This activity is appropriate for: kindergarten - 5th grade / 5 - 10 years Have an end-of-the-year party in the park—and try out some of these fun outdoor games! Sponge Race: Divide students into 2 teams and have each team stand in a line. Place a bucket of water and a sponge at the front of each line. The student in front dips the sponge into the bucket. The sponge is then passed to the back of the line, with students alternating passing it over their heads and between their legs. When it reaches the back of the line, that student runs to the front and the race continues. The first team to have their original student in front again wins! Towel Toss: This game is played by two teams of two students. Give each team a beach towel, and have each student hold one end of the towel. Then place a beach ball on one of the towels. Students try to pass the ball back and forth by using their towels to “toss” it. If a team doesn’t catch the ball, the other team gets a point. The first team to score three points wins! Sand Relay: Divide students into 2 teams and have each team stand in a line. Place a container full of sand at the front of each line, and a small bucket at the end of each line. When the race starts, the first student in line grabs a handful of sand and passes it to the student behind him. The team passes the sand from hand to hand, until the last student in line dumps it into the bucket. The first team to fill up their bucket wins!
This activity is appropriate for: 1st - 6th grade / 6 - 11 years If you want to show students how their ideas have grown and changed from the beginning of the school year to the end, the Class Time Capsule activity is perfect. Print the Class Time Capsule worksheet, and give each student a copy. The worksheet gives students the opportunity to first describe the highlight of their summer, then predict what the coming school year will be like. Collect all the worksheets. Fold them and place them into a “time capsule.” (You can use anything from a shoe box to a plastic storage container.) Place the time capsule in a safe place somewhere in your classroom. On the last day of school, hand out the students’ worksheets so they can see if their predictions were right!
This activity is appropriate for: kindergarten - 6th grade / 5 - 11 years Have your students write letters with advice for the kids who’ll follow in their footsteps next year! It’s a great way for children to review what they did during the course of the year. Encourage students to emphasize positive, fun things about their school year—they’re trying to help next year’s class get excited about the year, not be anxious about it! Things they might write about include advice on how to get good grades, things to do and not to do, favorite themes or field trips, etc. Store the letters over the summer, and then take them out on the first day of school next year. You can then post them in your room, read parts of the letters aloud or hand them out for students to read on their own. Instead of writing letters, you could have students create a poster for next year’s class. Children can work together to brainstorm what tips they would like to include, and then they can write, draw and color the poster. Students could also create a “Classroom Handbook” full of helpful tips, suggestions and favorite memories. Bind students’ pages together into a booklet, and place it in your classroom library for students to look over next year.
This activity is appropriate for: 1st - 3rd grade / 6 - 8 years The sooner students feel comfortable in the classroom, the sooner they can take advantage of all your great classroom resources. Help familiarize students with their new classroom through this fun map hunt. Draw a map of your classroom. Don’t worry about your artistic ability, just make sure to include all the important classroom features, centers, and furniture you want your students to be familiar with. Your map will probably include things like a listening center, library, student tables, teacher’s desk, math center, sink, door, student cubbies, pencil sharpener, turn-in-your-work area, and so on. Consider using grid paper—it makes it easier to get the size relationships right. At the bottom of your map, include a list of directions. The directions should direct students toward the classroom features. Your list of directions might be something like this: Go to the place where you would listen to a book. Go to the place where you would pick up your mail. Find the place where you would turn in your assignment. Find the place where you would sharpen your pencil. Find your seat. Go to the place where you would find a book to read. Go to the place where you could wash your hands. Before you give each student a copy of your map, provide a tour of the classroom. Point out everything on the map, and explain (if necessary) why these features are important to their classroom experience. Then, pass a map out to each student. Give students 15-20 minutes (depending on the length of your list) to find all the places on the list. When they find a place, they should put an x next to it on the list. When the time is up, go through the list with the entire class.
This activity is appropriate for: preschool - 3rd grade / 3 - 8 years Students of all ages love this cool activity—making their own ice cream! You will need the following ingredients: 1 tablespoon sugar ½ cup milk or half & half ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract 6 tablespoons rock salt (the bigger the granules, the better) Ice cubes Pint-size zip-close food storage bag Gallon-size zip-close bag Combine the sugar, milk and vanilla extract in the pint-size bag. Squeeze out as much air as possible, and then seal it tightly. Next, place the ice and rock salt in the gallon-size bag, and then place the smaller, sealed bag inside as well. Seal the larger bag, again squeezing out as much air as you can. Wrap the bags inside a towel to protect your hands from the cold. Shake the bags until the mixture hardens (about 5 minutes). Feel the small bag to check whether it’s done. When it’s done, remove the smaller bag, and then add in extra treats like crushed cookies, chopped fruit, etc. (Makes about 1 cup.)
