National Open the Magic Day will be celebrated for the first time this year on September 25. Who knew? I certainly didn't, but found this gem when checking out the National Day calendar. "Open the Magic Day" is the brainchild of Ramona Recommends, a fabulous source for reading ideas for your elementary students. Read "Ramona's" amazing story here. Welcome back! Do you need a tissue for your tears? Back to Open the Magic Day: one day before my birthday, and what a great day to commemorate in our classrooms! Don't bring me a birthday gift or cupcake. Bring me your favorite picture book and read your favorite part to me!
Open the Magic brings to mind trips to Disney, waiting for the parks to open each morning, opening gifts on a holiday morning, your first time riding your bike without the training wheels, holding a new baby in your arms, and so much more. The phrase could have so many meanings to each of us. Teacher goal: Make every student feel as if they are opening the magic every time they open a book. No pressure. You have all year, and you definitely have done harder things.
This particular holiday is perfect for a whole week's celebration. It celebrates read aloud, picture books, the love of reading, and the student who has not yet found their love of reading. Since Open the Magic Day falls on a weekend this year, why not start the celebration first thing Monday morning on September 20, and end on Friday afternoon, September 24. If I were still in the classroom, we would be celebrating nonstop.
Picture books. Picture books are for everyone! Picture books can illustrate and connect concepts across your curriculum. It's never the wrong time to pull one off the shelf! You might try reading a picture book each day right after Morning Meeting, or read just a few pages if time is an issue. A page or two might be just what is needed to make kids want to read or hear more. Kids could bring their favorite picture book to your meeting, and you could randomly choose one or two to share by reading favorite parts aloud.
"Confetti Moments" another brainchild of our Courtney (aka Ramona). Nothing short of brilliant! The title alone evokes feelings that tell you exactly what it means. When you have a one-to-one reading conference with one of your students, might you ask for a specific confetti moment from the book they are reading? Is there a sentence or a paragraph that reached deep into your heart or brain, making you feel like tossing a handful of confetti? Maybe that particular page is worthy of a special sticky note, decorated with marker dots (ok, I might use a little glitter glue and give several to each student just as a starter pack).
Random teacher tip: I have discovered that Swiffer Dry Cloths are amazing glitter collectors. Use them for a quick and effective cleanup after a glitter project. I have a home art room now (I know! Right?) and find that box of Swiffers is my new BFF.
Back to our original topic! Books are magic! Reading is magic! We all know it, have observed it over and over in our classrooms, and want every child to feel it. What better time than now to actively notice the magic and celebrate reading at every opportunity! Thank you, Ramona Recommends, for bringing this to our attention with a special day!
I know you'll find something to love at Rainbow City Learning as you Open the Magic of Reading in your classroom this year!
For more September thoughts on teaching, be sure to check out the posts below by the amazing bloggers in Teacher Talk.
If you would also like to be a part of Teacher Talk, we are a group of teacher bloggers who share posts that are heavy on the ideas with just a little selling of our educational materials at TeachersPayTeachers.com. For more information about joining The Best of Teacher Entrepreneurs Marketing Cooperative, go to https://bit.ly/3o7D1Dv. Feel free to email me at retta.london@gmail.com if you have any questions.
Picture books are my favorite!! And the kids know I love a picture book based on real people or events. I smile, thinking about your glitter & enthusiasm!
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful post. I had no idea there was an Openthe Magic Day. What a great way to get the kids psyched.
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