making your "open house" more inviting!

Sometimes it seems like there's nothing scarier in October than..... Open House!!
The endless room preparations, counting and recounting everyone's projects to make sure they're all there and the anticipation of making small talk for a couple hours is enough to make the bravest teacher begin to shake! Over the past few years, I have found that providing activities for my families to do while visiting- is a great way to take the scary out of Open House!
Here are a few easy ideas to help make your families feel welcome in your room:
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Whole Class Journal Station:  I use these journals at our writing center on a weekly basis. Students choose one, write an entry and draw a picture about the topic. I have used these journals for several years, so students enjoy reading  what past classmates have written. On Open House night, I invite families to write in a journal of their choice. These are always some of our favorite entries to read later in the year!

Readers' Choice Board: We use this board to vote on our recent read alouds. Students move their tee-shirt magnets to indicate whether or not they liked the book. On Open House night, I put out copies of the poem What I Like About Autumn.  Families read the poem aloud and then vote with the magnets to show if they liked the poem. 

Pennsylvania Young Readers' Choice Awards: We have spent the last few weeks reading the  K-3 PA Young Reader's Choice Award nominees. My kids have loved all of the titles shown on the board above.  On Open House night, families will vote on their favorite title and results will be shared in our next newsletter! 

Hope these ideas will help to make your Open House more engaging for you and your families!