Open House Stations

A Visual Tour of Open House

Initially, I’d planned to do Open House stations, but after 3 successive nights of nightmares in which mass chaos ensued, parents were fighting each other for pens, and I received none of my pink, yellow, and green forms (the forms the office MUST have back), I chickened out. Yep, that’s right. I couldn’t do stations. I was too scared. Too scared.

Typing on Post-Its

1. Create a square in Microsoft Word the size of your post it.
2. Type what you want on the post-it. Copy it the number of times the post-it will fit on the page.
3. Print a sheet of paper without post-its on it.
4. Add post-its over the writing on the page that just printed.
5. BAM! Repeat for  how many post-its you need and you’re finished. Well done, grasshopper!

While Families Work

While parents were working on the paperwork, I created Cubby Tags (just a bookmark with the student’s name on it) for my 1st graders to color. It was a great way to personalize each student’s cubby and it kept students busy during the paperwork process!

Stations Around the Room

After families completed the paperwork on their student’s desk, I had smaller stations around the room. These were non-vital stations, so if they didn’t make it around/see it, it was no big deal. At one station, I included blank envelopes and asked families to address an envelope. This will make writing my first note home simple.

Rather than having families sort their own supplies, (please note – there were easily 40 people in my room at all times. Sorting supplies was not an option) student’s placed their supplies in their cubby, and I sorted it all in 30 minutes or so after everyone left!

Waiting in each cubby was this glow-stick bracelet (15 for $1 at the Target Dollar Spot) and this fun note. 🙂

Also, I’m looking forward to using Remind this year. It will be a great way to send notes about things that are easily forgotten – lunch money, spelling lists, evening events, etc, and it helps families stay connected! By the end of the Open House, I had 10 families signed-up. 🙂

A Virtual Open House Option

Not every family is able to come to Open House. Due to jobs, vacations, moves, late notification, etc – there are lots of reasons a family might not be able to visit the classroom before school. Offering a virtual Open House gives families access to the classroom, as well as a resource to com back to throughout the year.

Wrapping-It All Up

As students leave, they grab an All About Me bag. This bag is a perfect way for students to share about themselves and is the first time my 1st graders are asked to speak in front of their peers. Over the course of the first full week, we will share 5-6 bags each day. (Don’t forget to bring in your own All About Me bag.)

Not every family knows about Open House or is able to attend. Plus, we all recevie new students throughout the year. Typically, I make 4-5 extra sets of all the materials and put them in a clear plastic bag. I store them in a cabinet and they are ready to go when a new friend arrives! In my packs I include a writing notebook, a folder, Open House  paperwork, an All About Me bag, a pack of crayons, a sticker chart, and a few other class-specific goodies. 🙂

So, there you go – Open House! It was a whirlwind hour-and-a-half, but it was so wonderful to meet my sweet new friends and their families. Below is a screen-shot of all the station signs that I had up around the room. You can snag these station signs in blue, green, or black/white by clicking here or by clicking below. They are completely editable and include my Open House forms, as well. Have you had your Open House yet? If so, do you use stations at your Open House? If you do, how do you control the masses and still ensure you still get your green, yellow, and pink forms returned? I’m curious!

 🍎 Looking for other blog posts to help you get ready for the new school year? Check out these teacher favorites…

• Building Strong Family Communication
• Classroom Set-Up
• Making a 1st Grade Classroom Schedule 
• Creating a Class Mission Statement