Paper Bag Memory Books: Cheap, Fun...Perfect for End of Year

I just recently posted my End of Year Writing Bundle and I have heard the cries people! :) As much as I would love to separate each unit out and sell them individually, life calls and I just can't find the time. :( Sad day, I know! BUT...I did manage to squeak a few minutes out tonight to piece together my end of year Paper Bag Memory Books...which seems to be what you guys are looking for anyways! And a little P.S. Thanks for always being so sweet and complimentary! Y'all really are the best! 

I have to say I love this project too and can't wait to begin them with my kids in a few weeks. I love that they are cheap, easy, and cah-ute! :) Oh...oh...oh...by the way, these are made with the lunch size paper bags. NOT actual grocery bags!! I have received lots of questions about where I found so many bags! I mean, I totally have connections at the local Ingles across the street...but even with that, I don't think they would give me 100+ bags! :) 

Here is a look at the project...{if you missed it the first time}....

And here is peek at the inside...

This is now available in my TPT shop! You can find it by clicking {HERE}. 

5 more days until state testing....send some much needed prayers my way! Have a great week, my friends!  XOXO :)

Shenanigans on Insta.....

I am linking up with a few of my bloggy buds to share about my new little love...Instagram! First of all, I am a picture freak! Seriously, I love pictures. Plus, I am nosey as all get out and love to see what others are up to. ;) Can I get an amen about the nosey part?!? Tell me I am not alone! I think it is a character trait of all teachers...or women for that matter. ;) 

So, here is the fun part. Every Tuesday, teachers from all over will be posting a fun snapshot from their day in the classroom. Love this idea! 

So if you are a teacher join in on the fun! Plus, you can also check out Second Grade Shenanigans on Instagram and follow me to keep up with my classroom happenings by clicking {HERE} or on the picture below...or you can search secondgradeshenanigans on your phone! :)  

 So, get in on the fun and link up with What the Teacher Wants or Apples and ABC's. And...don't forget to follow me @secondgradeshenanigans.

Dig into Learning {A Summer Review}

I have heard a little rumor that many of you are now in the "teens" until school is over! Seriously? #jealous...I just checked my calendar {and counted twice} and we have 30 days left. When I begin to think about the 30 days ahead, I realize just how much I have to do.  Yikes! 

As much as I love end of year festivities and celebrations, they always sneak up on me at a pace that I am not prepared for...ever! If I showed you my calendar right now, you might have a panic attack and/or look at it and laugh because your calendar looks the EXACT. Same. Way! 

SO...there is no time better than the present to get my ducks in a row! Since I have looped with my kids for three years, there are not many tricks that I can pull from my hat. However, I do get the privilege of having a few "repeaters"...one of which is the way that I send the kiddos home completely prepared for summer break! We will be working on this little gems after state testing! 

I always like to send my students home prepared to at least maintain what they’ve worked so hard to learn through the year. This way, there is no room for excuses and maybe I don’t have to dream of the word…dare I say it…regression. Double yikes! I know it’s summertime and they need to have oh so much fun, (and so does their teacher) but 15-20 minutes of review can’t rain on their parade too much! Right? Right!

I have used this summertime review method for several years and have seen excellent results. I love when my kiddos go into the new year filled with confidence and ready to tackle their new skills. 

Here is how it works. I buy each student a sand bucket for their end of the year gift and we spend a day preparing games and materials to stuff it with for the summer months! The student’s participation in the preparation is critical because it gives them ownership and they are super excited to use their games that they’ve worked so hard to create.

Then, I attach our tag and a little parent letter…and there you have it! Off they go! What better way to spend a day than getting your kiddos all prepped and ready for the summer? Seriously...after they have worked so hard, they can hardly wait to get their hands on their games. 

There are many different activities included in this 137 page pack, so pick and choose what you would like for your kiddos to focus on over the break! You can also add your own little goodies to the mix!

If you need to save some much needed time, you can check this pack out at my TPT store.

Now, back to the beginning...if you only have a few days left...enjoy them! If you are like me with 30+ left...get ready for a crazy ride...hang on tight...and enjoy your sweet kiddos for the remainder of the year! 

Candy Themed Awards {Customizable}

It is no secret that I have looped with the same kiddos for three years. Three years = three years of awards...which have to be different every year! Of course! Right?!? I sure do love these sweet kids, but I am ready for a new bunch so that I can at least use some of my old tricks. Ya know? I am running low on ideas y'all! Seriously! 

So, in first grade, we did a little candy bar award theme. The kids adored those awards and loved the chocolate. Then came second grade where I went all classroom superlatives on my bunch. These were really cute and the kids loved sporting their new "title". You can check these out right {HERE}. 

So what does that leave for third grade? Candy themed awards and matching poems. 

I am so excited about these awards, because I am a sucker for cute poems...PLUS...I love candy. However, I am making a promise to lay off of the Sour Patch Kids...for summer's sake! :) Check back tomorrow {or in an hour for that matter} and I will let you know how that is going for me! 

Back to the awards...

