Birthday Celebrations at School

Birthdays are such a big deal for kids.  It’s a special day that is all theirs and they love to celebrate!  I’m all about having a good time, so I try to do it up big and make their day super special!

I always have the birthday goodies made up ahead of time.  This is something I do in the summer before school starts, so I am ready at all times during the school year!  I have several things that I do, but they are just small little treats that are such a big deal to the kids. I like to have their desk decorated when they walk into the classroom.  It’s nothing crazy or over the top, but I like to have their birthday goodies laid out for them at the start of the day.  They get so excited when they walk in and see their desk and I love seeing their face light up! 

 

1)   I create a birthday cup full of fun goodies for the students to receive on their birthday.  I make enough up for the whole class to last me all year, then I tuck them away in a cabinet so I can just grab them when needed.  In the cup I have a birthday sticker (from Really Good Stuff), birthday bracelet (from Really Good Stuff), confetti, candy (Starburst, Skittles, small fruity candy like that), some wadded up tissue paper acting as “whipped cream” and a Tootsie Pop on top.  This is always a fun little gift and the kids love it!

2)   They always get a birthday hat.  I don’t have a specific one I use all the time.  If I catch one on sale, I usually grab a pack or two.  Sometimes I make them.  It doesn’t really matter to the kids what they look like as long as it is something that goes on their head and lets everyone know it is their birthday!

3)   I love giving a giant Pixy Stix with a balloon topper that serves as a birthday balloon.  You could also attach the “balloon” to a crazy straw or anything else you’d like.  I got this super cute balloon file here on TPT and it is editable!  I invested in it several years ago and use it year after year!  These always turn out super cute on some colored cardstock and makes a great photo op to share with parents to remember this special day!

4)   I had this super cute birthday sign made for my classroom.  The black section is chalk paint, so I can fill in their name and age using a chalk marker.  I have lots of fun colors, so it always turns out great and makes a great picture!

5)   The last thing we do for birthdays is that we always sing and blow out a candle!  I have this really neat candle that looks like a tiered cake someone gave me years ago (I have no idea where you can purchase one).  I turn out the lights, the class sings, they make a wish, and then the birthday boy or girl blows the candle out while the class claps and cheers.  It’s such a special moment and one of my favorites for their birthday!

So, those are the things I typically do to help students celebrate their birthday at school.  There isn’t any right or wrong way to do it—just something that makes them stand out and feel special on their day.  Sometimes the parents want to bring in a special snack and we allow that as long as they follow the snack guidelines.  What do you do with your students to help them celebrate their special day?

 

*Note: Often, there are students that do not celebrate birthdays due to religious reasons, and I always request this info at the beginning of the year so I know this ahead of time.  I respect the parent’s wishes and if they do not want any sort of celebrating, then we just go about the day as normal.  They are also not required to participate in the celebration of any other student's birthday, so I always talk with each parent individually and set those boundaries in the beginning.

Summertime Self-Care: Nails

It’s officially summertime!  Summer for teachers isn’t always what everyone thinks it is (ya know, all being lazy and not doing anything!).  We still have plenty work to do, but it’s also good to take some time for yourself to recharge before you start preparing for the next school year.

Thanks to COVID-19, this year ended a bit differently for me and I spent my last few school days alone in my classroom, instead of doing all the fun end of the year activities I would normally do with my students.  I’m sure closing procedures are different for everyone, but each year I have to pack up my classroom for summer cleaning.  Basically, I have to move everything up onto the built in shelves along the walls.  The custodians remove all the furniture from my classroom so they can buff and wax the floors.  Then, all the furniture gets piled back in for me to sort through and organize.  It’s like a fresh start every year!

 

You can see how I piled everything on top of the cubbies and then the furniture will all be moved out.  I'll have to reorganize once it's all done!

While this summer cleaning is going on, I can’t get into my classroom for at least a week, but often longer.  So I try to use this time to let myself relax and start to enjoy summer.  While I’m relaxing, it can be a good time to reflect on the past school year and start thinking ahead to the next school year.  I can think back on how lessons went and what I plan to do differently next time.  But I try to give myself some time before I really dig in and get started.

