If you’ve successfully completed the school year, congrats to you! If not, hang in there. Your last day of school is getting closer every day. I don’t know about you, but I never quite knew how the final days of the school year were going to sort out. And since I knew (because I learned the hard way 🙂 ) that my kiddos’ corks could pop off at any moment, I kept a list of impromptu end-of-the-year activities handy. If the unexpected happened, I was prepared! For example, I would
• Make a word search: Set out graphing paper and post a student-composed word list. Have students trade papers and solve a classmate’s puzzle.
• Play 20 Questions: Play this game using shared experiences (book titles, classroom guests, field trips, assemblies, etc.) from the past year.
• Make a snapshot quilt: Have each child draw or write on a paper square about a favorite school-year memory. Use the projects in the fall to make a snapshot quilt of the coming school year.
• Make “green” autograph books: Have each child staple together the same number of full-size papers from your skill sheet recycle box. Students gather autographs on the blank sides of the paper and take home a bit of skill review to boot!
What activities do you rely on during the last few days of school? Please share!
Smiles,
Diane
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I usually have my students write a letter to next year’s class. They tell about what the new students will get to learn, what fun things they will do, and how to be successful. The results are always amusing and sweet!
I usually have the kids do a picture and letter of what their favorite things we did all year was. I usually take them and make a quickie book and read it to the Families at our graduation. Its always fun for me too as it b rings back lots of favorite memories.
I love your green autograph book. I may have to borrow that idea:)
I like to do a lot of the favorites at the end of the year as needed. So, I keep on hand playdoh, shaving cream, bingo and etc…These activities are so easy to have ready to use on the spure of the moment. I also have my kiddos work on building all of my puzzles so I can see which ones are missing pieces. It is very helpful to me and my class loves it. (Kindergarten)
Shaving Cream on desks or tables is great at the end of the year. It can be very calming and it cleans all the grime and marks off without any effort.
I have my students create ABC books, try and come up with something that we did for each letter. For example A=Art Show, B=Books,C=Christmas projects, etc. Then we illustrate, or put in pictures that were taken throughout the year.
I usually create a special edition newsletter where every child is a contributing editor.
Step 1 – They start out with interviewing a partner – I have an interview sheet with 4 basic questions: name, birthday, age, what they want to be when they grow up and why – and then they come up with 3 questions they like to ask their partners.
Step 2 – Interview – as they interview each other, they write down the answers so they can remember them.
Step 3 – Write an article about their partner.
Step 4 – I edit and publish their article in our special edition newsletter. I have a picture of each child and a write-up from their partner in the newsletter. It’s like a mini-yearbook for the class.
I have the students create a road they traveled throughout the school year. (My road through ______ grade) I make different road signs that are labeled for each month of the school year, ex: Slippery September. On each sign the students write about what they learned during that month. They decorate a car for this school year that goes at the beginning of the book, and then they create a road and place each month sign along the road. At the end of the road they create a new car to show how they have changed and a sign that says “_______ grade 2 months away”
I teach fifth grade and I spend a lot of time at the end of the school year teaching students how to have conversations where we can disagree with each other and still be civil and friendly. I pick a somewhat controversial topic such as oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico and we discuss it by taking turns giving our thoughts and opinions on the subject. I don’t tell the kids in advance that they are learning how to agree to disagree. I guide them through how to listen to the other side and present their own side with respect and compassion for others. This is an especially helpful skill for students entering middle school. It can also be done with practically no materials. My kids love this activity because they always learn something new and when it’s their turn to talk, everyone listens to their point of view.
The kids were in awe as I showed them how to make their own playdough to use at home. We went over the recipe, and steps on how to mix it, & store it . They loved using their five senses(except for taste).
I usually have a memory book of 2nd grade for my students to fill out. Pages include, Favorite memories of the school year, Friends made during the year, The best thing I liked about 2nd grade,and The most interesting things I learned this year. Some autograph pages are included along with a place for the students to draw a picture of his/herself. This year I am taking an end of the year picture of each student. This can be glued in the memory book. An end of the year class picture will also be taken so students will remember classmates for years to come.
We went on a fishing field trip the last week of school and then walked to Wendy’s for a frosty on the last day.
We are happy that school ended last week as the Mighty Mouse river roared through our town this week. !0,000 of us had to evacuate quickly!! Several schools had huge dikes built around them within hours! Crazy scary time! Some residents are not allowed back home. I am less than a block away from the “you can go home now zone”. Yikes!
We owe it to our National Guard and dike makers who saved our city from disaster! There are still many streets and bridges closed due to HUGE piles of clay and dirt-but we’ll put up with that to keep dry.
At the end of the school i have to think about what it will be like the coming season. but still how i will be missing my class!