Field Day Activities!

Am I alone in my hatred for Field Day?  My kids love it.  They look forward to it all year.  But oh how exhausting it is!  I love being outside but I am not seriously the "athletic" type.  My mom literally laughed out loud when she stopped by my house and I was making plans for field day.  (Thanks for the confidence boost, right?!)  But seriously, she's right.  It just isn't my thing.  Despite that, we had a blast anyway.  :)

My vote for the best Field Day activity was the Cheeto Shower Cap game!  Each group partnered up into groups of two.  I found these cheap (and totally girly) shower caps at Walmart for $1 and included three designs.  I would pop one on their head, slap on a little shaving cream, and hand their partner a handful of Cheetos Puffs!  When I said go, they would have to try and catch five Cheetos on their cap.  The student throwing Cheetos is not allowed to move, however I did allow the student with the shower cap to jump forward and stretch to the left or right to catch them.  It was HILARIOUS!  After one team was able to catch five Cheetos, they would switch roles.

My teaching partner and I *may* have loved spray painting the day before field day.  We spray painted a life size checker board in the grass.  We bought cheap plastic plates from Walmart that were $1 for a pack of four.  The kids LOVED this!  We also loved it because we didn't need a parent or teacher at this station to supervise or explain the rules.  The majority of our kids knew what to do.  It was a really fun twist on a classic game.

Speaking of spray painting classic games, we also played Twister!  The kids loved it and we were quite impressed with some of their skills.  :)

{Picture & Field Day Idea from Oswego County}

We found this idea online and couldn't resist doing relay races with our kids!  They had a blast rolling the ball back and forth using only their head.  We did have one eye injury but don't ask me how that occurred!  :)  We also used this station to have other relay races.  

{Photo & Idea Credit to 7onastring}

I wish I had gotten a picture of my kids doing this but my hands were covered in Cheeto residue and shaving cream!  We had buckets filled with water and students had to transfer their water to an empty bucket at the opposite end using a styrofoam cup with three holes poked in it.  They loved it and we didn't end up with completely drenched kids!

{Photo & Idea Credit from Williams-Sonoma Taste}

We also felt that Field Day wouldn't be complete without an egg toss and egg in a spoon races.  I seriously bought the toughest eggs on the planet!  My kids were throwing them like baseballs and they weren't cracking.  They still had a blast and made it their mission to find a way to bust them!

{Photo & Idea Credit from Happy Home Fairy}

Minute to Win it games are ALWAYS a fun way to get kids doing interesting things!  Happy Home Fairy has some simple, yet fun ways that would make excellent Field Day Stations.  My kids always love Minute to Win it! :)

What do you do for Field Day? 

5 Ways to Use Sidewalk Chalk for Learning

When the sun is shining, the grass is green, and summer is on the horizon, it can be hard to keep students' attention in the classroom.  Why not take your classroom OUTSIDE?  One great way to keep the learning alive outside is to use sidewalk chalk!  My name is Shelly Rees, author of Appletastic: Blossoming in Fifth Grade, and I am happy to share some ways that you and your students can use sidewalk chalk for learning!  Students LOVE using sidewalk chalk, so head on outside and try one of these ideas:

1. Vocabulary Word Practice

Write a group of vocabulary words on the sidewalk.  Call out a definition and have students stand by the word to which it belongs.  You could also give each student an area and a piece of chalk, read a definition, and have them write the word!

2. Math Problem Practice

Have students write specific types of math problems with their chalk.  Then, blow a whistle and have them move to another problem and solve it. Blow the whistle again, and students move to a solved problem and check it with the inverse operation.  Repeat the process.  Students love the fast pace of this activity and it's wonderful practice!

3. Character Mapping

Have you and your students read a good story or novel lately?  Take them outside and allow students to trace each other on the sidewalk.  Then, have them write a main character's name above the outline.  Next, students write various adjectives to describe the character.  This not only helps students to better identify with their character, but it also helps students develop their vocabulary and use of synonyms.

4. Spelling Word Scramble

Move outside for spelling word practice.  There are several ways you can approach this. Give each student their own space, call out a word, and have them write the word. You can also allow students to scramble a spelling word, move to the next word and solve the scramble, then repeat! 