For now, I’m just trying to enjoy some me time by having a pool day, exercising, doing my nails (I have gotten into nail dipping and it amazes me since I can’t even polish my own nails!), and dreaming about a vacation! Lol  I’m not really a girlie girl and never have been much on painting my nails (I always make a huge mess and they look awful!).  However, I always liked going and having them done at a nail salon, but that can be pretty expensive to keep up.  So, I started doing powder dip nails at home!

For Christmas, my sister gifted me with an awesome kit that had everything I needed to do my own nails!  It took me a few weeks to work up the nerve, but I finally just dove right in and started doing it.  It was much easier than I ever expected and every time I do my nail they get better and better!  I just ordered some new fun colors for summer and I like to call these my “mermaid nails.”  The colors are so fun and I'm totally ready for a beach trip!

I know we are talking about the nails here, but just in case you caught a glimpse of these super cute earrings, you can get them from my Plunder Stylist here!

If you’re interested in giving powder dip nails a try, here’s a link you can use to get 10% off your order.  Check out the kits because they include everything you need and it will give you a variety of colors to get started.  Just a warning, this can become a bit addicting!  Let me know if you decide to order and I’ll add you to some of the nail groups on Facebook.  I love looking at what color combos others use and there are always lots of awesome tips to help you have the perfect nails!

I hope everyone is enjoying their summer and I will be back soon with some things I’m doing to get ready for next school year.  For now, I’m just trying to chill out and allow myself to recover from the last school year and that vicious round of distance learning.  And, as always, I’m still praying that when the time comes for us to get back to school, everything will be a little more normal and I can enjoy the new school year with all my new Kinderbabies! 💕

*Note: I do not claim to be a nail professional in any capacity!  They are not perfect and please ignore any messes you see in the background of these photos. 😂  I simply enjoy doing my nails and wanted to share the love with others!  If I can do this, you can do this!  Be sure to use this link to get 10% off if you decide to order (it's the same link I used a few times throughout this post).

Time Capsule Project

Whew!  This past week has been a busy one, but the school year is officially over.  I got to go back to work, minus the kids of course.  I was glad to get back and see all my co-workers and I finished up all my end of the year tasks.  I talked about the way I closed the year out with my students on my last blog post.  After they were able to come pick up their personal belongings, I still had to work one more week to tie up any loose ends.

One of the last projects we did was The Time Capsule Project.  The Time Capsule project is one of my favorite projects and I tweaked it a little last year to make it more personal for my students and our school. Last year was the first time I had ever done this project and I’m excited to continue it every year!  Basically, each child puts things inside the time capsule (pictures, art, writing pieces, etc.) and then I put it up to store it until those students graduate from our school in 6^th grade.  At that time, we will pass it down to their 6^th grade classes, let them open it up, and see how they’ve grown and changed! 

This was what we had inside last year's box.  It looks a little messy, but I think it'll be fun for the kids to go through in the future.

The end of the year is a very busy time, so this project usually feels a little rushed.  But that’s okay because it’s not about necessarily creating something new, but just putting in something you previously did during the school year!  This year ended a little differently so I gave my students a blank template to complete and put in the time capsule.  Here is a super cute one from TPT that works perfectly for this!  The students were also encouraged to bring a picture, drawing, or work sample for the time capsule on the day they picked up their graduation items from the classroom.  The only thing they really had to do was drop it in the box and it’s done!  Don't stress yourself out over organization as long as everything has a student name on it.  That'll be part of the fun when they go back through the box the year they graduate!

A large pizza box is perfect to put the items in!  I need to design a super cute sign to tape on the front of the boxes!

We have three kindergarten classes at our school.  As the years pass, the students will not always remain in the same class together.  So, rather than have 3 boxes to keep up with each year, we put all the time capsule items from all three classes together in one box.  That means we only have one box to store and keep up with, which is less storage space and not as much concern about misplacing the time capsule.  For store, I use a pizza box, which gave us plenty of room for items, and it is easy to store and place up on a shelf that is out of the way!

The pizza boxes fit perfectly on the top shelf of our storage room.  They are out of the way and shouldn't get lost since we don't typically move those items around up there.

I love this cute little project and can’t wait for the first year that the 6^th graders will get to open it!  It’s always neat to look back on pictures and drawings from years past and I expect the kids will enjoy seeing how much they have changed.  Do you do a time capsule project in your classroom?  What does your project look like?