kids on track and always jumped in at the right time before things went awry.
8. Danny was also great with the kids, providing one on one attention and guitar playing and has good Spanish knowledge and pronunciation as well. Throughout the day everyone kind of jumped in when needed and because of that things really flowed.
One last thing. I didn't feel like having to yell at everyone to gather them together so I used a bell to signal that is was time to call everyone to the sitting area. They all responded very nicely to that.
