Happy 4th of July! This is my favorite time of year and not just because it’s summer vacation!

Besides, summer vacation doesn’t keep this teacher from stalking Instagram for activities that my first graders would love to do during the school year.

I’m just filing them away for Constitution Day in September, which I am totally counting as working on lesson plans in the summer.

Here are my favorite Instagram posts that are perfect for July 4th (or September 17th):

First up is this amazing donut flag! I am new to the world of donut walls and clearly I’ve been missing out on things! This was made by Kristen of the blog, Capturing Joy. Now I just need to find an occasion worthy of my own donut wall. I’m thinking about all those fun 100 chart mystery pictures- you could totally use one as a pattern for a wall. If you passed out rubber gloves the kids could even help put it together, getting a little math in there with their donut decorating too! Be sure to follow Kristen on Instagram by clicking her name in the blue below & find her on Facebook, Pinterest, & Twitter too!

A photo posted by Kristen Duke (@capturingjoyblog) on May 27, 2016 at 5:00am PDT

First graders love paper chains! They are one of my go to ways to calm a super wiggly group. But it never occurred to me to have my students make patriotic paper chains. That brilliant idea is from Lindi on her blog, Love the Day. I’m so glad I saw this cute printable and I know just where we’ll be using them to decorate our classroom. Go follow Lindi on Instagram for lots more cuteness! Check out her Facebook, Pinterest, & Twitter too!

A photo posted by Lindi Haws (@lovetheday) on Jun 20, 2016 at 8:40am PDT

I love this adorable stamped flag from Brittney at her blog, Preschool Savvy. Painting with legos & other blocks is such a fun idea! I know that my students would be beyond excited to do this project or to pretty much stamp anything using legos. Basically, legos make everything better! Go follow Brittney on Instagram for more wonderful early childhood ideas!

A photo posted by Preschool Savvy (@preschool_savvy) on Jul 2, 2016 at 6:38pm PDT

How cute are these collage flags from TK kids in Mrs. Transitional Kinder’s Class!? I love how unique each one turned out. Getting to tear up paper & use stickers in one art project? That makes for a very engaged group of students! Check out Mrs TK’s Instagram for tons more awesome teaching ideas!

A photo posted by Mrs. TK (@mrstransitionalkinder) on May 21, 2015 at 4:26pm PDT

I hope that you have added these ideas to your patriotic files and found new Instagram accounts to follow for even more inspiration! Happy 4th of July!

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

The post Instagram Inspiration: 4th of July Edition appeared first on Happy Teacher, Happy Kids.

Somehow there are only 10 days left in this school year! I am always amazed when we arrive at this point each spring.

I am so ready for some relaxation but I always get emotional about saying goodbye to my students at the same time. I’m way excited to be done with assessments, report cards, classroom cleaning, and all that end of the year stuff but I’m feeling bittersweet about everything else.

We had our annual Open House celebration this past week which has added exhaustion to my mixed emotions. So did I start writing report cards or be productive in other way this weekend? Of course not!

I hope that you are surviving the end of the year craziness as best you can! Here are a few little freebies to help you make it through:

I have had an amazing group of parents this year and I wanted a little something to thank them for all they have done this year. I printed this on full page label paper, cut them out, & stuck them right onto a bag of microwave popcorn. I put a tray out at Open House for the parents to pick up. Click the photo above to download this little tag. UPDATE: I just added a second version of the tag that would be best for single parent families. Let me know if you have any other edits to suggest that would make the tags work for your particular gift giving situation

If you’re looking for some fun things to keep your class busy in the last few days check out this handwriting joke book. It’s also something you can send home with your kiddos for summer practice. Just click above to pick up this Facebook Fan freebie. Click the like button to download your copy.

Good luck making it to the last day!

image credits: gify

The post End of the School Year Goodies for Teachers! appeared first on Happy Teacher, Happy Kids.