Fun Last Minute 'Game Show' Advent Calendar Idea for Big Kids { Free Printable }

 Our children are now 11, 11, and 14.  If you have older kids like us, that means you might be running out of ideas for ways to make the annual tradition of an advent calendar a fresh and fun experience.  We have done everything from puzzle pieces to Lego minifigure parts, from Christmas books to dollar scratch tickets.

Since all 3 of our children are gamers, I thought it would be fun this year to give them a way to earn in-game currency.  Usually, I am not a huge fan of spending real life money on virtual items, so I think this will be a real treat for them. Since we have three children, I'll give each child one guess at the answer to one 'game show' question each day.  Only one child needs to answer correctly for all three to win the prize, which I have decided to be one dollar per child to go towards in-game currency or a gaming membership.

DIY Game Show Advent Calendar Activity . . .

Step 1.  Download the PDF below.  Then either print out four copies of the blank cards or digitally add text and save four versions with six different game cards on each version.  Do not include the answers to the game show questions on the card, but rather keep a list of them in a safe place.

TIP 1: I found age-appropriate Christmas-themed riddles online and used one riddle per card.  Other ideas would be trivia questions, math problems, brain twisters, tongue twisters they'd need to say 3 times quickly, etc . . .  If this activity is a hit this year, next year I might try Star Wars trivia questions.

DOWNLOAD FREE PRINTABLE PDF

Step 2. Carefully cut out your 24 cards.  Then roll them into tiny little scrolls and secure them with curling ribbon, gold cord, inexpensive Christmas stickers, Christmas washi tape, or tiny elastics.

TIP #2:  If you don't have the dexterity (or the desire) to roll and secure 24 tiny scrolls, other options would be to merely fold the cards in half  or into thirds, or to put them in business card sized envelopes.

Step 3.  Put one scroll into each day of your advent calendar. I also always include one small piece of candy for each child, but that is certainly not required.

What ideas do you have for making an advent calendar more fun and interesting?

Tell us in a comment here.

Chinese New Year Classroom Goodie Bag Ideas plus Printable Chopstick Race Game

Thank you to Oriental Trading Company for providing Chinese New Year goodie bag items for this project.  All opinions expressed are our own.

Chinese New Year comes early this year!  Since our twins' birthdays fall in late January, I thought it would be fun to make Chinese New Year-themed goodie bags to send in for their classrooms.  I had a few ideas, but thought that I might have trouble finding enough items to fill our goodie bags.  I had no idea that Oriental Trading Company's Chinese New Year party supplies & decorations section would have so many classroom-friendly goodie bag options.

One of the ideas I had was to create a fun game the students could play during indoor recess.  Looking through the items on Oriental Trading sparked an idea to make a game using chopsticks.  It's super-easy to make.  Here's what you'll need . . .

Chopstick Race Game

SUPPLIES NEEDED:

Mini Lucky Money Goody Bags

Decorated Wood Chopsticks

Mini Insect Erasers

Chopstick Race Printable (Below)

The object of the game is to pick up the various insects up with the chopsticks and move them one at a time to the jar.  These cute little insect erasers from Oriental Trading Company were the perfect size to use for this game.  The students can race against each other or try to beat their own best time.  It's a fun way to master the art of using chopsticks.

TO PRINT: Make sure your printer is on and ready to go.  Click on the image below to enlarge.  Then right-click on the image and select print.  Use your browser's back arrow to return to this page.

Clipart from 1001FreeDownloads.com

I found lots of fun things to include in these Chinese New Year goodie bags, but it occurred to me that some of them may seem random to the children.  This led to my making a basic label to attach to the outside of each bag.  If you're making a goodie bag like ours, then you can print these labels below.  Now the children will understand which items were included in the bag because they're considered symbols of good luck.

What's in our Chinese New Year goodie bags?

