Be a Pineapple! (Welcome Bulletin Board)

I have always had a LOVE for all things PINEAPPLE!  So, as I was preparing for back-to-school last year, I whipped up some pineapple name tags to become my welcome display board.  This board is located next to the entrance door out in the hall and stays up all year with the names of all the students in my class! 
I UPDATED the clipart & font style used on 7-10-19 (pineapples now look like those in the bottom image)!

Growing up in the 90s, I fondly remember my sister and I getting these adorable Dole pineapple stuffed toys.  I had a surfer boy pineapple wearing shades & holding a surfboard.  My sister had the beach girl pineapple accessorized with a purse and hula skirt. I was able to find some pics of these Piney Pals on ebay.  Did anyone else have these?  So, basically these cuties were my inspiration!

After typing in the student names, I just cut with my paper cutter (I guess you could cut out the shape of the pineapple, but let's be real - ain't nobody got time for that!), and then laminated before posting.

If you'd like to use the same clothespins as me for your bulletin board, I found some miniature white clips at Michael's.  You should be able to find it with their scrapbooking brand, Recollections.  After securing enough rows of twine (or ribbon) to your board, these name tags clip on easily to complete the display!

What I love about these pineapples is they're so happy, not to mention the kiddoz loved them too! Bring the joy and kindness of these pineapples into your classroom by clicking the image below:

 P.S. I'm linking up with Tara at 4th Grade Frolics for her #MadeItMonday posts - she's got the tropical vibe going on too - go check it out!! :) ... AND...
Happy Summer!

End the Year with a Class Talent Show!

Once you've reached the point of no return, when the end of the school year is so close - I mean the countdown has finally hit the single digits, let's be real, no teacher wants to plan!  In fact, the best thing to do while you are in survival mode is to relinquish more of the dread planning over to the students.  A wonderful solution to solve the end of the school year blues is to host a Class Talent Show! 

 Now, I used to work at a school where this was an End of Year tradition on the last day of school because we shared a campus with a middle school who allowed us to borrow their really fancy stage in the MPR.  The teachers would kick off the event with a festive rendition of "Twist and Shout," because no matter your age or dancing ability, all faculty members could handle that move!  Also, our principal went all out in the props department: inflatable instruments, microphones, plastic star sunglasses, feather boas and Mardi Gras necklaces.  I'm rocking the mic and the pink shades down below, and my sister is seen with the blue guitar!  Just so you know, a couple of the 5th grade teachers held auditions for the Talent Show and only a few acts from each grade level were guaranteed a spot because of time constraints (serving lunch is kind of a big deal in the MPR).  

However, a talent show is an event that doesn't need to be hosted schoolwide!  In fact, I think the students might even prefer the class talent show to a schoolwide one because it allows them to remember their classmates in an admirable way! It also allows the students to carve a bigger mark into your heart as their teacher when you get the opportunity to shine a spotlight on your students' talents and abilities outside of the classroom (which doesn't happen too often during the regular school year filled with the academic standards). To help you implement your own Class Talent Show, pick up my easy-to-use Class Talent Show pack which includes:

• printable decor & party suggestions for making this a memorable celebration
• printable announcement / parent letter (the body of the text is also editable)
• printable Certificates of Participation (the student name, date & teacher fields are all editable - just duplicate the slide you like, type student name & print!)
• printable Talent Show Sign-Up list (helps you to organize the order of events)

The beauty of this end-of-year event is it requires little teacher planning and motivates the students to plan out a memorable event for their peers. You will be surprised at how seriously they take the challenge of showing off their talents! :)