Making the End of the School Year Even More Special!

The month of May typically means; flowers, rain showers, Mother's Day cards, and the end of the school year. As kids longingly look out the window and anxiously await their softball leagues, teachers are also winding down and coming up with end of the year projects and activities.

One way to impact your students and show them how special they are is to write a poem for the class. Include each student's name and something special about them. Your students will be thrilled to be thought of personally and will cherish the poem for the rest of their lives. It is also a great way to leave students knowing that they are cared for and valued.

Another idea to wrap up the school year is to make class t-shirts. Have the students' tie-die shirts, or get screen printed ones with a logo. Save some time for students to write and sign on each other's t-shirts. This will continue to build teamwork amongst your students, as well as give them a chance to show appreciation to one another on a year well done.

As field trips draw near, make the days extra special by planning certain menus so that the lunch will be more of a potluck. Plan the menu in advance to include sides, paper plates, hot dogs, drinks, etc so that students can learn to cooperate and plan a great meal together. Older students can also have a hand in planning games, such as creating their own relays. This will give students a sense of ownership as well as allow them to utilize their creative thinking skills.

Also, there are lots of gardening and outdoor projects that work well with this kind of weather and season.

Having students plant seeds or plants in early spring to take home and plant will give them something to cherish all summer.

Students may also have a day where they decorate clay pots with special memories of the school year. Or, you may want to have one large clay pot for the whole class to have a hand in decorating. The pot can then be used to house a baby tree, or annuals to bloom throughout the summer.

Another outdoor idea is to take students orienteering, or help students brush up on their measurement skills by measuring the school yard.
As summer approaches, there are also lots of fun weather projects to do with your students as well. Older Elementary students may make their own barometers with simple household products. Younger students may make windmills or thermometer holders. Students can learn about what causes tornadoes and summer thunder storms as they study barometric pressure and wind speed. There are dozens of books that connect to this theme and students will have a blast as they get excited for summer weather.

It is also a great time to teach about protecting skin and using sunscreen. Students can do a science project by covering various objects with sunscreen and laying them in the sun all day. By the end of the week, they will see what a difference some sunscreen can make!

Birdfeeders are also wonderful outdoor projects that can be made quite simply using pinecones, peanut butter and some string. This idea works well with an animal or bird unit, and gives students a chance to spend a little time outside watching the birds.

For language arts, students can write about their summer plans and goals. They can also make a daily schedule of things they want to do during their free time. This will help students stay on track and use their vacation wisely. It is also great for parents so that kids come into the summer with somewhat of an agenda.

Another fun, end of the year project is to make tropical fruit smoothies. By simply combining a 1/2 cup of orange juice, 1/2 cup of pineapple juice, 1 scoop of vanilla ice cream, 1/2 banana, and 2 strawberries, students can squish together their own tropical treat in a plastic Ziploc bag. By using straws to drink their smoothies, they will be delighted upon creating their own treat.

A similar project involves the kids in making their own ice cream. By using rock salt, ice, plastic bags, milk, sugar, and vanilla in just the right combination, students can make their own ice cream. This is also an excellent way to teach about kinetic energy and lowering the freezing point of water using salt.

Also, a holiday that often gets missed because of no school is the 4th of July. Before the kids escape for the summer, take some time to talk about summer holidays and historical events. Squeezing in as much education in is important for students who may struggle to pick up a book all summer long.

Of course, there are always great summer reading programs and library programs for little ones. It is strongly recommended that kids be encouraged to read at least a few books over the summer so that they will not forget too much of what they have worked so hard to learn!