Summertime, Game Time {Surprise Game Freebie} Week 6


Well, hello!  Another (super hot!) week of summer is wrapping up, but not before you scoop up this week's surprise freebie!  You must, I insist :)  And while you're here, you might was well snag the exclusive blog reader's extra goodie to go along with the game!

Enjoy the weekend!






My Top Picks for Back to School Games

 
The count down is on.  The calendar turns to August this week and the panic settles in.  Teachers all across the country to prepare for those first fast-pace, high-energy days of school.  Today I want to share with you my top 5 picks for back to school games!

One of the first things I did with my students in that first week of school was to familiarize them the ins and outs of the classroom.  Where are the art supplies?  What parts of the room are off-limits?   I'm pretty sure my first year of teaching I walked around the classroom and yammered off about every drawer, closet, and shelf as my students sat at their desk and listened.  Boring.  I didn't know any better.  The next year I decided to make it more fun with a classroom scavenger hunt!  I let the students explore the classroom in teams reading clues about where things were kept in the room.  Wanna give it a shot this year?  Check out my First Day of School Survival Kit that includes this fun way to introduce your students to the sections of your classroom.
 Editable version available to make cards custom for your classroom!



Here's another small group activity:  "Get-to-Know-You Jenga"  Rachel Lynette has this freebie printable available at her TpT for you to create your own Jenga game.
All you need to do is print out the strips and tape to Jenga blocks.  Students pull out a block and answer the question for their group members.  This game would work great as a center during that first week of school.
I wrote about this fun get-up-and-move game in a guest post over on One Stop Teacher Shop (where you can snag a free template for this game as well!).  I'm sure you've played "Four Corners" before as an easy indoor recess game, but I bet you haven't thought to use it as a "getting to know you" game.

To make it an ice breaker game, you can simply type in questions like:  "What is your favorite ice cream flavor?" and on the multiple choice slide type in the different flavor choices.  Students have 20 seconds to race to the corner that matches their answer.  You can snag this freebie template (and check out my whole guest post on active review games) on One Stop Teacher Shop.

At the start of the school year, you never know how well the kids know each other from previous years.  You might have students that have been together since kindergarten or you might have a student that is brand new to the school.  This game (well, I should say it's the game before the game) will help your students find a partner quickly, even if they don't know a single person in your class.


Use these cards all year long anytime you want your students to find a partner fast!  This partner game also is part of my First Day Survival Kit, found HERE.


And finally, a game that requires the least amount of prep!  Simply come up with some this/that type questions for a fun game of "Switch Sides If..."  Have students stand on one side of the room.  Make statements such as "Switch sides if you prefer basketball over soccer."  If a student agrees with the statement, he/she switches sides.  It's that simple!
Head over to this blog post for a ready-made list of "Switch Sides If..." statements that you can use! Even easier!

Have a great day!

MORE BACK TO SCHOOL RESOURCES FOR YOU:








Summertime, Game Time {Week 5}

What a busy week!  Is it really Friday already?  I've been so consumed with my civil war unit (which is coming along nicely) that I have barely looked up from my computer to check the day of the week :)  It's a good thing I did, however, or I would have missed this week's surprise freebie game!  (Phew, that was close! hehe)

Here she is.  And guys.  It's a good one.  Perfect for the beginning of the school year.  So go ahead, skip on over to my TpT store and grab your surprise!
 

And, here's a little extra love, exclusively for my readers!  It goes along with the game provided at TpT,

Hope your weekend rocks!






Summertime, Game Time {Week 4}

Is it already week 4?  We are almost half-way through this fun little summertime surprise series!


I was at Target the other day and saw the saddest thing.  They had moved all of their summer seasonal things and outdoor living products into a sad little corner.  In its place they were stocking the shelves with back to school items.  Womp, Womp!  How are we halfway through July already?

Hopefully these summertime surprise games have helped keep the fun going.  I'm not ready to give in to end-of-summer trend just yet!

Let's check out this week's surprise freebie, shall we?  Go ahead.  It's ready for you over on TpT:

And - check out your blog reader's exclusive add-on:

Now, how about that?  Enjoy the fun!






Get Up and MOVE! {Guest Post}

Happy Monday! (#imateacheranddon'tcarewhatdayitis)

We had such a lovely weekend.  We took the little lady to the beach.  It was gorgeous weather all weekend!  Hope you enjoyed some time outside.

I wanted to let you guys know about a another fun guest post I did over at One Stop Teacher Shop.

You'll walk away with 5 great ideas for making review games more active and fun in your classroom along with 2 FREEBIES!  Hope you'll check it out!





Ten on Ten {Monthly Linky Party} AND "Summertime, Game Time" Surprise Game FREEBIE

Ok.  We've got a LOT to get through today!  It's Friday, so that means I've got a new surprise freebie for you, AND it's the 10th of the month which means it's time for another round of Ten on Ten.

So let's get started shall we?  First up, freebie time!  Week 3 is ready for you on TpT!  Click the picture below to open your surprise present for this week!

And, because I love my readers, here's your blog reader extra exclusive, available only here on the blog. Click the banner below and be sure to download it to get full access to the file!


And now for some Ten on Ten.

I've missed a couple months on this, but I want to get back in on the action.   I always enjoy seeing what other bloggers are up to on their every day life.  I decided to make this monthly post into a linky party!  So, you're a blogger and want to get in on the fun, here's how to participate:

1)  Choose ten pictures that show your readers what's been going on in your life lately.  The pictures can be both teacher and non-teacher related.
2)  Place the pictures in post on the tenth of each month. You can include a small caption with each picture if you'd like.  You must include my blog button (found on my side bar) somewhere in your post)
3)  Come to the Classroom Game Nook and link up your post to the linky party.  Check out other bloggers who have linked up and leave a comment or two on their blogs to share the love!

I hope you'll participate.  Here are my Ten on Ten:







Now it's your turn - link up your ten pictures!  And that's that!  Hope you'll link up and enjoy each other's Ten on Ten!