• (1) Chopstick Race Game
• (1) Laminated Jumbo Chinese Zodiac Bookmark
• (2) Chinese Zodiac Pencils
• (1) Fortune Cookie Eraser
• (3) Colorful Goldfish
• (3) Chinese New Year Goldtone Coins
• (1) Chinese New Year Sticker

To complete the presentation, I pasted a printable label to the outside of each bag.  I opted for brown paper lunch bags because they were the perfect size to hold the larger items, and they fit our label perfectly.  After filling each bag, I just folded the top of the bag down twice, holding it in place with a Chinese New Year sticker.  The stickers came in a roll of 100, so I had enough to include one inside and one on the outside of each goodie bag.

Like this idea?  Pin It for later . . . 

What other ideas do you have for celebrating Chinese New Year in the classroom?  Share them with us in a comment here.


Check out our other ideas for classroom-friendly goodie bags . . .

Give Summer Reading a Boost with Printable Vocabulary Words Scavenger Hunt Bookmarks

We're a week and a half into summer vacation.  I always make sure that I plan daily learning activities for my children in addition to the summer reading required by their schools.

Two of our three children love to read books.  Although I usually concentrate on coming up with activities for our child who struggles a bit with reading, this one is to help challenge the two bookworms instead!

Our 9 year old daughter could sound out big words since she was 5 or 6 years old.  She can read almost any word at 9 years, but does she know what those words mean?

One of the items on our daughter's 4th grade summer reading list is the Ulysses Moore book series.  I just started her with Book 1 to see if she likes it.  Once I printed the bookmark sheet and cut one bookmark out, I went through the book in search of words my daughter might not be familiar with.  I then listed these words on the bookmark so she can have a list on-hand to reference.  When she finds one of the words, I'll ask her to let me know what she thinks the definition of the word is based on the context in the book.

TIP: Be sure to write the title of the book on the space provided on each bookmark if you're doing this for more than one book at a time in your household.

TO PRINT: Check that your printer is on and ready to go.  Click on the image below to enlarge.  Then right-click and select print.

Want to make these bookmarks more fun?
I did make these bookmarks to be disposable, but if you'd like to jazz them up, here are some easy ideas . . .

1.  Print the bookmarks on colored paper or cardstock.  Paper with a lightly-colored pattern would be fun too!
2. Have your child draw the cover of the book in the empty box instead of just writing in the book title.
3. Use a hole puncher to punch out the black circles.  Then use ribbon or yarn to add streamers to the top of the bookmarks on the left and right sides of the printable.
4. Use a sticker or several small stickers to decorate the top of the bookmark in the center of the printable.
5.  Turn the bookmark over to the blank side and personalize the bookmark with your child's name.
6.  Turn the bookmark over to the blank side and write the prize your child will earn if he or she finds all the words and can tell you what they mean.

If you like this idea, be sure to Pin It for later!

Which books are your children loving this summer? Tell us in a comment here. 

How to Make Newspaper Reporter Activity Goodie Bags { plus Free Printable Press Passes & Word Search }

Thank you to Oriental Trading Company for providing the goodie bag essentials for our classroom-friendly newspaper reporter activity kits.  All opinions expressed are our own.

Although our oldest has moved onto middle school this past fall, our twins are still in grade school.  Their school has a strict policy against sending in sweets for birthdays, so I always send in non-food goodie bags.  Since their birthdays are in January, one of the coldest months of the year, I try to send in themed activity kits the children can do (if they choose to) during indoor recess.  This year, I decided to make Newspaper Reporter Activity Kits for the twins' goodie bags because they are in the middle of studying non-fiction in both their classrooms.  They were so easy to make and the possibilities are endless for what types of inspiration you would like to include in the kits.

What you'll need to make Newspaper Reporter Activity Kits . . .

