A Fun Summer Countdown for STAFF

The last ten days of school, I always do a fun "Mystery Balloon Summer Countdown" with my students. So when thinking up gifts for my teaching staff, I thought, why not do a fun 10-day summer countdown for them too?

So I did! I surprised them with a gift every day for the last ten days of school! 

Here are the ten gifts, all less than $2 each (most less than $1), so you can do a 10-day summer countdown with your staff too!

Every day during the last ten days of school, you will give your staff one of the gifts. Here are some suggestions of how I presented the gifts each day to my staff.

Day 1 - Xtra Gum

Day 2 - Lifesavers

Day 3 - Rolos

Day 4 - Tea

Day 5 - Donuts

Day 6 - Mints

Day 7 - Clips of some sort. I found these at Walmart.

Day 8 - 100 Grand Candybar

Day 9 - Candles

Day 10 (Last Day of School) - Lotion

My aides really loved having a surprise waiting for them each day and it costed me just around $10 for each aide. Grab the labels for FREE here and do a fun summer countdown with your staff!

Even if you're not doing an end of year summer countdown, SAVE these gift tags for later! They're  perfect for individual gift giving too any time of the year!

Pin it to save it here!

 

Happy Summer Countdown! Hang in there...the end is near!

   

Mystery Balloon Fun Summer Countdown

I can see summer break in my near future! Our 10-day summer countdown begins tomorrow! When does yours begin? 

Our mystery balloon summer countdown is an all time classroom favorite for counting down the days to summer break! 

I place a slip of paper in each balloon prior to blowing it up. Each slip of paper has a fun treat on it. Each morning a student pops a balloon to reveal the daily treat! 

Treats range from no cost activities such as go barefoot in class for the day, sit wherever you want for the day, or write in pen today....to activities that may cost a little money like a watermelon or popcorn party! 

Try it in your classroom! Grab the treat/activity slips for FREE here. 

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Don't want to forget it? Pin it!

Summer Countdown Survival Kits for Staff

Sometimes those long waits for winter, spring, and summer break can seem like an eternity! Sometimes it feels like you're barely going to make it and you go into survival mode!

A survival kit might be just what the doctor ordered! These survival kits make adorable gifts for staff members, and gives them a little something to look forward to, to make those long days not feel so long!

You'll need some plastic containers. The ones pictured above are Sterlite Brand and were purchased from Family Dollar for 99 cents each. Another option is to use paper sacks or party favor bags. This is a cheaper option if you're making a lot or can't find the right containers.

This is what's inside. You'll need:

• Chocolate
• Notepad
• Hand Sanitizer (trial size)
• Lotion (trial size)
• Mini Kleenex
• Energy Bar
• Jolly Ranchers
• Laffy Taffy
• Lifesavers
• Chapstick

Print the free labels and attach to your containers or sacks/bags. I used double sided scotch tape to affix my labels to the underneath inside of the lid for a more professional look. The labels are available for spring break and summer break and are sized to fit the containers shown. Get your labels here.

I also added colored crinkle shredded paper to each container in the bottom.

Don't want to forget it? Pin it!!

End of Year Gifts for Paras

It may be too soon for some of you to be thinking about the end of the year already, but it's never to soon to recognize those special people that make your class go'round! Your paras! 

These individuals play such a huge role within schools, yet probably receive the least recognition. They care about kids just as much as you. Many of them spend their own money for classroom treats and give their own time for after school events. Many of them go home each evening with thoughts of a kid stuck in their head, just like you...thinking of ways they can reach a student. Many of them SHOULD have become teachers themselves! 

Here are some simple and inexpensive gift ideas to help you send your paras off on summer break feeling appreciated!

Who has a "countdown to summer" tradition they do with their students every year?? How about doing a summer countdown with your paras! Last year I did a 10-day summer countdown for my paras and they loved it!

 Every day for the last 10 days of school, I surprised them with a little gift of appreciation.

Day 10

Day 9

Day 8

Day 7

Day 6

Day 5

Day 4

Day 3

Day 2

Day 1
Summer Break!

Most of these can also be used any time of year to recognize your paras if you choose to do it that way! Get these free labels here.

This is another simple and quick idea and everyone can always use a new tumbler. Find one in their favorite color or one that shows their personality. You can also fill them with goodies or put their names on them with vinyl.

These are gallon size, glass mason jar pitchers. Inside is a beach towel, magazine, lip balm, sunscreen, shades, and snapple (or whatever they like) singles.

Here is a close up of the label and you can grab them for free here. This set also includes a student label too to use on Starburst!

If you're not super crafty or don't have the time or patience to put together these gifts, end the year by treating your paras to lunch with these easy to do Subway cards. The photo shows "Happy Paraprofessional Day," but there is also a "Thanks for all you do" and a "What a great year" included. Grab them free here. Just print, cut, and add a $5-10 gift card!

Take a look at my Teacher Gift Ideas Pinterest Board for even more ideas!

Simple Tie-Dye T-shirt Tutorial

Tie-dye t-shirts are so fun and easy for kids to make and make a great summer school project too! What I love too is that not only is it impossible to mess them up, there are no two alike. And while there are many ways to create tie-dye shirts, I'm going to show you how I do it in my classroom! 

Here's what you'll need:

A paper plate

Gloves

A white t-shirt

Two Rubber bands

Four plastic squirt bottles

Fabric Dye (4 colors)

Salt

Hot water

Step 1:

Lay out your shirt and pinch it in the center.

 Step 2:

While continuing to pinch the center, twist the fabric in a spiral motion until you have gone all the way around the shirt.

 Step 3:

Place two rubber bands around the shirt as shown; one vertical and one horizontal. This also serves as divided sections for your students to place each color without mixing the colors.

Step 4:

Mix the fabric dye as directed on package. Any of these work, but I prefer the liquid dye as you do not have granules to dissolve. 

However, Tulip does have a much better color selection.

Step 5:

Pour each color into a separate squirt bottle. Another thing nice about the liquid dye is you can skip the step of pouring it into the bottles and just mix it right in the bottle.

Step 6:

Using the sections as color dividers, squirt one color in each section as shown, saturating the fabric, but not saturating to the point that colors run together. (Bottles may be too hot to hold without gloves or an oven mitt)

Step 7:

Toss your shirt in a plastic grocery bag, tie to seal, and sit overnight. 

Step 8:

Remove from bag, leave rubber bands on and toss in the washing machine. Wash in cold water, using no soap. If doing as a class, you can wash them all together at the same time. 

Step 9:

Remove from washer, remove any rubber bands that may be left, and toss in the dryer until dry.

Ending results!

Here is another color combo we did!

 Ending Results!

So I've shown you the spiral or sunburst effect, which is my favorite, but there are so many other ways to rubber band the shirt to get different effects. 

Here is another method I played around with. This one uses no rubber bands. Just dip or squirt dye on each end, the top and bottom of a shirt.

 Results!

I'm telling you, you can not mess these up! There's no one way to wrap your shirt! Be creative. You can also pinch and grab sections all over the shirt in random spots and rubber band them for a circle effect all over shirt. 

Two more tips: I recommend if using a brand new t-shirt to wash it first or wet it and wring it out. I have found that the dye sometimes beads off of new shirts and does not absorb into the fabric as well. 

If doing with your class, you can have students bring in their own t-shirt, or I purchase a large package of fruit-of-the-loom t-shirts from the boy's/men's section. 

Get creative and have fun!!

Head over to Mrs. King's blog for more summer projects from other teachers or share your own summer projects with us!