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Summer

#TeacherSelfCareSummer: A Summer Challenge for Teachers

Today is my last day of school, completing my 4th year of teaching! Summers are a wonderful time when you are a teacher. We work so hard and such long hours during the school year that summers are truly deserved. In the past, I’ve taken a few weeks off here and there over the summer, but felt like I was mostly in my classroom, working on things for the next school year and never really took a break for myself. This summer, I will be focusing on spending quality time with friends and family and working on my business through TeachersPayTeachers and my blog. I know I’m not alone when I say I would work most of the summer which is why I created a summer challenge for teachers.

I’m so excited to launch #teacherselfcaresummer, a challenge for teachers to fully enjoy their summer! #Teacherselfcaresummer is a summer bucket list of 25 activities/things to do for teachers everywhere. When you complete one of these activities, post a picture to Instagram and tag me @one_kreative_kindergarten as well as use the hashtag #teacherselfcaresummer. (I’ll be reposting some teachers so make sure you tag me and use the hashtag.) This is a way for teachers everywhere to enjoy their summer and not have just another working summer, spending hours upon hours in their classrooms. Take time for you!

#TeacherSelfCareSummer

Here is the list of 25 things you can complete over your summer vacation! You can also download it as a checklist to make it easier to keep track of what you finish, see below.

Read a book (for pleasure) – if a PD book is for pleasure that’s fine too!
Learn a new skill/hobby
Take a spontaneous trip/day out
Get together with a friend
Organize something – your house, your files, your make up, anything!
Stay up past 11
Try a new recipe
Swim in a pool
Sleep in until 9
Go shopping
Have a beach day
Go on a vacation or a weekend getaway
Call someone you haven’t talked to in a while
Go on a walk
Take a bath
Drink wine during lunch (or if you don’t drink – go out to lunch)
Rock a new outfit
Have a movie marathon day
Go on a hike
Go to happy hour
Have breakfast in bed
Go to a concert
Go on a date
Binge watch something on TV
Go to a sports game

I hope this list inspires you to have a #teacherselfcaresummer and focus on you for once! There are no real rules to this challenge. Participate when you want or when you can and tag me (@one_kreative_kindergarten) and the hashtag for the chance to get reposted. I can’t wait to see all the amazing things you do this summer and share what I’m doing with you over my summer!

My Summer Schedule to Grow my TpT Store

This post may include affiliate links. By purchasing from these links I earn a slight commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting my business.

Last summer was the first summer I put work into my TpT store and business. This summer, I plan to grow my store even more, now that I have a better idea of what I’m doing and have more experience under my belt. I’ve created a summer schedule so I can be productive while still leaving time to relax and spend quality time with friends and family (and my pup of course)! Take a look at my summer schedule to grow my TpT store below.

I’ve divided tasks into how often I need to get them done: daily, weekly, bi-weekly and monthly.

My Summer Schedule

Daily

Write for the Blog

I’ve set a goal to write at least something for my blog everyday. It can be an idea, an outline for a post or a full blown post, I just want to write something. My goal is to get far enough ahead that I’m not scrambling to write a post the day before it goes live. I want to work so I can have a few months scheduled out ahead of time. (Of course I won’t be doing this while I’m on vacation or certain weekends/events – but for the most part, I will write daily.)

Post on Instagram

I post daily on Instagram already and I will continue to post daily. During the summer, I’ll still post tips and ideas for the classroom but I’ll also post about my summer life and how I’m spending my summer. Let’s connect on this platform – follow me at @one_kreative_kindergarten and send me a message! I’d love to meet you!

Weekly

Post a New Product

For the past few months, I’ve slowed down on creating new products, mostly because it’s been a busy season in my life personally and professionally. Over the summer, I plan to post a new product each week.

I currently have a growing bundle for classroom decor that I’ll be getting products out for. Check it out and get it for a discount here!

Schedule Pins on Tailwind

I currently take a day (usually Sundays) and I schedule out my pins on Tailwind for the week. I’ll continue to do this as I can just set it and forget it. Posting through Tailwind has helped me gain tons of traffic to my blog which gives more exposure to my TpT products and store. My blog is my second highest traffic source besides TeachersPayTeachers itself.

Post in Facebook Groups

One of my goals this summer is to be more active in the Facebook groups I belong to. Three of my top favorite Facebook groups for blogging/TpT/Instagram are Teacher Blogger + Seller Network, Instagram Connection for Educators, and TpT Sellers.

Create Pins for TpT Products

I’ve noticed that pins for my TpT products get shared more when they aren’t just the cover of my TpT product. I want to go back through my entire store and create pin sized pins (longer pins) instead of just pinning my square thumbnail images.

Bi-Weekly

Post Blog Posts

Currently, I post once a week on my blog. If you want to see something specific on my blog leave me a comment below! I’d love to help you and give you want you want to see more of!

