The holidays are the perfect time of the year to teach students the importance of being kind. To do this, I like to have my students complete random acts of kindness throughout the month of December using a Holiday Themed RAK bingo to guide us. On this post, I will share the bingo board that I use with tips for how to use it in your classroom. Ways to Use the Random ... Read More
Browse the archives below for even more great ideas
Christmas Games for the Classroom
Fourth and fifth graders are definitely not too old to enjoy Christmas games (or holiday games). This post shares some of my favorite Christmas games for the classroom. Many of these ideas also double as Christmas gifts. The games are pure fun and not educational. If you are looking for educational Christmas activities for your 4th and 5th graders, then click ... Read More
Christmas Party Activity for Upper Elementary
I love all things holiday and am always looking for ways to engage my students and keep them motivated to behave and work during the months leading up to a major holiday. Even though my students are fifth graders, I still want them to enjoy a bit of the magic of Christmas. On this post, I will share a super engaging Christmas mystery bag activity that works well for a ... Read More
Christmas STEM Activity: Gumdrop Christmas Tree
The holidays are the perfect time to engage your students with activities that you don't get to do during the regular school year. This Christmas STEM activity is a student favorite and perfect for engaging your students in engineering and math skills while also sneaking in some holiday fun. STEM Focus: The focus for this Christmas STEM activity is engineering and ... Read More
Christmas Craft for Upper Elementary | Christmas Inventions Activity
With the sights, sounds, and smells of Christmas surrounding us for almost a quarter of a year, have you ever stopped to consider how all the Christmas objects and decorations actually came to be? Who invented it and when? This whole class or individual student Christmas craft (or simply a Christmas reading activity) is a great way to bring in some holiday cheer into your ... Read More
FREE Thanksgiving Puzzles | Math Logic Puzzles
Have you seen those puzzles floating around social media where you have to determine the value of different images and then solve a final equation? Those are super addictive and I always stop my scroll and solve them. Most of the time, the fifth grade teacher in me gets them correct. However, I have been tricked a time or two. ;) After solving my fifteenth one this past ... Read More
Thanksgiving Science Activity | Bending Bones
Holidays are the perfect time to engage your students in experiments and activities that are a nice break from the normal curriculum, but still valuable learning opportunities. On this post, I will share a Thanksgiving science activity involving bending turkey bones! This is more of a demonstration than an activity and will take a few days (2-3) so make sure you ... Read More
Thanksgiving Writing Activities | Pie Tasting
If you are familiar with my blog or my resources, then you know I love seasonal and holiday resources and activities. I love taking the students' excitement and channeling it into productive, engaging work. My favorite activities to do each year are Thanksgiving writing activities involving pie tasting. Materials Needed At least two different types of pies - I ... Read More
Apple Oxidation Science Experiment with FREE Science Reading Activity
Science experiments are such an important part of students’ learning. However, sometimes I felt that my science standards didn’t lend themselves to the kind of experiments that my students really needed. Implementing seasonal themed science experiments was a great way to incorporate engaging science experiments that I felt really benefited my students. This post shares ... Read More
Fall Engineering Activities and Challenges for Upper Elementary
Engineering activities are the perfect supplement to any curriculum. They build creative thinking, allow students to explore in safe spaces, teach teamwork, and so much more! However, I know that finding the time to fit STEM or engineering activities into your already packed schedule can be difficult. For this reason, I like to use holidays and seasonal times of the ... Read More
Halloween Activity | Halloween Party Idea for the Classroom
Ever since I became a teacher, I wanted to do the Halloween Mystery Box idea where the students feel the "yucky" things that are supposed to be scary/creepy things. Last year, when I wanted an engaging Halloween activity that doubled as a writing activity, I knew I had to finally give this a try. I put my own spin on it and did it as "easy and low prep" as possible. Keep ... Read More
Spring Activities for Upper Elementary
Spring is in the air! Spring is such a fun time in the classroom, but it can also be a not-so-fun time. The kids (and teachers) get spring fever and are ready for Spring Break. And most state tasting falls around this time, so that makes it really difficult for teachers. I decided a long time ago to embrace the spring fever and use it to my advantage. How do I do that? ... Read More
