I don’t know who is more excited about the last day of school – the kids or the teacher!  I read a blog by Janelle Cox on About.com/education and it reminded me of a fun activity I always used on the last day of school.  Janelle’s blog is full of great ideas and you can read it in it’s entirety here.

One of my most successful “last day” activities was making welcome posters for the new third graders who would be entering my classroom in the fall. First we brainstormed on the board, listing all the memorable things we learned during the year. Everyone had a favorite activity they wanted to share with new students.

We also discussed how to make an eye-catching poster.

• Beginning – Do a rough sketch first
• Design – Getting the reader’s attention
• Message – Make the message short (no long sentences)
• Picture – What to draw to illustrate the idea
• Layout – Make sure it fills the page

Making the Poster
It’s always best to show an example – either from a former class or one you, the teacher, completed.  Each person receives a small piece of paper, and  a large (12″ x 18″) piece of white or light colored construction paper for the finished poster.  On the small piece of paper, students make a rough sketch of their idea. When they are happy with the layout, they begin making their posters, by  illustrating the activity and writing some of the reasons they loved it, in order to “sell the idea” to the new class.

When the posters are finished, hang them on the bulletin boards all over the room. Yes, you get the picture. Now your room is mostly decorated for the fall!  And the new third grade class will be fascinated seeing the fun learning activities ahead!