Teacher’s Brain

Search Results for: 100th day

Memorial Day Activities For Kids

Teaching Tips


Memorial Day 2022 is quickly approaching. For many people, this is a way to kick off the summer season. But it is important to teach students that on this holiday we honor those who have lost their lives fighting for our country. 

If you are here to find some Memorial Day activities for elementary students, you’re in the right place. First, let’s dive into why we celebrate it and how to teach it. 

Memorial Day Activities for kids pin image

Why is it important to celebrate Memorial Day? 

This isn’t just a day with cookouts and get-togethers. For many, it is a day to honor lost family members and celebrate their memory. Celebrating shows your appreciation for their service to our country and helps us remember the names of those who made the ultimate sacrifice for us. 

How do you teach Memorial Day? 

To teach students about this important day, there are some great Memorial Day activities that you can add to your lesson plans. Here are some ideas to get you started. 

  • Read books about Memorial Day. Books are always a great way to help students understand subjects like this. Head over to your school library to see what books are available on the topic or shop around like this one here. 
  • Write a letter to a hero. If your students have any friends or family members that served they can write a letter to them. For other students, you can have them write a letter to a hero you select for them. This is a great way to give students perspective and a chance to express their gratitude. 
  • Watch some Memorial Day videos on YouTube like this one here. 
  • Do some patriotic crafts. You can have students create American Flags and decorate the classroom or hall with them, or you can create other crafts that are red, white, and blue. 
  • Get some colored chalk and decorate the blacktop or sidewalks outside your school with patriotic decorations. 
  • Encourage students to wear their favorite patriotic clothes. 
  • Watch a Memorial Day Parade on YouTube like this one here. 

If you are looking for more Memorial Day education activities, check out my Memorial Day resource here. 

Memorial Day Activities for Elementary: Writing Unit Preview

Perfect for students in first through fifth grade, you’ll get a variety of writing activities that will teach students about this important holiday. 

Included with this resource, you’ll get 

  • an informational sheet about the holiday
  • acrostic poems with self-rating systems
  • Home of the Free Because of the Brave printable
  • Informational writing planning page
  • Informational writing page
  • Thank you, Hero Letter
  • Thank You Letter
  • Posters for students to fill out
  • Poster about informative writing
  • Transitional words and phrases list
  • Word wall words
  • Rubric

Since they are writing activities, they can be adapted to be Memorial Day virtual activities if needed, just explain the assignment to students and have them use their paper at home! 

Looking for more information for teaching Memorial Day? Check out my post here. 

How do you teach about Memorial Day?

SPY CLASSROOM THEMED DAY

End of the Year Themed Day
 

It’s the end of the year and you want to make a classroom theme day for your students that will leave a lasting impression. A spy-themed educational day may be just the perfect day for you to plan with your students! You can motivate and reward students while sneaking in some academics. This is a great theme for any elementary grade level.  My kindergarten students said, “This is the best day of my life!” Scroll to the bottom to see ALL the photos from our day.

SPY DAY PROCEDURE

Once they accept the mission, they will make their id badge. Place red or white streamers or yarn across a doorway or other area for them to prove they can make it through the “lasers” without setting off the alarm before their mission begins. They step over the yarn. Then, give them each a Top Secret Journal, a pencil, flashlight and a passport before they start their centers.

Secret Spy ID for Kids

I created all the resources I needed in my classroom and uploaded them the following year to bring you something you can easily use with your students.  I like the idea of having centers with some parent volunteers, so I created six centers for students to complete in any order during the day.  Food is also important to our themed day.  Parents brought in a spy cake, water bottles with truth serum labels, juice packs labeled Adrenaline Pack, and other “classified” munchies!

THE CENTERS

  1. Create Your Own Secret Agent ID Badge
  2. The Secret Agent Fingerprint LAB
  3. Pick Your Alias and Memorization Station
  4. The Photo Booth with Disguises
  5. Write the DARK Room
  6. I SPY Sight Words Using a Magnifying Glass

spy day

SPY DAY PROCEDURE

Students arrive dressed in black or a suit to mimic a spy.  There is James Bond music playing in the background as the enter the room. Lights are dim. I tell the students they will be asked to accept an important mission that is impossible.  They need to recover a stolen item that you know they will miss. They need to work as a team to recover it by creating a new identity, finding clues and being very quiet.

