Breakfast Baskets

I decided to try something new this year for my morning work.  The idea had been spinning around in my head for a while, and then the fabulous Michelle Oakes from Fabulous in First (also my Vegas roomie!) came up with the name for me!

She created a fantastic product for her firsties:

I wanted morning work to be something that could be done quickly, and wasn’t a big deal if it wasn’t finished.  Our breakfast goes a bit late and sometimes I have lots of stragglers coming in! I needed something to keep the kiddos engaged while I checked folders, counted lunch, did attendance, and so on. 

Michelle’s morning menu activities are too tricky for my kiddos right now, but I know around January this one will fit the bill.

So, in order to get my kiddos ready for the idea of Breakfast Baskets, I have put together baskets for 5 day rotations.    They are really simple, hands-on activities that the kids really enjoy! 

They will later morph to more paper and pencil tasks, books, and eventually to Michelle’s Morning Menu’s.

This is what the kids worked on for the first 5 days of school:

I got these cards from a scholastic book order once, and there are wikki sticks in the container.

Pattern blocks and pattern block mats (I got these from a friend, sorry I don’t have them!)

These are the Lakeshore lowercase letter builders.

Lakeshore number puzzles

Bear counters and patterning cards.  (I believe these came from Jessica Meacham’s site)

Here is how I manage the rotations:

Each table has an animal icon – and the squares are just the colors of the baskets.  This is really just for me to remember which table gets which basket!  It’s just in a small Target $1 section pocket chart. (It’s hanging on the blinds – that’s why it looks like it’s glowing!)

I’ll be back with the next 5 days of rotations soon!