Classroom team-building games are a must at the start of a new school year! Here are 16 of my favorite icebreakers and classroom team-building activities!

Independent reading is a great way to help students build a love of reading! These 5 strategies help hold students accountable!

Use STEM engineering activities in elementary school as a fun, engaging, and meaningful way to tackle the Next Generation Science Standards.

Help Save Fred is a great stem activity! This save Fred the worm is super fun stem activity will help your students strengthen team building skills and...

Collaborative art is easy, right!? Put a beret on, give some kids some paint brushes, let them have at it, voilà! Wrong! Dead, wrong! Organising a group of adults or children to create a cohesive a…

Paper Bag Dramatics: A fun activity for Team Building and Developing Community. Here's an idea that can be used just about anywhere at any time. It encourages groups to solve problems, think creatively, and work as a team.

oh! Guys! This is the funnest roundup ever! Grab some painter's tape and whip up some amazing activities, crafts and games with these fun hacks! Canvas Finger PaintingJumping Course Jump! Marbles Painting Craft Car

The Unfair Game is a totally unfair twist on Jeopardy that your students will LOVE to hate! Learn how to play and find sample game boards in this post.

Who's already prepping for their back to school week?!? One of my very favorite things about the first few weeks of school is getting to know my students,....and my students getting to know one anothe

The first week of school sure is a busy one! I work hard to balance the mandatory paperwork with games, hands-on activities and team-building fun. Even with bigger kids, it’s important to keep them moving throughout the day and providing a variety of activities. 1. Marshmallow Tower For this activity, you’ll need the following materials […]

Use this fun printable worksheet to think about what the different passengers might have packed for a voyage on board the Titanic. How might the contents of the suitcases have varied between First, Second and Third Class passengers?

A unique team-building activity perfect for the back-to-school season!  Your students will love this get-to-know-you activity. With this fun, back-to-school game students will be sharing about themselves and learning about their classmates. This get-to-know-you activity is designed to break the ice between students and build a strong classroom community from day one. ⭐ Not just for back-to-school season!  This build-a-monster activity is a great getting to know you activity to use during the first week of school, and can be used again later in the year when you notice a decrease in engagement and a need for a fun team-building exercise! ⭐ What’s Included:  Teacher Directions Student Directions Team Building Monster Activity Color and Black & White Version ⭐Activity Prep: Cut out the cards Laminate the cards and student directions so you can reuse them! Laminate the body parts if you'd like to reuse them, or simply print & go if you'd like for them to write on their monsters and glue/tape them. Provide each group with the student directions, body parts, and cards. I've provided labels so students can keep the cards organized by body part And BOOM! Your team building activity is ready to go and your students will have a blast building their monsters and getting to know each other! Your students will love the opportunity to share about themselves with one another in a group setting and in a unique way. Adding this to your start-of-school routine will really help students develop their relationships with one another.  ⭐ Benefits for Students:  Students get to work in groups Students get to know each other Increase engagement for students  Helps students learn to work effectively as a team! This is a great activity for back-to-school week, counseling mini-lessons, after long breaks, or when your class just seems like they are in a mood!  TEACHING TIPS: For multiple uses, laminate the cards and directions.  ___________________________________ You may also like… → Calming Strategies Posters → Editable Class Dojo Reward Charts → Daily Math Journal Prompts ______________________________________ Connect With Me Follow me on Teachers Pay Teachers Lauren Ely on Instagram _______________________________________ Customer Tips Get credits to use for future Teachers Pay Teachers purchases. Visit the My Purchases Page and click the leave a review button. Your account will be credited for future purchases.  Having difficulty with a file? Visit the FAQs section, submit a help ticket, or ask a question on the Q& A tab before leaving feedback.

Playing an escape game at your next event is an absolute must! Youth & adults alike will enjoy solving puzzles and finding their way out of the escape room.

Independent reading is a great way to help students build a love of reading! These 5 strategies help hold students accountable!

See SharePoint intranet examples that will cut your research time and help you brainstorm ideas for a new Office 365 intranet.

Build a sandwich or a burger with this paper toy kid craft containing 20 different items to create your favorite sandwich. Free printable kid activity.

Are you looking for something that will have ALL of your elementary students engaged from young kids to older? Do you hate planning out stem projects that use hard-to-find equipment and are exhausting to prepare? Have you tried easy STEM activities yet in your classroom? Easy stem challenges are a great way to have students […]

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Give your students a taste of adventure with over 20 free digital escape rooms to try at home or at school. Doing distance learning? These are perfect!

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Use STEM engineering activities in elementary school as a fun, engaging, and meaningful way to tackle the Next Generation Science Standards.

