Volunteering for First Grade
notes
Last year I volunteered every Thursday in my son’s Kindergarten class. It was amazing. I started the tape player for the listening center, helped with picture dictionaries, planted pumkin seeds and led dozens of art projects. The teacher made all the plans and I just showed up. Thursday mornings were the highlight of my week.
This year I was excited to do it again. I told the first grade teacher I was available one morning a week, and she said: that’s great, but I’m not sure what there is for you to do – not as much cutting and pasting in first grade as there is in Kindergarten. I was disappointed that she didn’t have a ready-made spot for me, but I was not put off. Naturally I turned to the Internet to research what exactly can you do with first graders.
I found an excellent set of labs from the University of Texas. It takes a bit more work than Kindergarden did, but it makes up for it in the experience. Now when the kids see me they gets excited about what science project they might do this week and my son loves Tuesday mornings. I’m avidly seeking more resources for what to do next, so I’ve started this new blog where I will keep track of our science projects. I hope to provide resources for other intrepid parents and perhaps folks will send me their ideas as well.
Whether or not you have kids, if you think you would enjoy this kind of thing, call up your local public school and offer to volunteer.