It's the Final Countdown! (cue the music in your head)

(For the full experience of this musical masterpiece) Click at your own risk...if you get the music stuck in your head, that's on you :-)

Wow, just like that, it's May! Do you want to know how to make a teacher smile and cringe at the same time? Remind them that there are less than 25 days of school...they will think of the summer ahead and all the things they want to get done with the students before summer arrives. 

But back to countdowns. For the last several years, the 3rd grade (and eventually the whole school) has done what we call the ABC Countdown. As everyone probably knows, keeping the students engaged and looking forward to coming to school as the year comes to a close can, at times, be challenging when we have to compete with the allure of sunny, warm days--although these have only been recent events. So, at some point in recent history, we stumbled upon the ABC Countdown as a way to keep the students looking forward to school while we tried to fill their growing (yet distracted) brains with the final bits of knowledge and skills. If you aren't familiar with the idea of an ABC Countdown, here's an example of the one we use this year:
A-Art Appreciation Day   B-Baseball Day   C-Crazy Hair Day    D-Dairy Farm Day   E-Exercise Day  F-Free Time Day   G-GoNoodle Day   H-Hat Day   I-Interesting Fact Day   J-Jeans Day 
K-Kindness Day   L-Lend a Hand Day   M-Mismatch Day/Music in Residence Day 
N-Necktie/Necklace Day   O-Out of this World Day   P-Purple and Gold Day   Q-Quiet Day 
R-Ready for Field Day   S-Sing and Dance Day   T-Twin Day   U-USA Day   V-Volunteer Day
W-Walking Day   X-Xtra Clean Classroom Day   Y-Yearbook Day   Z-Zip-Up and Zap Day

Some of my favorites are: I-Interesting Fact Day (we turn it into a trivia contest), K-Kindness Day (because they can always use the reminder), P-Purple and Gold Day (but more because I also do Past Picture Day, which we used to do before it became a school-wide calendar), and R-Ready for Field Day (an exhausting but exciting day). So, with 23 days and counting, we are going to be done before we know it!

Just need to share this: Today there were some snacks in the teachers' lounge: fruit, veggies, cheese, sausage, crackers, and cookies. I made my plate while the kids were at recess and walked back to my room. I passed another class in the hallway, and a student said to me, "You get snacks? I want to be a teacher!" While I didn't become a teacher for the snacks, it is a nice perk...

Mindfulness thought for the week: I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something.  --Edward Everett Hale



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