100% Customizable Skittles Icebreaker Template! Clean and simple template that can be customized to your own colors, candy, or questions. Change the elements to suit your needs. Great icebreaker for the classroom or business retreat! Hand out as many Skittles as you would like or each person can have their own bag. Great activity for kids and adults alike. Save as .pdf to print as shown. Download the completed file as a .jpg file and paste into a word processing program to change the size as needed. This is an instantly downloadable Canva Template which is 100% customizable in the FREE version of Canva. This means that you can easily personalize this template to suit your needs. YOUR PURCHASE INCLUDES: 1 PDF with Canva Link (to edit) 1 Printable PDF *PLEASE NOTE * → This product is for personal use, and NOT for commercial use. → This does not include a physical product. You will be able to customize, print, and cut your template. If you have any questions regarding this product, please feel free to reach out before you make your purchase. →Colors may vary slightly from what is shown due to the printing process and device settings. This is a digital product and nothing physical will be shipped to you. Due to the nature of this product, all sales are final and refunds or exchanges are not possible. DIRECTIONS TO ACCESS YOUR PURCHASE: → After your order is complete, you will see a link to download your files. This link can also be found at www.etsy.com/your/purchases → Download the PDF which includes link and instructions → Sign up for a FREE Canva account or log in to your account → Click the underlined LINK in the PDF document and click "Use Template" → Once in Canva, you will be able to edit the colors, fonts, images, and personalize

I've had this idea brewing in my head for months. I actually got some printed before Thanksgiving. But with the hustle and bustle of the holidays I never got around to taking photos! I'm so

Nursing is a career with sore feet and full hearts. Relieve your stress by laughing at a few of these hilarious nurse jokes and puns. Only those with the best sense of humor will appreciate these jokes!

Each year, I teach a simple machines unit. Each year, I try to figure out ways to integrate STEM ideas into the mix. This year, I wanted to find ways to engage my learners right away. Sometimes the simplest thing to do is grab simple items to create the perfect STEM project! The best part...you just need 4 simple supplies or less for the each challenge. The first challenge is to create a way to get the cup of cubes to the top of the table. This is all I gave them: Toilet paper tubes, a cup of cubes, string, and tape. The best challenge The second challenge that we did was to make a way to move a cup of candy from one side of the room to another without using your hands to touch the cup. All I gave them for this challenge was spoons, rubber bands, and tubes. The best part about these two challenges is that each design was so uniquely different. Each team was able to work together to find a solution to each problem and after they completed the challenge they shared what they created! Now, this is the kicker...I was sick one of the days my classes did these challenges. Boy, did I realize that one of the integral components of setting up STEM challenges is to really SET...IT...UP. What they were able to accomplish when I was there, instead of the sub, was significant. It got me thinking... how can anyone make a STEM challenge the best EVER? What I learned about making this STEM challenge the best ever is that as the facilitator of a STEM challenge, you must get them engaged. You must set the stage with everything they will need to complete the challenge. Consider these components: 1. How will you give them supplies? I set out a table with the items they can use. Each team is numbered and I send a special number to get what is needed. 2. What are the constraints as well as expectations? The first challenge was about moving an object from the floor to the table. This could be done as a pulley system or in some cases groups made a lever. We were able to share and explain as we observed the final product. 3. How will you get them excited about the activity? This can be done with a picture book, a question, or even a problem that needs solving. In both challenges I posed a problem that needed solving. 4. How much time will you give for a challenge. Our first challenge was 10 minutes. The second challenge was a race! It is one thing to give your learners supplies and a challenge, it is another thing to remember to add the engineering process to each challenge you offer. We chose a simple machine challenge and it was perfect for learning several simple machines. They loved them so much that I have had to design a new challenge to show the other simple machines. Any STEM project can be your best STEM challenge ever! Setting it up for success is the key! I have included my Simple Machines Unit that I use to add even more STEM stations including our annual Cardboard Arcade! Find my Simple Machines Pack HERE! I challenge you to also make STEM challenges something your learners will say..."That was the best STEM challenge EVER!" More Amazing STEM Challenges Your Students Will LOVE Click on any of the images below to read about more STEM challenges from other STEM educators. Digital STEM Challenges Cargo Ship STEM Animal Adaptations STEM Roller Coaster STEM STEM Space Lander Paper Chain STEM Sammie STEAM Challenge Toothpick Tower STEM Simple Machines Challenges Graphics and Font Credits: KG Fonts and PhotoClipz

Thank you for subscribing to the Pink Oatmeal email list! You now have access to Pink Oatmeal's Freebie Library! No account is required to access freebies from the freebie library. Save your password and use

Make a really cool All About Me Worksheet for any age group, including teens and adults using our templates. Or, print off the free options fill them in.

Houston moms who gathered for a protest for sending their kids back to school asap were joined by Grim Reapers that were glad to keep them company.

These three icebreakers for teens will make the first class, youth group, or club fun for everyone, even the introverts.

Active Students? Try Scoot! The game, Scoot, can be played a number of ways for a variety of reasons. Here are the basics of the game, a few suggestions, and a freebie!

Kids will love this cooperative activity that builds teamwork, planning, communication, and fine motor skills.

Newcomer students receive some support from an ELD (English Language Development) teacher in most elementary schools. The majority of their time is spent in their grade level classroom. Here are some strategies for supporting a newcomer student both in their grade level classroom and areas to focus on during targeted language development lessons. Create a