I am so excited to be popping in to the #KinderTribe blog again for the #WWWW linky.
I don't know about you guys, but we are full-swing into end-of-year madness. We have 13 days. THIRTEEN. DAYS.
If you have never heard of the A-Z Countdown to Summer, you need to check it out somewhere. Keep reading this post, check out my Instagram (Molly from Miss K's Little Rays is doing Z-A countdown, which is so cool!), check Pinterest...ANYTHING you can to try this awesome and engaging ABC activity to end the year.
To start this, I mapped out a calendar of what I wanted to do and created a paper chain with the letters in reverse order. My calendar is according to dates and just so happens to correlate with a lot of holidays, field trips, and activities at our school this year. The chain serves as a great visual for how many letters/days we have left. Some of the days are what some would call 'standards-based'...others are simply letting them have fun and play. They're 5 and 6 and it is just what they need at this time of year. :)
Click HERE to find a 'generic' version of the calendar without the dates and my school-related events!
Click HERE to find my poster that I used next to my paper chain!
Here's a glimpse at some of the fun so far:
I do not send home the calendar with my kids because I like to have them predict what they day will be. It brings up a fabulous discussion/review of letter sounds!! For example, Monday was 'L'. One of my kiddos said elephant, so we had a discussion about the beginning sound/letter for elephant. Another teacher on my team sent the calendar home so parents were able to send items in, plan ahead, etc. I planned for a few days of treats and small gifts, but nothing major and definitely nothing that is breaking the bank. Hello, Dollar Tree and Target Dollar Spot. To make this as easy as possible, I like to prep my entire week on the weekend or on Thursday/Friday when I do all of my lesson planning.
It is a fun way to keep the kids engaged and ready to go each morning. In my experience, it's a quick behavior fix as soon as I say it is time to do the countdown activity.
Do you do an A-Z (Z-A) countdown in your classroom? How's it going? I'm sure you all have amazing end-of-year tips and tricks and I'd love for you to link-up and let me know! :)
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