School’s out for summer! Well … not quite, just 19 days until the end of the school year though!
We are definitely going to miss this year’s bunch of 5th graders, but I’m (Caitlin) excited to be moving back to 8th grade next year 🙂 And that means I’ll get to teach this same set of kids again! I’ve absolutely loved them!
That last day of school is always hectic. There’s 2.5 hours (at least for us) to say goodbye, do a fun activity, clean everything up, and who knows what else. But, we try to get all of the clean up done in the few days before the last day of school, so we can spend those last few hours together reminiscing about the year, doing a fun and challenging academic activity, and just spending some good, quality time together. We love these five ideas and hope you and your kiddos do, too!
1. Students create a found poem about the school year, using words cut out from magazines.
Note: Have students start bringing in magazines about a week before the last day, so you have a bunch on hand. You can read more about this fun, easy, and free activity by CLICKING HERE.
2. Student crossword puzzle.
This one does take some prep on your part, but we like to create a crossword puzzle for students to solve with clues about each other! All of the answers are all of the students’ names. For example, the clue for 6 across might read: “Her book talk on Wonder got everyone excited to read it.” Answer: “Brigette.” Use this free Puzzle Maker to make one specific to your classroom and kiddos!
3. Participate in an Escape Room.
There are plenty of awesome ones on Teachers Pay Teachers (we actually ended up purchasing this one), and this activity is sure to keep your kids engaged the last few hours of school. Plus, they’re doing challenging academic review without even realizing it (something we feel is extremely important)!
4. Put together a class slideshow video.
Have a bunch of pictures that you took throughout the school year? Use iPhoto or PowerPoint to create a fun slideshow for your kids. Add music and spend some time with them feeling nostalgic (be warned: you may shed a tear or two!).
5. One other thing we like to do for our kids on the last day of school is put together some sort of student gift.
Check out THIS POST to read more about what we’ve done in the past. This year, we’ll be adding these fun “Gone Fishing” gift tags, which you can download for free here.