New Graduates of Personal Space Camp: 1st Grade

It's that restless time of the year where teachers are exhausted and students are pushing the boundaries.  I've noticed our first graders needing lots of reminders to sit on the carpet and keep their bodies to themselves...so it's a good time to read Julia Cook's Personal Space Camp!

This is an amazingly entertaining book that keeps the students engaged and laughing throughout the pages.  We meet Louis, a student that is obsessed with outer space but has no concept of personal space.  We watch him "lunar land" on someone's leg, smash into satellites (other students), and demonstrate an eclipse (getting in between two people talking) before he is invited to go to Personal Space Camp.  Using bubbles (which I also blow onto the students to observe their properties), hula hoops, a PSLUR, and body cut-out, he learns about personal space and realizes it is very different than outer space.

After the story, students sorted different scenarios into 2 personal space categories: good choices vs bad choices.  Here is a link to the organizer and here is a link to the activity packet I used for them to sort from Lisa Parnello.

And this just cracks me up...