End of the Year Themed Day Archives

5 Reasons To Do Virtual Field Trips

June 3, 2022 teachersbrain Distance Learning, education, End of the Year Themed Day, Teaching Tips

Thinking about your next field trip and feeling exhausted by the thought of it? You’re not alone! Field trips are fun but they are overwhelming, to say the least. With so much to coordinate and do, they leave teachers and students alike completely worn out by the end of the day.

This is why I have always preferred virtual field trips! I know what you may be thinking, what is that?! Virtual field trips are a new way to experience new places with your students without leaving the comfort of your classroom.

virtual field trips pin image boy at computer learning

How do you do a virtual field trip?

Using technology! Start by deciding where you want to go. Do you want a virtual field trip to the zoo? Virtual field trip to space? Virtual field trip to a museum? All of these are totally possible! Set the tone in your classroom by turning off the lights (or having students do it from home if doing it while distance learning!) and you can either do a virtual tour using a free website or get a resource to use with Google Classroom.

Here are the top reasons you should do virtual field trips

You don’t have to leave the classroom. It is so much work to leave the school! You have to get your field trip approved, send out notices, plan ahead, arrange bus transportation, parent permission, etc. By staying in the classroom for your field trip, you skip all of that extra work and get straight to the fun stuff.
You’re not exhausted. It’s no secret that field trips are tiring. Organizing a trip for tons of kids would wear anyone out. Save some energy by making it fun right where you are!
No permission slips to worry about. Chasing down permission slips is one of the not-so-fun parts of field trips. You can’t take students out of the school without them, but hunting them down can be a chore. No permission slips are needed when you stay at school!
Student engagement increases. Framing the day as a field trip, even if you are in the classroom, is guaranteed to get students excited and ready for an adventure!
Cheaper than going somewhere. Field trips are fun but they cost money! Cut out all that money and keep it cost-effective by investing in a couple of virtual options that students will love.

What are some good virtual field trips?

If you’re looking for virtual field trips for kids that you can do easily from your classroom, you’re in the right place. You can take a “trip” anywhere that students would want to go that can be educational. This means the zoo, space, camping, the beach, Egypt, etc!

If you want to kick your virtual field trip up a notch and get all of the educational activities done for you, I have you covered!

This camping field trip is the perfect way to get your students engaged.

Use these interactive, editable Google Slides to easily have students copy and paste movable parts, learn about CAMPING, safety tips, what to bring on a trip and so much more!

virtual field trip to go camping preview

What is in this download?

28 Google Slides with Titles, Edit Text Boxes, Directions, Movable Parts

KWL Chart
Packing A Suitcase for the Trip
1 Minute Take OFF Flight Video
9-minute Camping Field Trip Video (Car Ride to the Campsite, Camping Adventure)
Sequencing Events, 3 Writing Prompts, Counting Objects (under 10), Labeling Parts, Going on a BEAR HUNT Song, and Comprehension Questions
One extra slide for you to add anything you would like to the lesson. (videos or an assignment)
Home Connection Optional Assignment for students to design a map with a map key.
Black and white ink-saving Writing Pages and Home Connection Page for in-person teaching.

If you love this idea, make sure to check out my other virtual field trips here! You can take a trip to the beach, the zoo, a wizard school, and more!

To learn more about virtual field trips, check out my post here!

End of The Year Student Awards Ideas

May 6, 2022 teachersbrain End of the Year Themed Day, Teacher's Pay Teachers

One of the best parts of the end of the year is handing out those end of the year class awards. After a long year, it is so refreshing to reward students for all of their hard work throughout the year and all of their improvements. You go through a lot together! Handing out end of the year awards for students is such a fun way to put a smile on their faces and end the school year on a high note.

If you’re looking for end of the year award ideas, you’re in the right place!

What awards can be given to students?

The sky is the limit! Here is a list of special awards for students to use in your awards ceremony.

MANNERS
ARTIST
ATHLETE
HAIRSTYLIST
CEO
BOOKWORM
MOST UNIQUES
MOST CARING
BRAVE HEART
DEPENDABLE
DANCER
SINGER
FRIENDLIEST
ENERGETIC
BEST LAUGH
SWEETHEART
HELPER
FUNNY
SCIENTIST
MATH
WRITING
MOST IMPROVED
SPELLING
QUESTIONS
LISTENING
KINDNESS
SMILE
BEHAVIOR
GROWTH
CLEVER
MENTAL MATH
LEADER
AUTHOR
HELPFUL
PEACEMAKER
HUGGER
PERSONALITY
SOCIAL BUTTERFLY

I created a resource to make handing out these end of the year student awards easy and as low-prep as possible.

These awards are created with Google Slides so they are easy for virtual award ceremonies or in person. If you are in person, you can print and hand them out. If you are conducting a virtual award ceremony, you can present it in a slideshow for students and parents and email them to students individually afterwards.