Once they accept the mission, they will make their id badge. Place red or white streamers or yarn across a doorway or other area for them to prove they can make it through the “lasers” without setting off the alarm before their mission begins. They step over the yarn. Then, give them each a Top Secret Journal, a pencil, flashlight and a passport before they start their centers.

Students will travel to the different centers while the spy music plays. Parents assist students in their fingerprint dusting lab, finding words around the room with their flashlight, taking pictures of them in the photo prop booth, picking an alias to memorize and the teacher’s job is quizzing them on their new identity to see if they can memorize their alias. I bought each child their own small flashlight and let them keep it.

Write Around the DARK ROOM

For the Write Around the DARK Room activity, I pick a phase that tells them to come to me and do something silly like jump up and down or tell me a secret code word like BANANA HANDS. Then, they get a clue envelope that they can’t OPEN until everyone finishes their centers.  If student finish early, they can do puzzles while they wait for others to finish. Then, they open their envelopes together and realize they must put the words in order to solve the mystery that tells them where to find the stolen item.

Students who complete all the centers get a Spy Certificate for completing the training. I let students watch a spy video and invite parents to celebrate with the snacks at the end of the day.

Spy Day will be a day students will remember forever!

Looking for MORE fun end-of-the-year themed days? Try a May the Fourth Star Wars Day.

Fingerprint Lab Center Spy Day
Fingerprint Lab
Truth Serum Spy Bottle Labels
I had these made for the class with the extra PTA money I had in my account.
Write the DARK ROOM Activity
SPY Disguise Booth

Write the Dark Room Spy Day
Find Spy Clues in the Classroom
Find CLUES around the room that tell you a secret phrase to get your clue.
Student finds the Missing Item for SPY DAY
They found the missing bunny.

If you like this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for video tutorials. You can also find us on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.

5 Mother’s Day Craft Ideas for Kids

Craft Ideas, Teacher's Pay Teachers, Teaching Tips

Mother’s Day is just weeks away and this is the time of year where people everywhere are searching for the perfect homemade Mother’s Day gifts. We all know that nothing says I love you like sweet DIY Mother’s Day gifts from her children. 

Mother's Day Craft Ideas pin image

If you are looking for Mother’s Day DIY ideas or some Mother’s Day crafts that your students can easily create with their own two hands, you are in the right spot! When I was in the classroom, I always tried to make sure that students had homemade gifts for mom that they could proudly take home and give to her. 

Here are my favorite Mother’s Day craft and Mother’s Day gift ideas for students

Mother’s Day Lap Book

Mother's day gift ideas

With this craft, students will  color and decorate a special gift for their mom. They can write a letter to mom, draw a picture of the two of them, give them tea, share what they love about her, create Mother’s Day coupons, and more. This gift is sure to be a hit with all moms! 

You can have a Mother’s Day Tea Party and invite all of the moms and caregivers to the classroom for tea and treats. Students will love the opportunity to spend some special time with their moms and the parents are sure to love it too! 

Mother’s Day Coupon Book Craft

homemade Mother's Day gift ideas

 

Another one of my favorite Mother’s Day craft ideas is this coupon book. It’s perfect if you are looking for something simple, quick, and sure to put a smile on any mom’s face. This Mother’s Day Coupon Book is cute and quick! It looks like a matchbook and makes an adorable keepsake!

Mother’s Day Flower Card Writing Activity

Mother's Day craft ideas

Show moms how loved and appreciated they are with this adorable flower craft! These Mother’s Day printables will allow you to create 3D flowers as a card, craft, or wall display to accompany opinion writing! They make great art centers, small group activities, and bulletin boards! 

Mother’s Day Foldable Card

Mother's Day craft ideas for kids

 

This sweet craft is a great way for students to express themselves with some Mother’s Day art! They can create a portrait of their mom and decorate it using other art supplies. As a bonus, this card comes with a Father’s Day card as well! 

Digital Mother’s Day Card

DIY Mother's Day gift ideas

Looking for digital Mother’s Day craft ideas or cards? Look no further! This resource is completely digital. Students can create a card for their moms in an easy, mess free way! These Google Slides can be used in person or while distance learning. You can easily add images of mom in! 

I hope you loved these homemade gifts for mom. Students will be so excited to present their moms with something they made on their own. 

Which activity is your favorite? Let me know in the comments! If you are looking for more Mother’s Day activities, check out my post here!