Spark Student Motivation: Random Acts of Kindness

RANDOM ACTS OF CHRISTMAS KINDNESS!

Our class brainstormed 12 different acts of kindness we could perform for the last 12 days of school before Christmas. They were very thoughtful with their ideas and here's some of what we've accomplished so far:

Our little pre-k students are so adorable! We visited their classroom to share our Christmas cheer. This also served as a great practice for our singing at the nursing home. They were a great audience and clapped for all our songs. I know my students felt proud with their smiling faces as we left their classroom.

 One of my favorite ideas...I created bookmarks and laminated them for my students to secretly place them in books in our media center. We chose some of the Sunshine State Readers and popular books so they would be sure to be found very soon! My students were so excited to go on this "mission"! One of my students said, "Mrs. Miller, kids are going to be so happy if they find these bookmarks!" We signed the bookmarks Love, Mrs. Miller's Class, so they'd know they were placed in the books on purpose.

 Our first act of kindness was to leave money for a cold drink on the soda machine. My students were so funny about this one! They kept asking me if the money was gone, who took it, did anyone say anything? A few days later we received a note with these candies thanking us for our act of kindness. :) My kids were THRILLED! They experienced the "paying it forward"!

 A tradition in  my classroom is to meet at the nursing home and sing Christmas carols. I've done this since my second year of teaching and it warms my heart every year! I love the feeling it gives my students, my parents, and the residents of the nursing home. It's a wonderful experience and will be a lifelong memory for everyone. EVERY student came dressed up with smiles on their faces!
(The picture on the left are two of my students with my silly daughter-red hair).

We also wanted to warm the hearts and bodies of the teachers who have outside morning duty and the front office staff! We've had some cold weather this week in Florida!

We have four more days planned for next week to finish our "mission"!

As teachers we teach so much more than academics, we teach our students to be good citizens. While doing so, we create memories and experiences they'll treasure for a lifetime!

**This linkup will be open for the next three weeks, feel free to link up each week if you'd like! 

I hope you had a wonderful week! Please link up any lessons, ideas, tips, tricks, incentives, ANYTHING you do get your students motivated or excited!

Don't forget to grab my button and link back to this post!

Check out all the wonderful ideas from my friends who link up and don't forget to leave some love by commenting....we LOVE comments!
***Please include the topic in the link up with your blog name.

Spark Student Motivation: Class Vending Machine

 

 Presenting my newest addition to my classroom...

I got this idea about a month ago while we were at a soccer tournament. All the kids went crazy over the vending machines in the restaurant we ate at. We must've spent $10 on plastic football helmets!

So, I thought I need have to have one for my classroom! One of my parents found a brand new one on Craigslist and donated it to our class! (BIG thank you!). I purchased the capsules on Amazon and they also sell the vending machine. Click here and here.

 

 I purchased the machine that holds the 2" capsules. They can hold small prizes like cap erasers, rubber bracelets, stickers, etc. I filled most of them will prize slips and Scan to Win Tickets. The Scan to Win Tickets make it like winning twice!

 

 

 These two ladies were excited with their big win! Chew gum all day?? That's fun! My other student won "your choice", she chose to eat lunch with me! So sweet! :)

 

I'm keeping my vending machine SPECIAL! I had a few winners when I first introduced our newest addition, but they don't get prizes every day. I don't have an "official' plan for using it yet, which keeps them on their toes in anticipation. I'm thinking of random things like effort, selfless acts of kindness, most Reading Counts points in a week, a raffle, etc.

There's a piece to take out of the machine so it doesn't need quarters, you just spin it. However, I think if I brought a roll of quarters to rotate through that would be fun too!

After they open the prizes, I collect the capsules to reuse them. Once you purchase the capsules and machine, you'll have it forever! It's an initial investment, but you can fill it with donations or prize slips that are free to you: use pen all day, sit next to a friend, eat lunch with a friend, sit in a special chair, free answer on an assignment, etc.
This machine is causing lots of excitement in our class and is very motivating!
 

I hope you had a wonderful week! Please link up any lessons, ideas, tips, tricks, incentives, ANYTHING you do get your students motivated or excited!

Don't forget to grab my button and link back to this post!

Check out all the wonderful ideas from my friends who link up and don't forget to leave some love by commenting....we LOVE comments!
***Please include the topic in the link up with your blog name.

Christmas & Winter Products {Freebies Too!}

Attention TPT Shoppers, that blue light is flashing over at TPT!

Enjoy 20% off of most stores plus TPT is offering an additional 10% off {TPTCYBER}.

 

Cute right? My first job was at Kmart and I used to run all those Blue Light Specials!

 

I want to share two new products and some Christmas and Winter items you may want to add to your bag of tricks this season!

Here are two fun, engaging, and meaningful craftivities that your students will love! I have a Christmas Reading Wreath and a NEW Winter Reading Wreath! The winter wreath is perfect for our return from the break or a nice alternative for those students who don't celebrate holidays. They both can be used with any text (fiction and non-fiction templates included). This is perfect for these weeks before the break when your students get a little restless, to leave for a substitute, or a family project to promote reading! Students are proud to hang their reading wreaths!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of my favorites is my Christmas Reading Graphic Organizers. I love its versatility and kids think they're fun because of the Christmas organizers! Use these graphic organizers for a read aloud, independent reading, literature circles, weekly story, small group instruction, or homework!

Add a little cuteness and everyone is happy! :)

 

Next up is my Christmas Story Starters, Note Cards, Post Cards, and Writing Paper, lots of possibilities for this resource. Great for a stand alone center, home work, and creative writing. Festive resources for the teacher too!

 

 

NEW FREEBIE! Grab this Happy Holidays Banner to spruce up your classroom or bulletin board! I love the chalk backgrounds for Christmas! Enjoy!

**Please leave some feedback love if you download. :)

 

FREEBIE! Grab these Merry Multiplication Fact Families & Factors math practice pages for a math center, homework, or early finishers.

 

During the holiday season or when we get back in January, you'll want to get your students excited about idioms and writing with this pack! This "winter" themed pack is also a nice alternative for students who don't celebrate Christmas. Click here to take a peek at these Winter Idioms, Prompts, Story Starter Cards and Themed Paper.

 

If you have any questions, please email me! headoverheelsforteaching@gmail.com.

 

Enjoy the sale and your week! Are you counting down? Christmas is coming waaaaayy too fast!