The Final Countdown

Happy Monday!!  Today starts our countdown to the last day of school!!  We have just ten more days of school this year!  If you're like me and live anywhere in the Northeastern part of the United States, you will have a few snow days to make up.  For us, it was a whole extra week tacked on to the end of the year, besides the various days during the year we lost (professional development days or Spring Break time).  I am going to try my hardest to keep my littles enthusiastic and engaged for these last two weeks (not to mention, myself!!)  In order to help with that, I am going to use an AWESOME freebie that my friend Jennie D. over at J.D's Rockin' Readers came up with.  It's called The Final Countdown (anybody else flashback to the Europe song too??) and you can grab it for FREE at her TPT store! {click on the title above or the picture below to go grab a copy for yourself}

I can't wait to start using this little gem with my kinders!!  Jennie, the lucky duck, only has 5 days of school left.  However, she made this packet for ten days so it's PERFECT for me to use these last two weeks of school.  Here's how she does it (included in the packet):

I can't wait to try out all of her awesome suggestions, each one is a perfect opportunity to add a little fun to our end of the year activities!  I'm a really big fan of the 'Take a Book Outside to Read' option, and when that one gets chosen I'm going to let my kinders take out their Daily 5 Book Boxes and practice Read to Self or Read to Someone.  They are going to LOVE to do that outside!!

Tomorrow is our school-wide, all day long Green School Celebration (check my post Wednesday to here all about how we are a Maryland Green School AND a Maryland Bay-Wise School!!) so I think I may have to 'facilimanipulate' their choice tomorrow so I can make sure it's something we can fit into our day.  Jennie also included a few blank cards in this freebie that you can use to fill in your own idea.  I think I'm going to swap out her 'Chew Gum in Class' card for one I make myself.  Don't get me wrong, I would LOVE to be able to use this one in my room.  But honestly, I'd be worried my kinders would swallow the gum (even if I reminded them not to).  So I think I'm going to swap that one out for a 'Eat a Freezie-Pop Outside' card.  Whatever day this card is picked, we'll eat a freezie-pop outside after playing at recess to help us cool down.  I will post about our special countdown activity each day for the last two weeks of school!!

Don't forget that tomorrow, and every Tuesday after that, starts the LINKY party for Book Talk Tuesday hosted by Mrs. Deanna Jump!  Check back with me to learn about how I'm going to tackle Book Talk Tuesdays!!  I hope to give you a FREEBIE or two as well on some of these Tuesdays.

Hope you have a great week, and I hope you are starting your end of year countdown!! If your year is already over, I'm super jealous so happy for you!!  ;-)