These Google Slides™ come with directions, a planning sheet, and a tutorial video. Just add student’s pictures and use edit boxes that are ready for you to insert names and dates!

Add images, videos, names, dates, and your signature. Delete the slides you don’t want in the show. Practice first by pushing present and when you are ready for your virtual award ceremony invite students and families. Of course you can use this in the classroom for your future students too. Just easily edit the slides to meet your needs.

Check out the demo video!

If you are looking for funny end of the year awards for students or something a little more unique, check out these Candy Bar Awards!

This resource comes with 61 class superlatives, 21 of them are candy themed! Here are the candy awards included:

3 Musketeers – works well with others
100 Grand – works hard
Almond Joy – joy to be around
Babe Ruth – hits a homerun with good grades
Bit-O-Honey – sweet
Bubble Yum – fun and bubbly personality
Butterfinger – smooth and easy-going attitude
Caramello –sweet and easy going
Dove – peacemaker
Extra –always working extra hard
Fun Dip – eager to learn with fun and loving attitude
Gobstopper – having gobs of great work and ideas
Good and Plenty – always having plenty of good grades
Mr. Goodbar – always being a good friend
Gummy Bears – caring and loveable
Gummy Worms – class wiggle worm
Hugs and Kisses – sweet and caring
Hugs – considerate and caring
Jolly Rancher – always telling the best jokes
Jr. Mints – you were “mint” to be in my classroom
Kit Kat – always being at the teacher’s side

Your kiddos will love these end of the year student awards! They are also made with Google Slides so they are easy to adapt to in person or virtual teaching.

What are your favorite end of the year awards ideas? Let me know in the comments!

Looking for more end of the year ideas? Check out this end of the year Spy Themed Day!

SPY CLASSROOM THEMED DAY

April 27, 2022 teachersbrain End of the Year Themed Day

It’s the end of the year and you want to make a classroom theme day for your students that will leave a lasting impression. A spy-themed educational day may be just the perfect day for you to plan with your students! You can motivate and reward students while sneaking in some academics. This is a great theme for any elementary grade level. My kindergarten students said, “This is the best day of my life!” Scroll to the bottom to see ALL the photos from our day.

SPY DAY PROCEDURE

Once they accept the mission, they will make their id badge. Place red or white streamers or yarn across a doorway or other area for them to prove they can make it through the “lasers” without setting off the alarm before their mission begins. They step over the yarn. Then, give them each a Top Secret Journal, a pencil, flashlight and a passport before they start their centers.

I created all the resources I needed in my classroom and uploaded them the following year to bring you something you can easily use with your students. I like the idea of having centers with some parent volunteers, so I created six centers for students to complete in any order during the day. Food is also important to our themed day. Parents brought in a spy cake, water bottles with truth serum labels, juice packs labeled Adrenaline Pack, and other “classified” munchies!

THE CENTERS

Create Your Own Secret Agent ID Badge
The Secret Agent Fingerprint LAB
Pick Your Alias and Memorization Station
The Photo Booth with Disguises
Write the DARK Room
I SPY Sight Words Using a Magnifying Glass

SPY DAY PROCEDURE

Students arrive dressed in black or a suit to mimic a spy. There is James Bond music playing in the background as the enter the room. Lights are dim. I tell the students they will be asked to accept an important mission that is impossible. They need to recover a stolen item that you know they will miss. They need to work as a team to recover it by creating a new identity, finding clues and being very quiet.

Students will travel to the different centers while the spy music plays. Parents assist students in their fingerprint dusting lab, finding words around the room with their flashlight, taking pictures of them in the photo prop booth, picking an alias to memorize and the teacher’s job is quizzing them on their new identity to see if they can memorize their alias. I bought each child their own small flashlight and let them keep it.

Write Around the DARK ROOM

For the Write Around the DARK Room activity, I pick a phase that tells them to come to me and do something silly like jump up and down or tell me a secret code word like BANANA HANDS. Then, they get a clue envelope that they can’t OPEN until everyone finishes their centers. If student finish early, they can do puzzles while they wait for others to finish. Then, they open their envelopes together and realize they must put the words in order to solve the mystery that tells them where to find the stolen item.

Students who complete all the centers get a Spy Certificate for completing the training. I let students watch a spy video and invite parents to celebrate with the snacks at the end of the day.

Spy Day will be a day students will remember forever!

Looking for MORE fun end-of-the-year themed days? Try a May the Fourth Star Wars Day.

Fingerprint Lab Center Spy Day — Fingerprint Lab

I had these made for the class with the extra PTA money I had in my account.

Write the DARK ROOM Activity — SPY Disguise Booth

Find Spy Clues in the Classroom — Find CLUES around the room that tell you a secret phrase to get your clue.

Student finds the Missing Item for SPY DAY — They found the missing bunny.

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