Story Book Souvenir!

Hey Friends,
     I woke this morning thinking about Story Book Souvenirs that I used when I taught first grade and knew that I just had to post about them.  For me...a Story Book Souvenir is a small reminder of the text read in class.  I would leave the souvenirs in a center during the day.  After a shared reading that introduced our theme for the day-I would then pull out our travel box.  Which was just a shoe box covered in contact paper.  I printed labels off with the title of the story and picture image of the book.  I had a volunteer add the label to our box and then open to see what souvenir we earned from our book traveling adventure.
     The souvenir was a great way to spark retelling of the story.  I would then add the Travel Box to our writing center and the students could visit it during free choice to pick up their souvenir and write about their book adventure.
     I also encourage my students to find a special place at home for their souvenirs...like maybe their own Travel Box.  Parents love this because it is a conversation starter at home. At the end of the year, any student with all or most of the souvenirs receives a special treat and can bring their souvenirs to school so we can take a trip down memory lane.

     Check out the dinosaur souvenir that I found at the Dollar Store to go along with the book 

How Do Dinosaurs Eat their Food?  By Jane Yolen and Mark Teague.

Below is the link to download a basic response sheet!

Sure hope that you can find a way to bring in some Story Book Souvenirs to your classroom!

Monica