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Create a Hallway of Dreams to remind students of their goals and inspire them for the school year. Meadowview School in Wisconsin did this activity with their grade 3-5 students. Each child decorated their own star to reflect their personality. The bright yellow stars were then hung in the main hallway leading into the school. The stars greeted students every morning on their way to class, and set a cheerful tone in the school for teachers, parents and visitors. The older students also served as role models for the younger students. When the kindergarteners first saw the star-filled hallway, they just stared up wide-eyed with amazement – and wanted to know all about the goals written on the stars!
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Download the star templates and use them to draw stars onto yellow bristol board. The large star is in two halves, which you can stick together and then use as a template. The stars are all sized to work together for a nice effect.
Start by having children decorate the large star. For maximum effectiveness, each star should feature a photo of the student. Use schools photos or take digital photos. Children can also print their name on white paper in big letters (to fit onto the star) and use colored pencil crayons or markers, glitter glue, and embellishments to reflect their personality. For example, a child who likes sports might decorate their name in school team colors and draw a small football, baseball bat, and sneakers around their name. Cut out the photo and name, and stick them onto one side of the star.
To complete the three smaller stars, each child writes down three goals – a goal for the school year (e.g. getting better Math grades), a personal goal for something they would like to be or do when they get older (e.g. become an architect, learn how to hang glide), and a dream for our world (e.g. no more war, every child has enough to eat). Cut out and stick one goal onto each of the three small stars.
Punch holes into the stars as shown on the templates, and use yellow or gold string to hang the smaller stars from the large star. Hang the stars in the hallway.
After a few weeks or at the end of the school year, take down the stars, present them to their owners, and talk about goals achieved or steps taken toward achieving a dream. What can children do to continue to reach for their dreams? |
