Balloons or Bust...{And Other Randomness!}

We are down to seventeen days until the end of the year, and it has been pretty smooth sailing. With PASS testing behind us, it is time to wrap things up and finish strong. I wanted to do something super motivating to keep our last few weeks...well...peaceful...and then I saw THIS idea on Pinterest....everywhere! It was like a message from above! 

I do not even have a clue where this idea originated, but my WORD, it is genius! Kudos! For Real! If you missed this idea filled with awesomeness on Pinterest, here is how it works. Basically, you place activities inside the balloons to countdown the last few weeks/days of school. I have definitely made this a motivational tool for my kiddos by waiting until the end of the day to pop our balloon. May I add that we only pop a ballon if our work is complete and our behavior is in tact! :) The class gets to participate in the "activity" the next day. 

The activities inside the balloons can be super easy and free. We may or may not be making a Harlem Shake video as one of our activities! :) I made a schedule of activities ahead of time so that they could occur in the order that I selected. {Type A much?!?} Then I numbered the balloons so that they would be popped in the correct order as well. This way, I know ahead of time how to prepare. 

They could hardly WAIT to get to the end of today. Seriously their behavior and work ethic was spot-on...All. Day. Long! Then, I chose my team leader to pop our first balloon.

Tomorrow, we have a chair swap and the students can sit anywhere they'd like for the day. They were beyond excited because I rarely allow them to select their seating arrangement. I know this is only day one, but if it keeps working so well, next year you may see 180 balloons hanging from my ceiling! ;) 

In other news...we have finally moved on from PASS! PTL. Last week, the students worked so hard. Check out our cute treats from our K-2 friends...

They turned out so cute and the youngsters did an excellent job. Now that this is behind us, we are moving on to bigger and better things. 

This week, we have been working on letters to our pen pals who have been patiently waiting since we had to set this aside until after testing. Today, we were finally able to publish. We used a little subway art from my Desire to Inspire pack as our stationary.

We have also been mapping out our futures with one of the activities in my Summer Writing Bundle. I love the innocence of kids! Some of their dreams and ambitions have almost made me cry! AND...they are very serious about their plans! Beyond precious! 

One of my sweet girls is going to be a financial analyst with a "majors" in mathematics. Oh...and she will marry a gentleman! It doesn't get much better than that folks! 

Today we also found some time to add a few things to our time capsules. 

I love that by the time this sweetie is in 6th grade, she will be a millionaire! :) I always tell them to dream big! :) 

These activities have been the perfect way to start winding down on our year. It makes me sad to let my sweet loves go, but it also makes me proud that they have such high aspirations for their future. I have no doubt that they will do amazing things! #proudteacher :) 

Happy Monday, friends! xoxo

Gotta Have It...End-of-Year Edition

Okay...by this point, you are well aware of the mega-sale going on at TPT. 

So, before you empty your shopping cart, here are some of my end-of-year units that you may want to check out and grab while they are 28% off! These are great activities to keep your kids engaged and help maintain your sanity during the last few weeks of school. You can click on any of the pictures to check the unit out at TPT.  

End of Year Writing Bundle: 

Beach Bum Literacy Centers

Living the Ice Cream Dream

I so wish that I could do these activities again. They were perfect for the last few weeks of school. But....same kids = on to bigger and better things! :) Here are a few pictures from last year...

Popsicle Science Experiments

Astronaut Ice Cream Tasting...

A little adverb stack...{can be used  with any skill}

And a little "How to Make Ice Cream" Writing!

 

Student Writing Portfolios...An easy and fun way to celebrate learning! 

Dig into Learning: Activities to send students off into the summer...

And finally...get your awards ready to go! 

Candy Awards & Matching Poems: 

Or you can go with classroom superlatives & writing activity...

 So...are you ready for the end?!? It is near, my friends! :) 

If you would like to check out any of these units, they are available in my TPT shop!! 

Have a great night! 

Beach Bums, PASS Paradise, & a SALE!!!!

Hey, hey friends! Just wanted to stop by for a second to share my newest Beach Bum centers and tell about the fun day that we had in PASS Paradise. 

Tomorrow begins our week {ahhhhh!!!!} of state testing. The kids are ready, and I am calm...surprisingly! Last week, I worked them into the ground with worksheets and test prep. I kept promising them if they would hang with me, I would give them a "fun" review day on Monday {which was today!} And a fun day it was. Here is how it all went down. 

Welcome to PASS Paradise

When I visited the Ron Clark Academy, Kim Bearden shared the idea of a beach. I couldn't resist! :) 

On Sunday, I went into the classroom, took the tables out to our science lab, threw down some blue tarps and drop cloths to create my paradise island. Then, I added some beach chairs, umbrellas, towels, beach balls, and sand pails. Looks like it took forever and literally took about 30 minutes...and so worth every single second of it. The kids were beyond excited this morning. One of my precious boys kept rubbing his eyes saying "Am I dreaming?!" Ha! Yes, third graders love the magic too! 

Then, to get ready for our ELA test tomorrow, we listened to a little beach music and the students completed 8 center rotations from my Beach Bums centers. I do not use centers very often in third...but they are PERFECT for review...AND...end of year! Here are some skills that we practiced...

Sand Dig: Literary Devices

Shell Sort: Prefixes and Suffixes

Sunglasses Split: Cause & Effect

Fill the Bill: Synonyms and Antonyms

Build a Beach: Fact & Opinion

Genre Hop: Identifying Works of Fiction and Nonfiction

{These centers also include a QR code option. The kids scan the passage and get this...the reading passage pops up on the iPad or smartphone! Seriously!!!! Then, once they complete the activity, they scan the QR code under answer to check! I see many, many QR codes in my future!} So excited about this! 

And here are my beach bums in action! 

These centers are perfect for an ELA day/review or for an end-of-the-year activity to help keep your kiddos engaged during the last couple of weeks. I am telling you...you would have thought I planned a party! The kids just kept thanking me and thanking me all. Day. Long!

If you would like to check out Beach Bums, it is in my TPT shop right now! Check it out by clicking {HERE}. 

What a great day! The perfect review! Now...bring it on...PASS! :) 

Oh...and how could I forget?! TPT is throwing the sale of the year! All of my resources will be 20% off + 10% off from TPT! Thank you for all that you do! Teachers ROCK! 

Click on the image below to check out my shop which is already on sale!!!!