Elementary school was some of the best years of my life. Learning was fun and exciting, you got to play with your friends everyday and have stories read to you. It was a time of wonder and curiosity, and I miss those years dearly. My best friend and I still laugh at memories of hiding our Tamagotchis in our desks and all the silly games we played. Here are 12 fond memories of elementary school and what made those six years some of the best of our childhood.
1. Recess
Who didn’t love recess? The grassy field was our oyster for games like kickball, jailbreak, red rover and more. The merry-go-round gave you spins of joy, and the monkey bars were always fun to pretend to be a gymnast on. The tire swing offered the ability to soar high while your friend pushed you. You could go for a round on the swings to see who you were married to (when your swinging was in sync), or go down the slide for quick thrill. And who could forget climbing up the treacherous spider web?
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2. P.E. class
The most exciting part of the day, other than recess and maybe lunch, was definitely gym class. You got to spend about an hour running around with your friends in a gym playing new games — what’s more fun than that? Nothing beat the excitement of parachute or scooter day, and you can’t forget dodgeball and capture the flag.
3. Art projects
First discovering clay and painting was incredibly exciting as a kid. You got to be messy and put crafts together for an hour. Plus, you could put glue on your hands and peel it off, because for whatever reason that was a blast. And the most rewarding feeling was when the teacher would praise your work and show it to the class as you sat beaming with pride.
4. School lunch
Some kids complained about school lunch a lot, but I never understood why. I loved school lunches growing up. Sure, I hated goulash day and Hot Pocket day. We all have our likes and dislikes. But I think we can all agree that we loved pizza day. The lunches we ate growing up were light years ahead of the food we’re stuck with on our college campus and I would love to go back, if only for a day.
5. Movie day
You knew it was going to be a good day when that big TV cart rolled in and your teacher popped in a "Magic School Bus" VHS. One of my fondest memories from elementary school was a day we got to all hang out in the common area, bring snacks and watch "The Land Before Time."
6. Food parties
Holiday parties for Valentine’s Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas made those holidays even more special. Throughout the rest of the year, there were pizza parties, ice cream parties, birthday treats, etc. You could always find a reason to earn a food day, and when that day came, it was the best day of the week. My signature birthday treat throughout elementary school was chocolate cupcakes with white frosting and sprinkles. I had so much fun making them every year with my mom and even more fun eating them at school with my classmates and friends.
7. Field trips
Photo: My best friend Erin and me on the bus for our field trip to the state capitol in 5th grade.
Zoos, the state capitol, the park, a museum — field trips were the highlight of the school year. You got to ride a bus with your friends, pack a lunch, bring a disposable camera and have a hay day. The best field trips I went on in elementary school were to the Sioux Falls (SD) zoo and to our state capitol in Pierre. Sioux Falls is the biggest city in eastern South Dakota and it was an hour-long bus ride away, while Pierre was two and a half hours. A bus ride that long with friends is a pretty big deal for fourth and fifth graders.
8. Show and Tell
Getting to bring in your most-prized possessions to show off to your class when you were little was an exhilarating experience. One day in fourth grade, I remember bringing a huge box of all my favorite stuffed animals to show my class. My teacher and my classmates actually let me tell them about each and every one, bless their souls.
9. Class Pets
If your class didn’t have fish, tadpoles, crabs, hamsters or some kind of pet — you weren’t living. In third grade we had tadpoles, and we got to watch them turn into frogs which was probably the single most exciting event of that year. In second grade we got to keep beetles and watch them evolve, which was weirdly fun and satisfying, even for someone afraid of insects like me.
10. School Plays
Before self-esteem issues and major stage fright set in during our middle school years, elementary school plays were the funnest project of the year. Spending half the school day learning songs and dances was way more fun than doing schoolwork all day, and you couldn’t wait to perform in front of your family.
11. Book Fairs
The Scholastic book fair in the library was jam packed with cool new books and all kinds of fun toys your parents probably hated wasting money on. I remember getting books like "Wizardology" and probably every "Magic Tree House" book Mary Pope Osborne had written at that point, plus toys like an FBI crime testing kit, a secret diary and a cat poster. Getting that book fair tour and the order form was a pretty exciting day — but not as exciting as the day that your order came in.
12. School carnivals
Every year in the fall, our school had the Harvest Hop. It was a big school carnival full of games, prizes, treats and a lot of fun. We also started having a spring festival as well. There were cake walks, bouncy houses, Hokey Pokey, bean bag toss and so much more. It was just a few hours in the evening, but you were always sure to have the time of your life.
At the time, elementary school felt like the most important years of our life. Like all fun things, it flew by and we grew up before our parents could blink. Our elementary days seem like a lifetime ago, but we had a blast and will always reflect fondly upon those early years of learning and discovery.
Photo: My lifelong best friend Erin and me letting go of balloons at our fifth-grade graduation.
