Quick (and cheap!) Gift Idea For Students!

I have to admit--this one I stole from a good friend of mine. She posted a picture of the scarves she was making for her students as Christmas gifts and I just HAD to copy!

I lucked out--the Joann's Fabric near my house was having a moving sale...I got four yards of fleece for less than $10! (I even had enough to make myself one and keep a few for emergency gifts!)

I made each scarf 6 inches wide and 3ft long. I tied knots on the girl's scarves and wrapped them up in cute snowman paper. Over all the project took about two hours from start to finish, just enough time to watch a Christmas movie and sip some hot chocolate.

My only regret? I should have stocked up at that moving sale for future years!!

I wasn't sure how well it was going to go over with the students but they loved them and kept them on nearly the entire day!

 

 

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow...(3D Snowflakes!)

Today was our first early release day due to inclement weather!

The students (elementary anyways) were already expecting a "half day" since parent-teacher conferences were scheduled for the afternoon...the thought of snow just made them THAT much crazier.

Normally I keep my blinds shut (which I hate!) but if not the kids can't see the SmartBoard and the sun ends up uncomfortably in their eyes.

I noticed early on in the morning that I was losing the battle. All 19 sets of eyes were trying desperately to see out the open blinds behind my desk. Around snack time I knew I was defeated. I reminded myself that my students are 8 and we decided to embrace the weather.

I shared a Brainpop Jr. with the students about winter (http://www.brainpopjr.com/science/weather/winter/)
Right now the link is a free video but normally you need a subscription to view.

Then we spent some time making 3D Snowflakes. I had never done it before but a quick Google searched turned up this great tutorial!
http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-3D-Paper-Snowflake

Every now and then students need to refine those fine motor skills!

They were so proud to march out with their snowflakes at the end of the day to the "oohs" and "ahhs" from the other 3rd and 4th grade classes!