At times clinging to his teddy bear, Finn Adamchek, 5, took part in activities on a recent night at Golden Brook School.

Not only did the Windham boy have a good time, he also became more familiar with the people and the surroundings of the school where he will start first grade this fall.

On Thursday, March 27, Finn was one of 93 children who attended the Teddy Bear Picnic with their parents. It was organized for the children who will be first-year students at the school this fall, and many of the evening’s activities were tied to its teddy bear theme.

“There’s going to be a lot of fun stuff tonight,” music teacher Eric Graff told the children and their parents when he welcomed them to the event. “Kids, make sure your parents do it with you.”

The event really wasn’t a picnic, but the images of teddy bears were commonplace: A group of teddy bears sat at a table in the lobby. A trail of bear paws led visitors into the school’s gymnasium. Teddy bear graham crackers were given to the children to snack on.

The school annually holds two picnics in the spring to help incoming first-year students meet teachers and get acclimated to the school. Each night provides the same activities and draws roughly half of the new students. Kids are encouraged to bring a teddy bear with them.

“It’s a welcoming for parents and children to the school,” said Deb Armfield, who will become the school’s new principal in July. “I think this night is as big for the parents as it is for the kids.”

The events are organized by the First Teachers Project, a program that aims to have children ready to learn when they arrive at the school. Recognizing that parents are their children’s first teachers, the program creates partnerships between them, the school and the community. One of its goals is to help parents develop early literacy skills in their children.

To kick off the second night’s picnic, Armfield read the children’s book “Big Smelly Bear” to the children and their parents. While she shared the story, Graff, wearing a bear costume, and others, acted out the tale.

The audience then divided into four groups, each moving to different stations in the school.

In the gymnasium, the participants had fun running under a multi-colored parachute and later raising it up to throw balls and Ollie, an inflatable octopus, into the air.

In the library, the children joined Graff for an enjoyable time using lummi sticks. In classrooms, each child created a book bag featuring a teddy bear face and decorated a cupcake to look like a bear.

Armfield, who met with children and their parents throughout the night, found most children initially quiet and shy, but they became more comfortable and talkative.

Many are excited and nervous about riding the school bus, and excited to eat lunch at school, she said.

“Most of them are excited when they see a friend from kindergarten,” she added.

As they left the school, Finn and the other children each received a copy of the book “Jesse Bear, Jesse Bear, What Will You Wear?” to bring home.

“It was awesome, really exciting,” said Finn’s father, Paul Adamcheck, of the event. “So much to do. Not a dull moment the whole night.”