Teaching Tips Archives - Page 18 of 38

The Best Father’s Day Party Ideas

May 14, 2021 teachersbrain Teaching Tips

Looking for great ways to celebrate the amazing parents of your students? Father’s Day may be during summer vacation but that doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate it in your classroom!

You can either celebrate Mother’s Day and Father’s Day separately (check out this amazing Mother’s Day celebration idea here!) or you can combine them both into a super fun Parent’s Day. Not only do you get to bundle it all together, but this is a little more inclusive for kids who don’t have a mom, dad, or traditional caregivers at home. Parent’s Day parties can be for anyone who cares for them!

Here are some fun ways to celebrate Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, OR Parent’s Day.

Invite parents to the school! Doing this in the late afternoon or just the second half of the day will make it easier for parents to leave work if necessary and make it in.
Have a picnic. A simple picnic with chips, sandwiches, and juice is fun for everyone. At the end of the year the weather is usually nice so take it outside and get some sunshine. Just make sure to have a backup plan if it gets rainy! You can request food and supplies from parents ahead of time to save yourself from spending too much on food.
Play some games! Get some frisbees (you can usually find some in the Target Dollar Spot or the Dollar Store this time of year) and let students play with their parents. You can also get some footballs-which would be a hit for Father’s Day!
Take a tour of the decorated classroom. After the picnic and games, invite parents to tour the classroom. You can decorate with students’ artwork or crafts they made for their parents!

This Bulletin Board Decoration set is perfect for classroom decoration during Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, or a Parent’s Day party. It also makes a great gift that they can take home and give to their parents.

This download includes different pull waffle books, a pocket to hold coupons, and blank waffle books to create your own story! Just add a bow and a folded lunch bag to create a keepsake for students to give to others or use on the bulletin board.

What is your favorite way to celebrate parents? Let me know in the comments!

Memorial Day Activities For Elementary

May 7, 2021 teachersbrain education, Teaching Tips, Writing

While some students may just see Memorial Day as a day off from school, it is a great time to teach them about Memorial Day and why we celebrate it. It is important for them to know about those who gave their lives while serving our country.

Here are some ways you can teach elementary students about Memorial Day in your classroom.

Start by giving them the definition. It seems simple, but this is something that not a lot of students know or understand.
Read a book about the holiday. Don’t Forget, God Bless Our Troops by Jill Biden and Raul Colon is a great book written by the First Lady.
Write a letter to a hero. If your students have any friends or family members that served they can write a letter to them. For other students you can have them write a letter to hero you select for them. This is a great way to give students perspective and a chance to express their gratitude.
Discuss the difference between Veterans Day and Memorial Day. On Veterans Day we celebrate those still living who served our country, on Memorial Day we celebrate those we lost.

My Memorial Day Writing Activity is the perfect addition to your lesson!

Perfect for students in first through third grade, you’ll get a variety of writing activities.

Included with this resource, you’ll get

an informational sheet about the holiday
acrostic poems with self rating systems
Home of the Free Because of the Brave printable
Informational writing planning page
Informational writing page
Thank you, Hero Letter
Thank You Letter
Posters for students to fill out
Poster about informative writing
Transitional words and phrases list
Word wall words
Rubric

You’ll get everything you need to get your students engaged in learning about our American heroes.

Looking for more teaching activities for May? Check out Mother’s Day ideas here!

Virtual Field Trips For End Of The Year Celebrations

April 23, 2021 teachersbrain Distance Learning, Teacher's Pay Teachers, Teaching Tips

The school year is wrapping up! It was definitely a different year than anything we have experienced before. Many students had a hybrid learning experience and some did distance learning all year long. Teachers definitely had to adapt and find new ways to stay connected with students from afar.

Another thing that wasn’t possible this year was field trips! I always loved going on field trips with my students. It is so refreshing to get out of the classroom for a new kind of learning experience.

If you are missing field trips and looking for something exciting and new that you can do from the safety of your classroom (or home for those who are distance learning), you definitely need to a try virtual field trip!

There are so many options out there for virtual field trips. A quick Google search will show tons of ideas! You can take a virtual field trip to the zoo, an aquarium, museums, science centers, farms, national parks, and more! Don’t see a virtual field trip idea that calls to you? You can also use Google Slides to give students a virtual tour of your chosen location.

Of all of the virtual field trip options, my favorite is a virtual field trip to the BEACH.

I created this virtual field trip beach day for elementary students! To start, students will “take a flight” to the beach, then, once they arrive, the learning starts. Students will learn about beach safety, ocean life, what to do at the beach, and more!

Then, students can participate in some learning activities including labeling, counting, and writing.

Included in this resource you’ll get 8 Google Slides with titles, edit text boxes, directions, and movable parts along with:

KWL chart
Packing a suitcase for the beach activity
1 minute take off flight video
7 minute beach field trip video (beach safety tips, car ride to the beach, animals at the beach, people swimming, and interview questions of what people like or don’t like of the beach)
Sequencing events, 2 writing prompts, counting objects (under 10), labeling parts, beach song, and comprehension questions
One extra slide for you to add anything you would like to the lesson.

Since this is a virtual activity, it can easily be done in the classroom or while distance learning. It makes a great end of the school year activity!

I hope you and your students love these virtual field trip ideas!

Looking for more end of the year activities to do with your students? Check out my post here on memory books!

Why You Should Create Memory Books With Your Students

April 16, 2021 teachersbrain education, Teacher's Pay Teachers, Teaching Tips

As the school year winds down, are you looking for ways to help your students reflect on the year? I love to find ways to help students remember all of their amazing accomplishments. Showing them how far they have come during the year is a great way to make them feel proud of their hard work!

Memory books are a fun way for students to both review the year and connect the classroom with families.

Creating memory books with students is also a great way for you as a teacher to learn what parts of the school year were most successful, what students enjoyed, and what you might want to change in the future!

The classic memory books used in many classrooms are pre-printed with questions and forms for students to fill out with their own ideas. Students can add drawings and color to pages. They can take the books home to share with their families in review of the school year. Topics included might be friends, favorite things, or vacation plans. By having this keepsake at home, your students can revisit their thoughts from previous years and see how much they’ve grown.

As you plan for end-of-year activities, creating a memory book for your students might seem daunting. Not to worry- I have one available for you here that is digital, easily editable and lots of fun for your students!

The Google slides have text boxes for kids to fill in, and images can be added to make the memory book completely personalized.

Topics covered in the memory book include:

favorites
family
friends
summer goals
things I want to learn
and more!

An autograph page is also included so students can share signatures and notes with their classroom friends.

The Digital Memory Book can also be printed in color or black-and-white if you prefer a paper version. Grab it today and help your students create lasting memories of their year!

Looking for more classroom resources? Check out my post here on classroom management strategies!

What are your favorite end-of-the-year activities? Let me know in the comments!