12"x18" Newsprint Paper (3 sheets per kit)

5" Spiral Notepads

Calendar Pens

Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens Stickers

Monster High Stickers

Big Hero 6 Stickers

Team Sports Sticker Scenes

Movie Theater Sticker Scenes

8.5"x12" Colorful Plastic Bags

News Reporter Word Search (Free printable below)

DIY Personalized Press Passes (Free printable below)

Clear Gaming Card Protective Sleeves

Arrow-Shaped Paper Clips

After you have everything you need, there is some assembly required for the actual newspaper and the press passes.  I created the word search puzzle shared below with the help of Discovery Education's Puzzlemaker.

For the newspaper:  I folded 3 sheets of newsprint paper together in half once and then in half a second time so that they resembled a newspaper folded into quadrants.

For the press passes:  I saved the digital image of the sheet of press passes onto my computer and used a graphics program to add the first and last names of each child.  You could also simply write the name of each child on the paper with a thin marker.  Then I cut out the press passes and slid each one into a clear gaming card sleeve protector.

After I put all the contents into each bag, I used a paperclip to secure each child's press pass on the outside of the bag.  Please note that the 8.5"x12" bags fit a standard piece of paper perfectly, so it may take some patience to get the paper to sit flat, but it can be done.

With the stickers provided, the children can be inspired to write news stories about who won the big game, who their favorite Star Wars or Big Hero 6 characters rescued this week, or even fashion editorials using Monster High stickers for the photos.  Our son, who is a huge Star Wars fan, decided to dedicate his newspaper to Star Wars and what he would imagine a newspaper would be like during those times.

Print the DIY Press Passes and News Reporter Word Search Puzzle below . . .

TO PRINT:  Click on the desired image to enlarge.  Then right click and select print.  Use your browser's back arrow to return to this page, if needed.

Like this goodie bag activity idea?  Pin it for later . . .

Check out last year's DIY Comic Book activity goodie bags . . . 

Have some ideas about other things that could go in a Newspaper Activity Kit for kids? Share them with us in a comment here.

DIY 'Clean Up Your Act!' Punishment Jar Craft (Free Printables)

Our children turned 8, 8, and 11 this January.  Like many children, they are always testing their limits. We find that the reward and punishment systems we use need to change as our children change.  It seems that every system we try is highly effective at the beginning and, as the novelty of the rewards and the punishments decreases, so does the effectiveness of the system.

One evening, my husband and I were discussing how we needed different punishments because our old system, which would charge a fine for doing certain no-no's, was losing its effectiveness.  Then we joked about how much better it would be if we had a big wheel that the children needed spin to see what their punishment would be for their most recent offense.  Since then, we decided to separate their system for earning allowances and their system for earning punishments.  We determined variety is the key to prevent the children from becoming accustomed to the punishments, thus making them less effective.

Since we couldn't construct a giant wheel, I decided a punishment jar would work just as well.  Now normally, we do not give chores as punishments because that is partially how our children earn their allowances.  That being said, there are some things, beyond normal everyday chores, that only get cleaned once or twice year.  Those kinds of things would make perfect punishments and they make our house cleaner.  Two birds, one stone . . .

Today's Project:  'Clean Up Your Act!' Punishment Jar

SUPPLIES NEEDED:

a jar with straight sides (approx. 5" tall)

6-inch wooden craft sticks

printable 'Clean Up Your Act!' jar label

printable 'Clean Up Your Act!' craft stick labels

scissors

glue stick

thin permanent marker

Step 1.  Be sure your jar is clean and dry. (We reused a talenti gelato container we had just polished off.)

Step 2.  Print and cut out the label that best fits your jar.  Apply a thin layer of glue to the backside of the label, making sure to get all the edges.  Then position the label as desired, press down, and smooth out the label.

TO PRINT:  Be sure your printer is on and ready to print.  Click on the desired image to enlarge.  Right-click on image to select "print."  Then use your browser's back button to return to this page.

Step 3.  Print out one sheet of craft stick labels for every 10 punishments you have.  Carefully cut where you see > or <.  When you're done, you should have 10 individual labels per sheet.

