The Gingerbread Man Loose in the School

Well, I'm back at it with a product update and just in time for Back to School! This unit is one of my absolute FAVORITES and has been a best seller for me. 

Each year, I start off by reading The Gingerbread Man Loose in the School, by Laura Murray. This book puts a twist on the traditional Gingerbread Man and is a great introductory to school. When a class leaves for recess, their just-baked Gingerbread Man is left behind. But he's a smart cookie and heads out to find them. He'll run, slide, skip, and (after a mishap with a soccer ball) limp as fast as he can because: "I can catch them! I'm their Gingerbread Man! With help from the gym teacher, the nurse, the art teacher and even the principal, a deliciously sweet ending is served up for both the Gingerbread Man and the children who made him. It's a must read! Anyways - when I finish, I tell my class that the gingerbread man is loose in the school and we must find him. I leave clues around the school that take my new students on a "tour."

They meet the librarian...

The art teacher....and most of the faculty/staff. When the "tour" is finished, my students have learned all about their new school and really have gotten acquainted with where everything is. The last clue leads them back to the classroom for a treat. Students are left a coloring page and a gingerbread cookie of their own to enjoy! This resource is packed full of coloring pages, scissor practice, graphing, retelling bag and pieces, a Gingerbread Man glyph, classroom book, vocabulary, and MORE. 

This is such a wonderful way to start the year off and it always helps my students get acquainted with their new school! You can pick all of these activities up and MORE in my Gingerbread Man unit. 

Run, run, as fast as you can to my TpT store and grab it up in time for Back to School. Do you have a sweet way of starting off the year? If so, please share. I'd love to hear!!