First Grade Parade - Macy Style!

My great friend, Annie, brought this idea of a first grade parade to one of our schools about six years ago, and it's been a tradition ever since.  And now, because it builds school-wide community and a sense of collaboration between home and school, it's almost district-wide first grade.   You have to see it to believe it...  Each child makes a float.  Most of them do it at home with great elaboration and fanfare.  Many look just like those of the Macy's Day parade!  Sometimes even the simplest made are just as beautiful, and certainly the child is just as proud. 

About two or three weeks before, I send a flyer explaining to the parents what we are doing...It's made with a simple shoe box or similar size and has a string to pull it.  A few kids put wheels on them, but it wasn't necessary.  (When the pictures are developed, I will make a post of some of our floats!)


Here is one of the floats captured. It says, "Eat ham" on the front.









  Our school is separated into pods representing K-3.  And then 4th-6th is at another sister school down the road.  We went to our sister school first and the kids lined up outside and cheered and clapped and we threw candy.  My first graders puffed their chests proudly as they pulled their treasures down the sidewalk.   Then at the end of the sidewalk, we picked them up and headed to our school, where kids were lined up down the halls and all along the outside of the building.  I can see that this will be a tradition carried on in future years.

 

 

There will be more pictures to come.  But I'm sure you can tell from these that there was quite the turn out and there was a lot of enthusiasm as big brothers and sisters cheered them on. 

 

Have a fabulous Thanksgiving.  What did your school do to celebrate this day of gratitude?