In a lot of our courses so far, our teachers have discussed the usefulness of having ‘soft starts’ in your elementary classes to help calm the kids and get them ready to focus and learn. Some suggest silent reading, others suggest quiet, calming activities such as painting, kinetic sand, and playdough.

Another morning activity that has been discuss in class, is alternatives to the typical ‘going through the calendar, days of the weeks, and weather visuals.

I thought, why not combine both of these classroom morning routines into one, and make a soft start activity of Painting the Weather. Each student could have the option to come in in the morning, grab any supplies they need, and break into the school day slowly by painting whatever they feel inspired from outside that day.

So, here is my process of today’s soft start of painting this beautiful fall day.

        

And the finished product: