Image Map

Saturday, April 26, 2014

Surviving Spring to Welcome Summer Blog Hop: Fiesta Balloons

 
This is it!  It's almost here!  I can see the light at the end of the tunnel...  Sometimes though, this is where the tunnel starts bottle necking.  Students might begin to adapt the mob mentality and a teacher will do whatever it takes to survive to the end of that tunnel we all know and love as school!  Several of my BBB's have come together to bring you some tips to get you through the rest of the school year and also give you a chance to win a gift certificate to TPT and a sharpener from Classroom Friendly Supplies!
 
 
**I am going to start off by apologizing that I do not have any photos of this because when my flash drive broke I lost the photos :o(  I did try to find photos elsewhere so you could get an idea but I will update this post later with my own photos once I get them!**
 
Everyone has probably seen some form of the balloon countdown on Pinterest and this is exactly what it is. Since we end school in May (and I grew up in Texas), I always like to put a fiesta twist to it though!  I begin by hanging up ten festively colored balloons from the ceiling.  Inside each balloon is confetti and a slip of paper that has an activity for the day.  The confetti is fun because when you pop the balloon it gives it that piñata effect!
 
 
 For the last ten days of school we pop a balloon each day and do whatever the card tells us to.  You can really write whatever you want on these cards!  The last time I did this was pretty tame, this year I am stepping up my game!  Here are my ten for this year:
 
1. Bubble Gum Contest
I will buy all different packs of gum and we will do experiments to see which kind blows the biggest bubble, who's flavor lasts the longest, etc.
 
2. Extra Recess
This is just heaven to them no matter what!
 
3. Glow in the Dark Dance Party
Michael's sells glow in the dark necklaces and bracelets that come 15 in a tube for $1!  I buy a few of those and pass them out to all my kiddos.  They crack them and place them all over themselves while we choose a couple songs we would like to dance to.  Once we have our playlist, I turn off the lights, turn up the music and watch them go nuts.  Literally.  They go crazy, but in a funny kind of way.  I recommend going over the safety rules of your classroom before doing this, lol. 
 
4. Board Game Day
So many of my kiddos don't play board games or have ever played the classics like Monopoly or The Game of Life!  I bring in a bunch of board games and everyone gets a chance to play a few, if not all of them.  It's like a Family Game Night but for our classroom family :o)
 
5. Tie-Dye Day
We have our white science lab shirts left over from this year and with just a few boxes of dye and rubber bands, we've got ourselves an art project and 5th grade memorabilia!  If you don't want to dye it, you can always buy fabric markers and let them decorate it.
 
6. Popsicle Paradise
The weather is beautiful in Florida this time of year so why not enjoy it with some popsicles outside?
 
7. Movie and Popcorn
I usually have this balloon be on a Friday or one of the last days of school.  I bring in a selection of movies for the students to choose from, a box of theater candy for each of them and pop some popcorn.  They all snuggle into the floor and enjoy the movie just as if they were at the theater!
 
8. Ceiling of Fame
I wanted to do this last year but never got around to it!  This year I will buy a ceiling tile from Home Depot and let my kids decide how we want to decorate it.  My only stipulation is that it has to represent our class this year some way and they all have to sign it.  Heck, I might even go hog wild and buy a few to let them decorate them in groups!
 
 
9. Silly String Fight
Good old silly string...  I will take my little darlings out to the bus ramp, each of them packing their own can of silly string.  Object of the game: to be the one with the least amount of silly string on them!  What happens if you don't win???  You have to clean up!  Yep, I'm sneaky like that ;o)
 
10. Kickball Game
Last but not least, a friendly game of kickball amongst our class.  I love playing kickball with my students!  I've even done so in my heels :o)  This is my most competitive class ever, so it will definitely be interesting!
 
So there you have it!  My last ten days of school all wrapped up in a nice little Fiesta Balloon.  The kids understand that if they cannot behave for one activity they might miss out on the next one.  Very motivating to keep them focused and behaving correctly!  If you would like your own set of Fiesta Balloon cards, click on the picture below.  Included are the ten I listed above and two blank cards to create your own!
 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxAFi6iqfP0qSnJhLWNsSVgxYnc/edit?usp=sharing
 
After entering my secret code in the Rafflecopter below, click to continue the hop to Holly at Fourth Grade Flipper!
 
http://fourthgradeflipper.blogspot.com/2014/04/spring-to-summer-blog-freebie-hop-tips.html
 
a Rafflecopter giveaway
 


7 comments:

  1. I'm so glad you posted this- see, last year I said I was gonna do the balloons this year, and I forgot!! :-P After our testing is over, this will be perfect!
    jivey

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love this idea! I am definitely going to borrow it. Of course, being a Northerner means we won't be doing these things until the end of June. But I love it!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love this idea...I am SO going to do this!! Thank you so much!! Lucky the kids who have YOU for their teacher!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wow- this is a fantastic ideas that I know my kiddos will love. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I decided last week that I wanted to do the balloon countdown! I love the idea of putting confetti in them!! You have some great ideas to countdown too! My kids would swoon over a glow in the dark dance party!
    Rachel
    A Tall Drink of Water

    ReplyDelete