Getting to Know You

Getting to Know You

Editor's note: Since providing food to children is currently frowned upon in some schools,
we have some new activities for elementary, middle, and high school.

Here are some "getting acquainted" activities for the first week of school. Pick one to help you and your students get to know one another better.

Elementary • Middle School • High School

Click here for a printable Adobe Acrobat version of this page.

Dirt!

Here's a great elementary activity. The finished project looks like a potted plant, but it's mostly edible! to start, everything must be very clean!!! You'll need:

a pot for the plant (preferably plastic and new)

foil to line the pot

gummi worms (2-5)

washable greenery (1-2 stems)

enough chocolate pudding to fill each pot

a few oreos or chocolate cookies that crumble

unused small hand trowel

Line the pot with foil or decorative plastic. Fill with chocolate pudding. Put a few worms inside pudding. Crumble cookies and spread on top. Put the plant in the pudding. Put a couple worms on top of pudding. Put trowel in pot. For an added trick, have students place the in center of food table and see how long it takes before someone realizes it is actually food!

PS - This is a great introduction to the book How to Eat Fried Worms.

Opening Day Activity: The Flavors of Your Self

Materials:

small paper plates or cocktail napkins, lemon slices or wedges, grapes, pretzel sticks, assorted small candy, raisins, peanut butter, banana slices, chocolate chips, small marshmallows, fruit loops or other cereals, string licorice (cut in short pieces), any other small food items.

Instructions to students:

You will have seven minutes to create a representation of the multiple "flavors" of your personality/self on your paper plate.

You may use up to seven items to tell about various aspects of yourself. Be as creative as possible.

Humor is a bonus, but be sure to be accurate in telling about yourself!

At the end of the seven minutes, all the "selves" will be displayed and explained to the rest of the class. After all the explanations, if you have been creative enough, you will be allowed to eat your flavorful "self portrait!"

Optional: This activity could also be done on top of large sugar cookies.

Trivia Quiz

Here are a few questions which should "loosen up" even the more jaded high school student.
If they're a competitive group, see scoring below.

1. On a standard traffic light, is the green on the top or bottom?
2. How many states are there? ( don't laugh, some people don't know)
3. In which hand is the Statue of Liberty's torch?
4. What 6 colors are on the classic Campbell's soup label?
5. What 2 letters don't appear on the telephone dial? ( no cheating!)
6. What 2 #'s don't have letters by them?
7. When you walk does your left arm swing w/ you right or left leg?
8. How many matches are in a standard pack?
9. On our flag, is the top stripe red or white?
10. What is the lowest # on the FM dial?
11. Which way does water go down the drain, counter- or clockwise?
12. Which way does a "no smoking" sign's slash run?
13. How many channels on a VHF TV dial?
14. Which side of a women's blouse are the buttons on?
15. On a NY license plate, is New York on the top or bottom?
16. Which way do fans rotate?
17. Whose face is on a dime?
18. How many sides does a stop sign have?
19. Do books have even # pages on the right or left side?
20. How many lug nuts are on a standard car wheel?
21. How many sides are there on a standard pencil?
22. Sleepy, Happy, Sneezy, Grumpy, Dopey, Doc. Who's missing?
23. How many hot dog buns are in a standard package?
25. On which playing card is the cardmaker's trademark?
26. On which side of a venetian blind is the cord that adjusts the opening between the slats?
27. On the back of a dollar bill, what is in the center?
28. There are 12 buttons on a touch tone phone. What 2 symbols bear no digits?
29. How many curves are in a standard paper clip?
30. Does a merry-go-round turn clockwise or counterclockwise?

Answers

   1. Bottom
   2. 50
   3. right
   4. blue, red, white, yellow, black, and gold
   5. Q, Z
   6. 1,0
   7. left
   8. 20
   9. red
   10. 88
   11. counter( unless you happen to be south of the equator)
   12. towards bottom right
   13. 12 ( no #1)
   14. right
   15. top
   16. clockwise as you look at it
   17. Roosevelt
   18. 8 What about the front side and back side? I think it also could be 10.
   19. left
   20. 5
   21. 6
   22. Bashful
   23. 6
   24. did you notice there wasn't one?
   25. Ace of spades
   26. Left
   27. ONE
   28. *, #
   29. 3
   30. counterclockwise

Scoring

   30-28 Mensa is calling, genius
   25-27 Not too shabby
   20-24 You could do better
   16-19 McDonald's is calling ( would you like fries w/ that?)
   15 or below...Wake up!

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