These awards are super easy, super fun, and can also count as an end of the year gift! I love killing two birds with one stone! :)  P.S. This file is customizable and will allow you to add your student's name, school name, and grade level before printing! 

You can check this out at TPT whenever you'd like...but they will be on SALE through tomorrow night. Click {HERE} to find them in my shop! 

And while you are there, you can also check out my newest writing pack! It will meet all of your "end of year" writing needs! It will also be on sale through tomorrow night. You can check this out {HERE} or {HERE}! 

We are going on another field trip tomorrow, which means I need extra sleep tonight! Hope y'all have a happy Tuesday! Xoxo

End of Year Madness...{New Units!!!}

I can't believe we are already deep into the final 9 weeks of school. Truthfully, I can't even talk about it because I have been with my sweet little loves for three years now. Can you imagine what the end of the year will be like for me?!? Just imagine! I don't even want to think about it for a second...so I won't! :) Moving on...

The next four weeks of my life will be crazy hectic for many different reasons, so I spent this weekend working away to get all of my end of the year activities in order. We have state testing in 2{ish} weeks, so as soon as we finish, we are diving back into a normal routine. After our testing is over {finally}, we will be working through my Ultimate End of Year Writing Bundle. This pack has some super cool and easy {PTL} projects that will help your kiddos reflect on the amazing year that they have had. 

Here are the activities that we will be working on...

Since our paper bag poetry books were so super simple and since the kids LOVED them so much, I had an idea to create an end of the year keepsake...paper bag style. Love that paper bags are so stinkin' cheap! 

All you need are paper bags and dollar store stickers to help your kiddos make these little scrapbook{ish} memories. 

Then, we will also be adding to our time capsules for the year. End of the year is the perfect time to bundle all of your memories up into one place for safe keeping. I have included time capsule contracts, poems, and much, much more to get you going. 

Along with these two activities, we will also work on several end of year writing and craftivities...just to end the year with a bang! 

We will be planning for a great summer ahead...

And...my favorite...letters to next year's kiddos. I always display these on our "Welcome Back" night for my newbies to read {well..until I looped!}. This helps your kiddos get a glimpse into what is ahead in the new year. Plus, it adds a little spirit to those empty walls at the beginning of the year. 

Hopefully these activities will keep my summer hungry kiddos busy after testing. 

You can pick this unit up on sale for $10.00 until tomorrow night by clicking {HERE}. 

I am also adding my Super Sweet Awards Day pack. This includes 20 candy themed awards and poems that will create a one-of-a-kind awards day. I will be back tomorrow to explain this with a little more detail. But for now, this teacher is off to bed! You can check these awards out right {HERE!}

Hope everyone had a nice, restful weekend! Night, night! :) 

Poetry...Picnic Style {New Unit}

Alright friends...Before I go out and enjoy this crazy amazing...BEA-utiful weather, I wanted to upload my newest poetry unit just in case you need to squeeze something in for National Poetry Month. We have had a great time over the past few weeks on our little poetry adventure. Here are a few pictures of our picnic books that I posted about a few days ago...

During this study, we focused on the many different poetry styles, as well as both sound and poetic devices. We included all of this new information in our poetry book along with five of our favorite poems. 

If you are needing a little something extra for your poetry unit, you can check out this unit in my TPT shop. It will be ON SALE until Sunday noon{is}. You can click {HERE} or on any of the pictures below to check it out! 

The unit includes all of the resources needed to create a paper bag book highlighting your students one-of-a-kind poems. I have also included a PowerPoint of all of the essential vocabulary words to use during instruction. 

Happy Saturday, y'all! Now get out and enjoy your day! :) 

The ROCK Buffet

We are buzzing through our final unit in science...and I do mean buzzing through. Pass is in just 12 days! Of course our final unit would have to be earth materials which is pretty blah...BUT...I am trying to turn drab into fab. I thought that a song to Cher Lloyd's "Want You Back" and some food would be the ticket to grabbing my kiddos attention when trying to teach them about rocks and minerals. Let me tell you...total buy in! Plus I won some cool points with the song. Glad third graders think I am cool...ya know? ;) 

We began by discussing how rocks are created. To demonstrate, we made rock krispie treats. We mixed several "minerals", added heat...and we had rock! 

During our observation, the students recorded how the rock was formed. 

Once we had this basic concept mastered, along with the three observable properties of minerals, we moved on to the three types of rocks. Yes, yes...all of this in just one hour. I told you...buzzing through. 

My BFF {YouTube} found me this fabulous video which demonstrates how to create the three types of rocks with food. 

  

Yes...his apron says kiss the geologist! :) The kids loved him. After each of his demonstrations, we tried making the rocks too. 

The students recorded observations, and created definitions to describe the process that each rock goes through. 

Once the students could consistently define and describe each type of rock, we feasted...on rocks, of course! 

Best way ever to teach rocks and minerals. The kids have this nailed. Now...moving on to soil types tomorrow. 

Okay 12 days to get it ALL in. Send some energy my way! :) 

Have a great night, friends!