5.  Create a Timeline

Studying a particular sequence of events in history, a novel study, or science?  Why not have students work in small groups to create a timeline of those events?  It's fun, engaging, and academic! My students recently created timelines of the major events of the Revolutionary War. It was a nice break from our normal classroom routine, and it provided great reinforcement of what we had been learning.  Win!

Sidewalk chalk isn't just for artwork anymore!  Grab a container of those colored chalk sticks, take your students outside, and get to work! Enjoy!

End of the Year Activities

It's May but school isn't over yet! I'm Sandy Cangelosi of Sweet Integrations. Testing is over and your students are so ready for the end of the year. I have some fun ideas to keep your students engaged and learning until the last day of school.

1. Internet Scavenger Hunt - Using Fact Monster, try some of these pre-made online scavenger hunts. After your students complete their grade-level hunt, they can create their own. This is a great way to learn interesting facts about countries, states, people, science, sports and more. They can use Word and create Hyperlinks to the location of the information. Students can trade scavenger hunts.

2. Math - Johnnie's Math Page has problems using higher level thinking skills. Students love these online strategy games. They don't even realize they are doing math! I also love Mastermind and Sudoku. These are so much fun to play at the end of the year.

3. Board Games - Choose a day at the end of the year for students to bring their favorite board games. Even though my girls are grown, we still enjoy playing Clue, Scrabble and Sorry. My granddaughter pulls the games out every time she comes over to visit.

4. Nature Scavenger Hunts - Give the student teams a list of items in nature that they need to find outside. You can even give the student teams a digital camera so they can take photos of their findings. I've even asked students to find letters in nature. They are given letters of the alphabet and they try to find the shapes.

5. Alpha Autobios - Using each letter of the alphabet, students write a word that describes something about themselves. Ex. A is for Arkansas - This is where my brother lives; C is for chihuahua - I have a chihuahua named Lola.

6. Categories - Play Categories on the computers. Use topics like fruits, vegetables, sports, states, 3 letter words, 4 letter words, etc. Give the students a specific time to type as many words as they can. The winner of the round can win a piece of candy or treat.

7. Musical Stories - Give each child a story starter on the computer or on a handout. Ex. My Plans for the Summer or My Favorite Vacation. Students will begin typing at their computer or desk. After a certain amount of time, students will change places and begin adding to the next person's story. After several rounds, send students back to their original story so they can write an ending to their story. Read these out load. Students will have a blast reading the stories. (Make sure to give instructions about language, violence, etc. I always tell my students, "No blood and guts allowed!")

8. Project Based Learning - The end of the year is the perfect time to implement Project Based Learning. While enjoying this fun unit, students are still learning life skills, math, technology and writing.

Our students visit Amy's Ice Cream which is in our neighborhood. Amy's started in Austin and has become an Austin icon.

9. Fantasy Vacation - Some students will not have the opportunity to go on a vacation, so why don't you give them an opportunity to plan a Fantasy Vacation! Give your students a budget to plan a vacation to a country or state. Students will plan air travel, hotel costs, site-seeing (cultural experiences), and research these places of interest.

Or, have your students plan a StayCation. My friend Amanda of Primary Gal has this fun unit in which students plan a budget for four days of activities (day trips) close to home. You can also check out her blog post about end of the year projects.

10. End of the Year Collage - Use the app PicCollage to create a collage of events, favorites activities, friends, subjects, etc. Teachers, if you have extra digital pictures of class events, add them to the camera rolls. Students can add text, online pictures, photos, video and stickers. Choose your own layout for your Photo Yearbook.

Encourage your students to continue learning throughout the summer. I've provided some elementary websites that are fun and great for review. Just click on the image below to download. And, enjoy free computer awards for the end of the year.

Click on the image to download your free product.

Click on the image for your free awards.

Upper Grade Memoirs Appreciates You!

Another year is coming to an end and during the first full week of May bring Teacher Appreciation Week. We at Upper Grade Memoirs truly appreciate all that you as a teacher do inside and outside of the classroom each and every day.

And now because we truly appreciate you, we have brought back our DOLLAR DEALS! Today, May 1st through May 3rd each of the stores below are linked up to bring you 4 Dollar Deals! Yes, that's right we EACH have 4 products that are marked down to only $1! Simply click the links below to be taken to our stores or search #UGMAppreciates on Teachers Pay Teachers. Don't delay because they are only $1 through May 3rd!

An InLinkz Link-up