Friday, June 17, 2011

Creative Classroom Celebrations

Having an end of the year party? Here are some great ideas - some best used for specific holidays or seasons.

     
Food
Many schools have adopted low sugar / low salt party policies for parties and birthdays. My room parents of 2007-2008 gave me the great idea to theme the food along with the party. For example, we ate all red fruits and vegetables on Valentine's Day and all green vegetables on St. Patrick's Day. Before Memorial Day, you can use cookie cutters to make stars out of pineapple like in this picture. Try dipping fruit in yogurt and freezing it instead of using chocolate. You can also replace the blue strawberries with blueberries.
Check out this chart for other ideas!
Fruit and vegetable color chart
Repurposing and recycling to make table decorations
    
For Earth Day, we used newspaper for table cloths. We used the flowers we had grown from seed that were planted in newspaper pulp pots we had made. Our table confetti was made from paper we had made and imbedded with seeds so that they could be planted later. Students made picture frames using recycled cardboard and puzzle pieces from boxes that were missing pieces.
(Note that these are not my pictures, I didn't think to take my own!)
Check out my website for lesson plans and websites for teacher and student use.
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Gifts for Teachers

So it's that time of year when parents are searching for end of the year teacher gifts and looking to get more creative than the old fall backs (baked goods, ornaments, mugs, coffee gift cards). The knicknacks are cute, but after a few years of teaching, there's no room left on the desk, or chalkboard, or shelf... Many teachers are going clutter free, so try something that will be immediately useful, whether for classroom or for personal use. Just remember not to over do it, be creative, be personal (but not too personal), and know that every gift is appreciated.
Remember that every teacher is different, and that you can tell a lot about them by spending a minute or two in their classroom. You can instantly see their color scheme and a few personal touches. Plus, elementary school students remember everything their teacher says / wears / likes and will tell you if you ask. (You'll never see the apple-pencil-school bus-teddy bears theme in my room, I'm a bit more beach + rainbow+ stars +Yankees = dream theme... trust me, it sounds weird but it works!) I'm going to share with you the best gifts I've gotten / would want and break it down by teacher specialization. Note that these ideas may not apply if the stores  are not near where you live and that many ideas can work for any teacher.

All teachers
Elementary teachers (most of whom are happy to accept gifts for the class because they spend so much of their own money)
Science teachers
  • animals like fish, hermit crabs, hamster, etc. (make sure they are welcome and allowed in school and that there are no allergies - not a good gift at the end of the year)
  • plants and gardening supplies
  • gift certificate to a plant nursery
  • membership to planetarium or science museum
  • lab supplies like cotton balls, toothpicks, food coloring, vinegar, baking soda, aluminum foil, balloons, straws, sand, Ziploc bags, etc.             
Drama teachers
  • movie tickets
  • movie bucket (fill with popcorn bags, candy, and movies for school / teacher movies)
    Music teachers
    • theater / Broadway tickets
    • iTunes gift card
    Art teachers
    • art museum membership
    • donation to art foundation
    • art clock
    • art theme music box
    Gym teacher / coach
    • Brita water filter bottle
    • personalized sports t-shirt
    • personalized sporting equipment (like this)
    New teacher (graduation or student teaching gift)
    Check our more ideas on Pinterest!
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