Step 4.  Fold the labels around your craft stick, doing your best to center them.  Then apply glue to secure them.

Step 5.  Using a thin permanent marker, write one punishment per craft stick inside the red frame.  Then put all the sticks into the jar.

How has this punishment jar worked out for us?  For the past 4 weeks, each time our children did something that warranted a punishment, they would close their eyes and pick a punishment out of this jar.  After the first few punishments, they soon realized that they probably should avoid racking up too many.  These punishments take time to complete, which takes time away from other more enjoyable things.  We've also made the rule that, if there are punishments pending, they would not have access to any electronics until the punishments have been completed.

I started out with about 17 punishments in the jar and soon realized that, with 3 children who would get in trouble multiple times a day sometimes, 17 was not enough.  If you have multiple children, then I recommend coming up with as many different punishments as you can, otherwise  they will start choosing the same ones over and over again.  How many times do you need your windows washed in one week, right?

Here are a few ideas for punishments to get you started.  Obviously, you would need to use your judgement based on the age and abilities of your children . . .

• Donate 10 toys
• Wash the windows on the first or second floor
• Clean the shelves on the fridge door
• Clean the fridge shelves and drawers
• Clean the floor around and behind the toilets
• Clean the baseboard heating covers
• Clean the windowsills
• Clean the floor under the litter box
• Clean the microwave
• Find 10 dust bunnies

Like this idea? Pin it for later!

As always, if you try out this idea, let us know how it goes and if you've thought of ways to improve on it!

Fun Non-Candy Activity Goodie Bag Party Favor Ideas (Plus a Free Printable Zombie Word Search)

Thank you to Oriental Trading Company for providing the party favors used in creating the activity goodie bags featured below.  All opinions expressed are my own.

Earlier this week, my oldest turned 11.  He'll be moving onto middle school next year and I'm still having a little trouble accepting it.  Since this is his last year of grade school, I wanted to make sure we sent some fun goodie bags to school for his birthday.  We always send non-food goodie bags due to there being so many students suffering from a variety of allergies, plus the school does not allow sweets to be sent in for birthday celebrations.  We do this for all 3 of our children, who all happen to have birthdays in January.  Sometimes it's difficult to come up with a fun new idea.  Thank goodness I found some inspiration from Oriental Trading Company!

Our twins will be turning 8 later this month.  Their goodie bags were easy to put together.  Since our family went to the local Super MegaFest comic convention, our children have been obsessed with drawing their own comics.  So, when I saw these superhero-themed party favors, I just knew I had to create something fun with them.  That's when I had the idea to make DIY comic book kits for the twins' 2nd grade classmates!

What you'll need for DIY Superhero Comic Book Goodie Bags . . . 

Publish Your Own Book Journals

Superhero Super Stickers

Superhero Roll of Stickers

I Love To Write Pencils

Silver Size Comic Book Bags

There are 100 stickers on the roll, so I had enough to put one sticker inside each of the goodie bags and to place one outside of each bag to seal it.  These books have a framed space for drawing on each page, as well as lines below for writing.  I think one frame per page is perfect for 2nd graders.  The twins can't wait to hand these out to their classmates!

Like this idea? Pin it for later . . .

For my oldest son, the theme of his goodie bags changed several times.  One thing that stayed the same was the nose pencil sharpeners.  After he saw them on Oriental Trading, he just had to have them.  After playing with a few different body part themes, we settled on the ever-popular zombie theme.

What you'll need for Zombie Activity Goodie Bags . . .

Nose Pencil Sharpeners

Eyeball-shaped Erasers

Brain-shaped Erasers

3D Skull Key chains

Zombie Roll of Stickers

Zombie Pencils

Printable Zombie Word Search (at bottom)

Silver Size Comic Book Bags

Apparently zombies are extremely popular with 10 and 11 year olds.  The goodie bags were a big hit and our son was thrilled to finally have a nose pencil sharpener.

Pin this idea for later . . . 