Monthly

Schedule out/Brainstorm Blog Posts

To help me stay on top of posts and work a month or two in advance, I’ll be scheduling out and brainstorming my posts monthly. Looking ahead helps me see the bigger picture and schedule where I can post about upcoming products or give a deeper explanation to future buyers.

Update an Older Product

I have almost 100 products in my store and some of them need updates real bad! I plan to update some of these at least once a month, possibly a few times a month.

Complete an Online Course that will Benefit my Business

Last year, I purchased the Genius Bloggers Toolkit and now that I’ll have more time in the summer, I want to put time into learning more that will help grow my blog and TpT store. I’ll be working on at least one online course a month!

I’m so excited to spend this summer working on my business by growing both my blog and TpT store! What projects are you working on this summer? Share them below!

Create an Unforgettable Memory Book that your Students will Cherish Forever

As the end of the year charges full steam ahead, teachers are scrambling to find an end of the year gift for their students. Although, I love seeing all the super cute gifts and clever puns that teachers come up with for end of the year gifts, I’ve found that a memory book is the most meaningful gift that a student can take home at the end of the year. It is also extremely easy to create!

Memory books are such an amazing way for students to look back on their year, no matter what grade they’re in. This project is very low stress and super easy because I’ve been creating my students’ memory books from the beginning of the year. Each month, I keep special art projects, important writing or pictures that will eventually be bound into a book.

Memory Books

Organization

To stay organized throughout the year, I have a special drawer with files for each of my students. These files hold each student’s work that will eventually turn into their memory book. I start the files off with their first day of school writing and their drawing of themselves on their first day in kindergarten. Every piece of work I add goes behind the next. That way, when I go to make the memory book, I just pull the work from inside the file and all I have to do is bind it!

What’s Inside?

I try to keep at least one art project from each month. Mainly, these art pieces go along with whatever holiday or season we’re celebrating that month. I also include my students’ Star of the Week letter from their parents and any important writing or drawings. The front cover of their memory book is two pictures of the student: one picture on the first day of kindergarten and one on the (semi) last day of kindergarten. Of course I can actually do the last day or else the books wouldn’t be ready. I love using this as the front cover because you get to see how much they’ve truly grown.

Tips

Start saving art or important work right away
Face all the work the same direction one after another so it’s in order
Glue a background paper to any small art to make binding easier
Laminate the front and back covers to make book sturdier

You may need…

(Affiliate Links: by purchasing from these links I earn a slight commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting my business.)

Do you create a memory book for your students to take home at the end of the year? I’d love to hear about your process! Leave a comment below.

An Inside Look at my End of the Year Alphabet Countdown

The ideas that teachers get from each other is beyond amazing! This year, my class participated in an Alphabet Countdown to count down the days to the end of our school year. I found this idea on Instagram through a brilliant teacher author, Alyssa Barnes from Mrs. Barnes Bunch (click here for the link).

This countdown is not only a student favorite but also a teacher favorite! Each day, my students looked forward to the letter of the day and I enjoyed getting activities set up for them so we could end our year together in the best way possible. When you buy this countdown from TpT, you get a version that is completely ready to print out and use and you also get a version where you can edit what the letter of the day is for. At my school, students wear uniforms so I took out the free dress days and substituted those days for another activity.

Alphabet Countdown:

A – is for Art. My students love doing art but rarely get the chance to be creative and do their own art project because usually they are structured lessons. For our first activity in our countdown, I had students use Q-tips as brushes and they got to paint whatever they wanted! I love the different things they come up with!

B – is for Bubbles. Bubble party! If you do not have a bubble machine.. invest in one NOW!

C – is for Chalk. This set on amazon was a great deal and came very quick through my Prime membership.

D – is for Dino. For our dino day, I set out scrap paper and students got to create any kind of dinosaur. This activity was one of my least favorites and I wish I had a different “D” word or I changed the activity. I’ve already gone on Pinterest to find different activities for next year.

E – is for Experiment. For our science experiment, we (tried) to create crystals from Borox and hot water. My example worked when I did a trial run but when the kids tried, the “crystals” didn’t stick. I really enjoyed doing this activity but it’s one where you need lots of help. My assistant teacher and I were running all over the place.

F – is for Flashlight. Turn off the light and have some fun! Some of my students made shadow puppets.. others just walked around with their light.

G – is for Game Day. Students brought in different games and during our free play time we got to play games that everyone brought in.
H – is for Helping Hands. To use our helping hands, we picked up trash around the school. It was actually surprising how much trash we found. My kinders were really happy to contribute to making the school more beautiful.

I – is for Ice Cream. Need I say more? Yum!

