Teacher Tips

1. Great Beginnings
In the first week of the year, brainstorm with your class to come up with their list of classroom rules. Having the students provide input allows them to feel a sense of ownership.

2. Classroom Scavenger Hunt
To help your students become familiar with their new classroom send them on a scavenger hunt. By the end of the scavenger hunt they will be familiar with their new surroundings.

3. 100th Day Book
Create a template using “I can eat...” as the prompt. Each day have the students fill in the number starting with the #1. Eg. I can eat …1 Apple. When you have gotten to 100, your book is complete.

4. Colour Discovery
All you need to take your students on a discovery tour of colour is a Ziploc bag, shaving cream and some food colouring. Spray some shaving cream in the Ziploc bag and add some food colouring. Have the students guess what colour will be made.

5. Alphabet Recognition
Give each student a block of playfoam and have them form letters and numbers as you call them out.

6. Fast and Easy Snow Art
Give students a piece of blue construction paper and a piece of white chalk and have them create their own winter wonderland.

7. Creamy Handwriting Practice
Give handwriting practice a blast of shaving cream. Spray some shaving cream on the student’s desks and allow them to practise making the letters and words on their desks.

8. Domino Math
Store dominoes in a container and have each student take out a domino and write the possible equation on a piece of paper. Once the student calcuate each equation, the activity is complete.

9. Go Green, Be Clean
Brainstorm with your class and create a chart with the heading “10 ways to Create a Greener Classroom Enviroment”

10. Complimentary Flowers
Have the students pick a name from a cup. Give each student a flower, that is missing the petals. In the centre have the student write the name of the person they selected. Then on each petal have them write a positive adjective about that person.

11. Encourage Your Students
Encourage your students to continue learning throughout the summer by playing games and reading this will save time review in September.

12. Summer Journals
This is a great activity for split grade classes. Each summer ask the students returning to your classroom to keep a journal over the summer holidays. When they return in September, they can share some of their experiences with their classmates. This is a great way for them to get to know one another.