TO PRINT:  Check to make sure your computer's printer is on and ready to go.  Click on the desired image to enlarge.  Then right-click on the image and select print.  Use your browser's back button to return to this page.

Zombie Word Search (plus Answer Key)

I made the above free printable word search puzzle with the help of Discovery Education's Puzzlemaker.  This particular puzzle is difficult and would be perfect for adults and older children.  Enjoy!

Easy DIY Personalized Duck Tape & Washi Tape Poly Bookmark Craft (Free Printable Templates)

The time has finally arrived when every member of our household is reading books that they cannot necessarily finish in one sitting.  In preparation of this, Santa put two bookmarks in each of our children's stockings last Christmas.  Unfortunately, most of those bookmarks have vanished into a black hole somewhere.  (I think it may be the same one that mysteriously makes single socks disappear from the washer and dryer.)  In any case, I came up with a fun and easy way to solve our problem of never having a bookmark around when we need one . . .

This easy DIY bookmark craft uses Duck Tape, Washi Tape, and Tapeffiti along with poly folders.  I chose to use poly folders because they are colorful, more durable than cardstock, easy to cut with scissors, and are fairly inexpensive.  I got mine on sale for $0.69 each and one folder can make up to 10 bookmarks if you remember to use the pockets inside too.  This craft would be a fun rainy day activity!  It would also be perfect for a classroom craft or birthday party activity, especially if you cut out the bookmark shapes and the ribbon pieces in advance.  You could even make these to pass out as end-of-the-year students gifts or as party favors.  What a fun way to promote literacy!

SUPPLIES NEEDED:

patterned and solid tape (both wide and narrow)

poly folders (in colors that work with your tape)

computer printer

scissors

pen or pencil

standard size single hole puncher (needed for 2 of the 3 styles)

1/8" wide ribbon, yarn, or twine (needed for 2 of the 3 styles)

thin permanent markers (optional)

Step 1.  Print out the bookmark templates I have created for you.  (To print, be sure your computer's printer is on and ready to go.  Then click on the image below to enlarge it.  Right click on the image and select "print."  Then use your browser's back button to return to this page.)

Step 2.  Carefully cut out one or more of the bookmark templates.  If applicable, using your single hole puncher, punch a hole through the black circle in the template(s).

Step 3.  Place the template on your poly folder and trace the shape with a pen or pencil.  Be sure to trace the punched out circle too, if your template has one.

TIP #1:  I started by cutting out the pockets from inside the folder.  They can be used to make one bookmark each.

Step 4.  Cut out the shape you've traced.  If applicable, punch out the circle you've traced with a single hole puncher.

Step 5.  After you've selected which tapes you would like to use for your bookmark, cut a piece of tape about 6" long.  Then position the tape on the front of your bookmark as desired and wrap the ends around the back of the bookmark.  (For a neater appearance, make sure the edges match up where the ends meet.)  Repeat this as many times as you need to create a design you like.  Be sure to experiment with other ways to use your tape, such as creating a frame with it.

Tip #2:  One of the perks about using these poly folders is that, with most types of tape I've tried, the tape can be removed and repositioned if it is not exactly as you would like it.

Step 6.  For the bookmarks with a hole at the top, cut a piece of 1/8" ribbon, yarn, or twine approximately 10" to 12" long.  Then fold it in half and thread the loop end through the hole in the back of the bookmark.  Pull the loop out the front of the bookmark, then feed the two ends through the loop.  Pull tightly to complete your knot.  Tie another knot right at the top of the bookmark for added security.

Tip #3:  You can get creative with this by using multiple colors of ribbon, adding beads, or making a tassel at the end.

Step 7.  Personalize your bookmark with a name, initial, or a monogram using tape or permanent marker.

This craft comes with a warning . . . I started out with a just few rolls of tape and now need to think of a way to store the many rolls I've purchased since.  I may be addicted, so look for more patterned tape crafts in the coming months!