Countdown timers are a fantastic tool in maintaining a good pace in a lesson and keeping students focused. You can read some ideas for how to use countdown timers in your classroom here!

Here are some awesome timers you can use in your lessons!

If you have access to a projector or interactive whiteboard, then you can use digital countdown timers on the screen so all students can see and hear them. (Click on the images to be taken to the links!):

1) Digital screen countdown timer with different soundtracks:

This is great as it the timer is clearly visible on the screen. I also really like it because you can choose from a whole array of different sound tracks to count down to, including: The A team, Indiana Jones, The Apprentice, Mozart etc. This allows you to personalize the music depending on the activity you are doing! You can even have Mission Impossible which is fantastic as a "tidy up" countdown timer!


2) Relaxation timer:

A nice, calming and relaxing timer with a choice of soothing background music to select from. Ideal for when you need to calm your class for some quiet working time or just to take a few minutes out for some meditation. I love to use this in the background when my students are colouring in some positive quote colouring pages. 


3) Snail Racing timer:

This one is quite fun! Another great timer for those longer periods of time as the snails have their own little race while students are working! There is a crowd cheering background noise which is great for group work activities, but probably not so much for silent work: good job you can mute computers!


4) Sand Timer for PowerPoint

This is a sand timer countdown! Better for a slightly less stressful countdown as the sand slowly trickles through the hourglass container!


5) Kitchen Timer:

6) Countdown Timer PowerPoint:
Finally, while all these are fun, you are unfortunately limited by requiring access to the internet (and some of these websites will have intrusive ads too #agh) so I created an option for you that will resolve all these issues, plus give you the option to embed these directly into your own PowerPoints for your lessons! Read more about them below:

If you prefer to download from TpT, you can download these countdown timers here!

I hope these offered you some different examples of timers you can use in your lessons, and maybe even yourself if you need motivation to work (or stop working!?). What are some of your favourite timers to use in lessons?

Do you have the cold or flu but don't want the hassle of taking a day off and organizing work for a substitute teacher? Then keep on reading!

If you're a teacher, you undoubtedly have the "guilt gene" when it comes to taking time off sick... We know we shouldn't, and many say it's not good to spread the germs around etc, but there are times when we just need to press through the day regardless.

So if you have decided that you want to soldier on and teach when feeling sick, then these are my 10 tips on how I do it:

1) Sleep. Get an early night if you can and maybe wake up a tiny bit later than usual if it's possible. When you're feeling sick, you are obviously much weaker and more physically drained than usual (if that's even possible..!) so you need all the rest you can get. Take it slow.

2) A nice hot steamy shower. Breathe in the steam to help clear up sinuses.

3) Take those vitamins. Yes, I should probably have done this much more before I got sick, but better late than never. Get vitamins in your system, pronto!

4) Fix yourself up as best you can. I may feel sick but I don't have to look it! (Although apparently I still do, thanks all...) I also wear lots of layers so I can maintain a comfortable body temperature. I can't tolerate shivering or sweating when teaching, I need to be just right! Goldilocks knows what she's talking about.

5) Take meds. When I'm sick, I usually take some Paracetamol or Ibuprofen during the day - sometimes I alternate between these (always seek your own medical advice first). For the cold or flu, I live by the 'Lemsip Max capsules', they rock. Rock my world. In fact, they are so good they almost convince me that I am fully healed, until they wear off that is... They have caffeine in them too which is great at giving that boost that we desperately need as teachers!
I also live by 'Sudafed' nasal spray for bunged up or runny noses. It works wonders.
Cough / sore throat lozenges with menthol are great at numbing throat pain as well.

6) Try and take it easy when teaching. This is the tough one. We don't have desk jobs where we can sit most of the day: we need to be front and center stage. For those days when you are feeling rubbish, just let the students know. Mine are always very lovely and sympathetic with me when I do, which really helps. If you can get students doing something which isn't too demanding on you physically, then that's better too. Lots of peer assessment or independent work, or maybe an appropriate video clip are just some ideas. You can then get students to come up to speak to you individually which is much less physically taxing.

7) Eat and drink. This needs to be made a priority when sick as we often don't get time for much of either during the day. Keep those fluids going all day long and get some nice hot soup or something at lunch too.

8) Hand sanitizer. Disinfectant. Do what you can to avoid spreading germs!

9) Tissues. Keep a pack everywhere!

10) Go home on the bell. Don't overexert yourself, you did a great job even going in for your students, so there is no need for overtime if you don't feel up to it. Go home as early as you can, get into some comfy warm clothes and take a nap if you want, you deserve it!

How likely are you to go to work when sick? If you're poorly at the moment, here's wishing you a speedy recovery!

Here's an a fun end of the week (almost!) pick me up for you today! I came up with these 10 funny ways you know you're a teacher... I hope you enjoy, and let me know if you can relate to any of these!

I hope these made you giggle, gotta love being a teacher! What other funny ways can you think of that identify you as a teacher?