One of the most bittersweet times of the school year is the end. You’ve been with these students for roughly 180 days and created several memorable moments with them. When the end of the year comes, it’s SO exciting to think of the upcoming summer break that brings uninterrupted lunchtime, sleeping in late, and (my personal favorite) SPACE. (You educators know what I mean!)
In reality, this time of year also brings a sense of sadness for the kiddos you’ve claimed as your own and have gotten to know so well. So, naturally, you want to do something special for them! I have some fun ideas you can try and even more fun activities to do with your classroom before saying goodbye!
Having themed centers isn’t a requirement (for most states), but it DEFINITELY gets everyone pumped for summer! These measuring activities bring the perfect balance to your end-of-the-year lesson plans; relaxed and informal combined with a fun learning game. You can actually see a bundle below of three themed centers in one resource! Talk about being prepared!
You’ll print the adorably summer-y measuring cards and recording sheets. You then grab some rulers or whimsical non-standard units of measurement and pass them out to your students! Simple as that! They will practice using rulers and record estimates and actual measurements to later compare with their friends.
(TIP: You can use beach animal figurines, like crabs, from the dollar store or something similar as a form of non-standard measurement. Get creative!)
You can use these in groups, as individual time-fillers, in large group activities, or even in teams. At this point of the year, it’s always fun to get competitive and see which group or team can get the most correct measurements within a certain amount of time. You’ve gotta keep it interesting at this point, right?
I LOVED to encourage my students to learn and grow continuously. This is why I would send home “Summer Fun Packets.” This is absolutely something you should do for your class, too!
You can print off a few fun learning activities, like the summer measuring center, in a packet to give students the opportunity to take some extra education home with them. I recommend sending a letter home to parents explaining that these are optional and are simply for beneficial, educational entertainment. To let the kiddos enjoy their summer break, but also encourage them to be proactive in keeping their mind learning. Even better, families can take advantage of these and do the activities together as bonding time!
Some students’ minds stay educationally unchallenged and stagnant during the summer break, so the goal is to provide the opportunity to keep things fresh in their minds for the next school year instead.
