So, I still have a way to go until my end of the school year (end of July - yes I know, pass me another chocolate bar...) but I am planning ahead with loads of ideas I can use with my students to help raise their spirits after the test stress!  
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We all know that once tests are done, everyone pretty much switches off and it's a real challenge to keep our students engaged. Well, I've got a solution! ​Here's a really fun idea to reflect on the academic year as a whole group where you can really bond with your students and be assured that everyone will have a blast!

This end of year reflection activity uses the concept of the game "Jenga" where students build a tower and remove pieces stacking them on top whilst trying to not knock the tower over or to build the tallest tower! Now, we're all probably familiar with Jenga blocks (I mean, they're just blocks of wood, people!) but I found an equivalent that is soooo much prettier! They are from the brand "Lewo" and you can order these from the Amazon affiliate link here:
Amazon US
Amazon UK

What I like about these are that as they are already colour coded, they are really versatile to use for any game or activity in your classroom. I personally would never stick anything to my blocks as that means they can only be used for one activity - what a waste!? And I'm not a fan of the DIY blobs of ink and paint on the ends either - it just doesn't look pretty enough for me (who's with me here?!) So these blocks are the way to go in my opinion:

As you can see in these photos, I have created some colour coded cards with questions on them - the colours match this set of tumbling blocks perfectly! I have created this end of year reflection game to be used in 4 different ways to suit your budget, needs, resources and preference so it's really versatile!

As we don't all have the luxury of endless colour printing at school, I have included mono versions in black and white ideal for printing onto coloured paper instead, which also look really snazzy!

There are a total of 54 different questions in this resource which is more than the number of blocks in a pack, so there are definitely enough for 1-2 questions per student and enough variety to keep the game interesting! However, even if students were to repeat questions, every student will have a unique response so it's something that can be played more than once too!

I designed the smaller question cards to fit perfectly in these business card holder boxes that I got for dirt cheap on Amazon! They are an effective and inexpensive way to store the cards as they fit perfectly and it's really easy to add a sticker to the box with group numbers or you could even use chalk pens or sharpies! 
You can get the boxes from these Amazon affiliate links here:
Amazon US 
Amazon UK

Although the card option is really fun as it creates that spontaneity not knowing what question you're going to get, I've also created different options if you'd rather have a less printing and less prep. The same questions therefore come on larger colour coded sheets that come 2 to a page so you only need to print 3 letter size / A4  pages. I have also included a mono option if you'd rather print these in black and white!
​Again, I include full rules of how to play using this method in the resource for you.

And because I have tried to cover ALL bases, this option is for those of you who don't want to print anything at all! Plus, if you're on a really tight budget and can only afford to have one set of blocks, I give you instructions on how you can play as a whole class using the just one set of blocks, and one PowerPoint! Check out the clip below to see a preview of how it works.
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You candownload the game here from TpT or directly from my store here if you prefer PayPal or paying in GBP!

I hope this has given you some fun and exciting ways to have a reflective and enjoyable end to the school year! Remember, if you want to see more detail about how this game works, be sure to watch the video above!

Thanks for reading this post :) If you found this valuable, leave a comment below or share it out!
I truly believe that by allowing our students to take time to reflect on the school year with their peers in a fun and engaging way, they will effectively take on board on what they have learned and where they hope to be in the future, not to mention form stronger bonds with one another thus improving overall well-being and classroom ethos.

How do you plan on ending the school year with a bang? Comment below, I'd love to talk more about it!

Welcome to my monthly teacher life updates where I share what I've been up to at school, what new teaching resources I have created and any other things that have been going on!

School Life:
First half of April was draining, I was on my knees - my knees I tell you! I just kept saying to myself "I think I can, I think I can!" Fortunately we had our Easter (Spring) Break for 2 weeks, so most of the month ended up being really nice! Definitely needed...

New Resources:
To ease myself back into creating during the Easter break, I decided to get creative and draw some clip art! I started with a Growth Mindset set as that was a request for some friends, and then I branched out into some Kawaii emojis of brains (for growth mindset, obvs..!) and then some poop...!?! (That was also a request, honest!) I have been a little worried that no one would want those, but quite honestly, students these days are simply LOVING that poop emoji so I guess they'd love teaching resources with them on too, right?! Who is brave enough to go first? ;) 

After the clip art creating, I decided to design a mindfulness colouring memory booklet as a nice winding down end of the year activity, which I blogged all about here! I also created another end of the year activity but this one is all about having reflective discussions as a class or in groups using Jenga blocks! Look out for a blog post on this next week, but if you can't wait that long just click the picture below to find out more!

On The Site:
I blogged about a few different things this month! Seeing as April is Poetry Month, I wanted to give you some ideas for that: I am passionate about using Art Integration as a form of well-being, amongst other things, so blogged about that and offered a freebie in the VIP area for you!

Then I wrote about ideas for how to help your students become more resilient: I know we're dealing with testing and that pressure they are putting on themselves to be perfect, so I wanted to offer you some practical ways you can help your students during this challenging time. This was a request from one of my lovely subscribers - I just love how caring you guys are and how you're so passionate about the "whole student" and not just their academic achievements!

Finally, I wrote about how to have a successful and calm end to the school year after the craziness of testing! We know students switch off after the tests (I'm not surprised, I think most of us want to as well!) So I've given you a range of easy to implement ideas all using this one little booklet. I don't know about you, but I want to end the year on a positive note, with my students calm, happy and hopeful for the future! Check them out below:

You may also have noticed that I changed the top bar a little for you - I've added a section called "Training Materials" where I offer you more information and resources on particular passion topics. Right now there is a section for Mindfulness Colouring, Character Education and Exit Tickets and I'll always be updating them with new material: check them out!

On Social Media:
I created a few more boards on Pinterest for you this month!
There's a new one for End of the School Year full of activities, ideas and bulletin board inspiration suitable for teens!
I also created a board called Tutor Time Activities that is full of morning meeting / homeroom / tutor activities for teens to start the day off right. Routine can be all over the place this time of year, so it's good to get them settled again and hopefully these ideas can help.
Finally, I've made a board called PSHE Teaching Resources. This is a standard subject in the UK and it stands for "Physical, Social, Health Education" which is like counselling, Life Skills or Health class. It deals with a lot of personal issues to support students beyond their academic education - we're teaching the "whole" child!
I hope you find the new boards useful!

I'm still grammin' on the daily as well - I love that I can share my passion for teaching and photography on Instagram and I hope you're finding value in what I am sharing! Please drop me a comment on my photos, I'd love to make contact and follow your page too!

You may also notice that I have been making a real effort on Facebook for you recently as well - I'd love for you to check out my page for links to freebies, teaching articles, inspiration, resources and clip art to help get you inspired every day! Please do leave me a comment over there, I love hearing from you and I'll always respond!

Social media is all about connecting, so please do stop by on any of my platforms - I'd love to chat to you!

In Life:
I had a wonderful Easter break, although aside from some well-deserved long lie ins, I didn't really rest much as there was so much I wanted to create for you - oops! I did manage to take some time off with some friends over a tea in Starbucks and generally just trying to catch up on every day "life" that we can never seem to get round to during the school year, you know?! Things are going to get crazy busy for me next month as that's when our exam season starts in the UK, so wish me luck!
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That's all from me, I hope you have had a great April! Not long to go until the end of year for some of you now, how many weeks do you have left? I still have another 12 or so?! Let me know your magic number below!