When the first sign of winter abounds, it’s a time of rejoicing. Not only will the cold be behind us soon enough, but the sunshine, the beautiful flowers, and the longer days bring so much joy. Let’s be real too….if you’re a teacher, you know spring signifies the beginning of the end of the school year. We can let out a collective sigh over that news.Today, we want to share our 5 Classroom Bucket List Ideas to incorporate into your classroom.
If you’re like us, your spring break is coming soon. You’re burnt out. You’re stretched thin. Your eyes are red and you just need some time to yourself. Spring break gives us all that much-needed recuperation time.
We always hear about summer bucket lists, but let’s start relaxing and recuperating with some fun spring bucket lists now.
Note, I know there is a temptation to use your spring break to get caught up with grades and lesson plans. I have spent some years doing just that, but I have always regretted it when I chose to work instead of spending time on self-care.
We encourage you to carve out time for yourself and your family to go on fun adventures, sit in the sunshine, and bask in the freedom of your spring break. Use our bucket lists to give you, your family, and your students some fun and relaxing ideas to enjoy your spring.
Individual bucket lists bring hope and joy as you look at some entertaining ideas you’d like to try out, but did you know that you can bring that same feeling to your students by using bucket lists in the classroom?
Here are five ways to use bucket lists in your classroom.
#1 Bucket List for Behavior Motivation
We are approaching the end of the year and with that pops up challenging behavior, the spring sillies, and overall forgetfulness of classroom rules. Motivate your students to be on their best behavior by creating Friday Bucket Lists. On Monday, ask students to help you create a Friday Bucket List full of fun but attainable ideas students can do for a Fun Friday afternoon. Perhaps students would love to have thirty minutes of free time, an extra recess, a board game afternoon, or a sweet treat and movie.
List all the ideas on the bucket list, guide students with what could be done, and then vote for the one idea they’ll work toward. Place the words, BUCKET LIST on the board, and be clear in your expectations and rules. If they collectively break rules such as not listening immediately or not taking their supplies out when asked, create a simple system in which a letter is erased from BUCKET LIST. The catch is that they can do things as a class to earn the letter back. At the end of the week, students must have the entire phrase on the board to enjoy their bucket list item.
*We also recommend writing your classroom bucket lists on an anchor chart to leave up in the classroom.”
#2 Bucket Lists as Unit Planning
At the beginning of a new unit or chapter in a subject, ask students to help you collaborate in forming a bucket list of ideas and concepts they’d like to learn about within that subject. For instance, for a unit on solar systems, your students might ask to explore why Pluto is no longer a planet, the upcoming solar eclipse, or if we could live on Mars one day. Leave up this bucket list as you teach your lessons and cross off each item once learned. If you’re not able to incorporate all the bucket list items students wanted to learn into your lessons, students can complete a fun independent project in which they explore their bucket list items.
#3 Bucket Lists as End-of-Year Resolutions
Students can create individual bucket lists to help motivate themselves to put forth their best effort to finish the year off well. Encourage students to list their personal and academic goals on their bucket lists. Give some examples such as they may want to earn a B in a struggling subject, or a 100 on a hard upcoming test. Perhaps, they want to work toward turning in their homework every day, not having late work, and studying nightly. Their personal goals might include some sports achievements, befriending someone new, reading every day, or learning a new hobby. Encourage students to leave their bucket lists in a spot they can view daily such as the front of their notebook, their lockers, or at home. This visual reminder will motivate students toward their goals and give a sense of accomplishment as they cross off each item.
#4 Reading Bucket List
Collaborate on a bucket list of picture books your class would like to read before the end of the year. Perhaps they’d like to read fantasy picture books, fairy tales, seasonal picture books, or funny ones. Give them ideas by holding up books from the library or your classroom shelves. As you read each book, mark it off from your bucket list. April is National Poetry Month, so a separate poetry bucket list with various types of poems can work well too. Students will be proud of the goals they’ve met as they see each book or type of poetry being crossed off.
#5 Create a Beautifying Bucket List
Read the book, Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney, to inspire your students to choose an activity to make the world more beautiful, just like the main character. Miss Rumphius didn’t let her age or health conditions stop her from planting beautiful lupines throughout her seaside town, and your students’ age shouldn’t stop them from changing the world.
Create a Beautifying Bucket List with your students with tangible ways to make the school and its atmosphere more beautiful. With Earth Day in April, this is a wonderful way to stir students to action as they list ideas that also make the Earth more beautiful. Some goals can include picking up trash outside the school, planting flowers in pots by the front door, painting rocks for the courtyard, having a friendly attitude, and more.
Interested in more Miss Rumphius?
Read our Spring, Flowers, and Miss Rumphius blog and grab our freebie for this darling picture book.
Enjoy today!
Interested in our Earth Day resources?
Conclusion
By incorporating bucket lists into your classroom, you can inspire students to set goals, visualize their achievements, incite intrinsic motivation, and create meaningful and authentic experiences both inside and outside of the school building.
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