What is a stuffie sleepover?
A stuffie sleepover is a time when students drop off their stuffed animals the night before their first day of Kindergarten . The stuffies get a chance to play around in the school over night, so they can share with their humans how cool the school is! This helps everyone feel better about coming to school on their first day. Their stuffie is already there, has stories to tell about their night at the school, and is ready to help them make it through their first day!
Our school had a staggered start for Kindergarteners over three days. So each night, Sunday August 3-Tuesday, August 5, parents drove their children and their stuffies to school. Teachers and administration were there from 6-7 pm to accept the stuffies, and take them on adventures over the entire school. The stuffies played on the playground, had ice cream in the cafeteria, listened to music in the music room, played in the big gym, listened to stories being read to them, took a nap on the classroom carpets, and found a place in their human's room to wait for them in the morning!
I asked a few Kindergarteners about how they felt about leaving their stuffie at school.
One student said, "I was a little sad, but I knew I would see her in the morning."
Another child asked her mother to go back and get a picture of her stuffie, just in case she woke up at night and missed her stuffie.
A young man said, "I made sure my stuffie wouldn't miss me, because I wrapped him in my blanket with my name on it."
All in all, the stuffie sleepover was a success. It was a win for the students, a win for the stuffies, and a win for the teachers.
There were many happy faces when they saw their stuffies the next day.
Check out our Facebook page, Loudon Elementary School, to see the videos of all our stuffies' adventures!