Colorful bags with engaging images beg for attention like a puppy begs for biscuits, after rest time.
Hi and welcome back to Attentionology for K – 5 Teachers!
Bags are more than totes in the hands of a gifted teacher.
Bags are BIG attention-getting tools.
Colorful, interesting, fun and funny bags prompt curiosity in children. “What’s in the bag? Ooooh…something special for us?”
Bags can become focal points for learning activities. “Class, let’s look in this bag for poems on bones that a little black lab puppy would love to hear you read aloud.”
Engaging images on bags, like a sweet, tired puppy, encourage children to express themselves. “Look at the sleepy puppy with the party hat. Soooo cute!”
Bargain Bags – Bags that beg for attention are easy to collect, inexpensive, and even free sometimes, for the asking. Free is a magical word for teachers.
If you buy bags, choose ones that catch your eye for their potential as teaching tools.
Recycled Bags – Save brown bags made from recycled paper for students to illustrate and color. Ask family members and friends to save bags for you.
Reusing bags for classroom activities demonstrates the importance of recycling.
What other bags beg for attention?
Happy Birthday bags beg for attention as creative tools to celebrate famous authors’ birthdays.
Celebration Bags – Choose birthday and other special occasion bags to celebrate educational events related to your curriculum.
For example, a Happy Birthday bag would be a great way to beg for attention to celebrate Dr. Seuss’ March birthday or the birthdays of other famous authors.
Place some of the author’s books in a Happy Birthday bag, set it on a table in the center of class or in your classroom library, and share it during reading time.
Drop in an illustration of “The Cat in the Hat” to pull out at the “party.” Children love to be surprised by objects pulled out of a bag. Magic!
Birthday or anniversary bags are a great way to celebrate school milestones. For example, show your class a bag that reads Happy Anniversary on the front of it to recognize the tenth anniversary of your school’s opening.
Your Bag for Your Day – Most elementary school teachers post a list of students’ birthday dates in class and recognize children in some way on their special day.
Designate a colorful Happy Birthday bag to be your class’ “Bag for Your Birthday.”
On each student’s special day, focus a little extra attention on the birthday girl or boy by placing the birthday bag on her or his desk before school. Allow the child to keep the bag for the day.
Hide a small gift like a new pencil, eraser or treat inside the bag for the birthday child to keep.
Use an extra sturdy birthday party bag for this tool. Laminate it if possible so that it will last a whole school year.
What other opportunities do bags offer for begging attention? Please comment.
Remember, you don’t need to be a magician to work magic in any instructional setting!
Talk with you again soon,
Barbara ♥ The Lovable Poet