J – is for Jokes. Kindergarten jokes are either really funny or you don’t understand them at all. However, all the other kindergarteners seem to think they are hilarious!
K – is for Kindness. This activity was one of my favorites and really showed not only how kind these kids are, but how much they’ve grown throughout the year. For this, I wrote each students name on a large piece of construction paper. Then, students rotated the papers around the room and wrote something nice (or drew something) on each students paper. By the time we were finished, students had a big collage of all these nice comments from their friends. It melted my heart watching a child write that they liked another students smile.

L – is for Lemonade. I bought the frozen lemonade concentrate and students helped me add water and stir.

M – is for Move it, Move it Dance Party. Kidz Bop!

N – is for Neon. For our neon day, students got some glow sticks and made different shapes and accessories with them. We also had a dance party for some added fun!

O – is for Outdoor Adventure. Something I love most about teaching kindergarten is their natural curiosity to everything around them. I gave my students a magnifying glass and set them free on the school yard. Students loved looking at their play structure through a different lens, literally.

P – is for Popcorn
Party. Another crowd favorite!

Q – is for Quiet Time. A teacher favorite. One of my favorite life savors when students need some serious chill out time is the meditations for kids on YouTube. During our Quite Time, I put one of these meditations on and students got to relax and listen while on the comfort of their pillow.

R – is for extra Recess.

S – is for new Seats. I let my kindergarteners pick their own seats for the end of the year [insert shock face here] We’ll see how this goes…

T – is for Treasure Tell. Students brought a special item to show and tell to their friends. Then students could ask questions about their item. Kindergarten questions: “I have something like that at home…” – Me: “That’s a comment, not a question!!” (after almost every “question”).

U – is for Under the Table. Again, am I really doing this with kindergarteners?

V – is for Victory. During this day, we played four corners and some other games outside.

W – is for minute to Win it. I had to find a way to incorporate my favorite Minute to Win it Games! Read more about this here for on my End of the Year post.

X – is for X-change autographs. HAGS

Y – is for Year End Sale. Cleaning day aka my favorite day! This is when we take home all our supplies, workbooks, art, work, etc… Students also grab wipes and wipe EVERYTHING in sight.

Z – is for Zip your backpacks and Zoom off to summer. Teachers will be zooming to their couch to binge watch tv and drink wine (and not feel guilty about it because we can sleep in! Hurray!)

Do you count down to the end of the year?

End the Year Strong with These 5 Resources

May is one of my favorite times in the school year. May is the month when you can taste how close summer is but you are also enjoying the time you have left with your babies. It’s the time when you reflect on where your students were when they came to you and how much you’ve taught them in order for them to be successful in their next year. This is the time where you come out of your January through March slump when days just feel like they drag on forever and you can’t even imagine the end of the school year. May is when our California hot, sunny days last into the evening and when everyone’s mood seems a bit brighter. As our year comes to a close, I often think about how blessed I am to be doing what I love and making a difference in little human lives.

Throughout the few years I’ve been teaching, I’ve compiled a bunch of end of the year activities to end the year as strong as I started and to enjoy the last bit of time I have with my class. Here are some of the resources and activities I’ve found throughout my journey.

Activities for the end of the school year:

1. Memory Book – Throughout the school year, I keep various art projects (specifically monthly holiday art projects) and writing pieces to eventually create a memory book for my students to take home with them at the end of the year. I also take a picture of them with my “First day of kindergarten” frame on the first day and the (close to) “Last day of kindergarten” frame around the last day of kindergarten. These pictures, art and writing show their growth throughout their year in kindergarten. I bind it all up with my fancy binding machine and give it to them on the last day of school.

2. ABC Countdown – While I was scrolling through Instagram, I found a fantastic resource called the Alphabet Countdown. Each day represents a different letter and we count down all the way to “Z” where we Zoom off to summer! This teacher has created one countdown that you can take and use right away and created an editable version where you can add your own days! At my school, students wear uniforms so I changed a couple of the dress up days to make it work for my school. So far, my students are loving this countdown and it has given us something to look forward to as we end our year together.

3. Awards – Each year, I go through these awards I purchased on TpT and give an award to each student in my class. We have a whole ceremony where I describe the accomplishments of the student and present their award. They look so excited and proud when they hear their name and everyone claps for them.

4. Minute to Win it Games – These games are a SUPER fun way to end your year. I usually do these in the last week or so. This is a free resource from TpT which makes it even better. My favorite games to play are “Cookie Face”, “M&M Race”, “Flip it” (your kids will thank you when they’re in college for this one) and “Bouncer” (another college favorite).

5. Cleaning Day – I’m always so amazed when I ask my kids to get a wipe and clean because it’s like once they have a wipe in their hands they want to clean every surface. My kids even get in fights about who is cleaning what area. So they love cleaning with wipes but when I ask them to clean up their toys from free play or put their supplies away it looks like a disaster area – it’s ridiculous! Anyway, once we’ve put all our workbooks, contents of our pencil boxes and whatever else children hide in their chair storage, I get out the wipes and let them go to town on everything in the classroom.

How do you end the year in your classroom?