Mix It Up Day

October 28th is National Mix It Up Day. You can read about our adventures with Switch it Up day last year. This year, I added a lunch component to fit more with the traditional Mix It Up Day model (and change to the more recognizable name). I printed conversation cards from Teachers Pay Teachers and they were a BIG hit! You can find the TPT cards here, here, and here. 

Because we had already had a Switch It Up day, I let the teachers take the lead. I shared two lesson plans (K-2 and 3-5) that my intern from last year created. The teachers could take all or part and share with their students. I also offered to go into the classrooms and do a partner activity to help them Mix It Up. I put out the conversation cards and changed them for older and younger students throughout the day. I also went out to the playground during the day to check on how things were going. The great thing about this model is that I didn't have to cancel any of my regularly scheduled groups or individual counseling sessions.

Here's some feedback I got from teachers:

• Our kids were excited when we paired them up yesterday morning.  Some of them hung out together all day rather than just at playtime.
• I loved the conversation cards at lunch.  They used them the entire time and it led to lots of smiling and laughter between the new partners.
•  I assigned partners for lunch and then different partners for recess.  We had a discussion after recess.  Some of the kids were not too happy about breaking out of their usual routine, but were able to see the positive side of trying something new and playing with new friends.  I didn't give them a choice--they each had to tell me one positive thing about Switch it Up Day!
  

Last year, my intern took the whole day to set up activities for the kids to do outside. They loved it! I would love to recreate that vibe without having to cancel all other events for the day. Any ideas? What do you do at your school for switch it up day?

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