End-of-year Craft Ideas for 2Nd Grade Class?

My favorite web site for these things is familyfundotcom. It has a corresponding magazine, but you don't need to be a subscriber to utilize the web site. I have gotten lots ideas for crafts for the classroom and cute things to do with my kids. (I'm also a fan of the magazine, lots of ideas for vacations, parenting tips that parents send in, etc.)

I taught 2nd grade for many years and my students loved making mud cups........crushed oreo cookies or if you want sand cups....crushed graham crackers.....alternating layers of pudding (chocolate or vanilla depending on the type of cup) then put in gummy worms....and finally a mini paper umbrella if you want. The kids loved working together to crush the cookies and to make the pudding.

They could create and decorate a summer journal/calendar for collecting the amazing moments of their summer.

Create a monthly calendar for each month or weekly calendars, and writing pages for each day. Add a page for each wk that is a pocket (folded piece of paper). Give each child a front/back cover and either hole punch and lace it up or staple it all together for them (after THEY build it).

They can decorate the covers while others finish. They could draw things that they already know they are going to do.

As a teacher, I always give my students summer homework...something for every day of the week...fun-ish stuff, like . ..
- have a play date and share a piece of fruit with a friend, -sit in your yard in the early morning and listen to all the sounds. Make a list.
-Watch a sun set, write a poem.
-find three objects and make up a game that uses them.
-try something new
-play with someone you've never played with before
-do something to help someone else.

The list goes on and on, but there is a place for them to record about each day.

S

One of my favorite crafts from my childhood was when we made “stained glass” vases. We took torn up pieces of tissue paper and decoupaged them onto glass jars and bottles with regular white glue. Then we made flowers out of pipe cleaners to put in them. I think we did this as a mother’s day craft.

Decorate tshirts with sharpe or other perm/cloth markers. A great remembrance for the year.

Give each child a notecard or slip of paper for each child in the class. Have them write what they most like about each child on the one with their names. then colect them put them on rings (each child has theirs with all their name on it)

Hi there
my son's class (also second grade) did a few things.. planted flowers . you could ask parents to bring in old pots they no longer use.
they also did their coat of arms for their family and they enjoyed that a lot >>they cut the coat of arms out of cardboard , then drew and painted it. In addition, some added the family name and or slogan..
in addition, they made castles (this may be too big of a project) they also made the flag(s) of the country(s) from which their family came. e.g. Italy.. they were very proud those and each child talked a little about a custom from their family or country.

Paper bag puppets are lots of fun. Prepare some cutout pieces for eyes, nose, ears, mouth. Make some samples of a boy, girl, car, dog, rocket. They will have a blast both making them and playing with them.

My mom sent me to school with a white T-shirt and fabric markers on the last day of school. I was able to have everyone in the class sign the shirt. I think we even made one for my teacher. I have them from 1st grade to 5th grade. I guess T-shirts might be a little pricey for the whole class but the idea of making something that the kids can decorate and have their classmates sign is a fun one.

I realize you may not have time to order something, but check out Oriental Trading Company. They are a "crafts for kids" catalog so you can get great ideas from them that you can do yourself. Or if you have a Michaels craft store near you, they have cclassroom craft ideas. I am very UNcreative but a room mom for both of my kids, so I depend on these two places to give me my creativity.

I'm a room mom for my daughter's pre-K class, and we are doing school t-shirts for each child, with their handprints in fabric paint on the shirt. In our case, the shirt has the school logo and "Junior Kindergarten 2008-2009" on it (we used iron-on logos, but if your school has t-shirts already, so much the better - OR you can ask each family to send a plain t-shirt with their child for the craft). I bought some fabric paint in the school colors at Michaels.

If this sounds like a little too much gloop for your party, try "Grass Man" instead - here's the link: http://www.craftbits.com/viewProject.do?projectID=196 - kids LOVE this craft. We did this for the spring party and the kids had a blast.

Buy a cheap Bingo set and play bingo. I bought small prizes or created "goody" bags with gum and candy. You can play as many games as you want.

Hi,
So I am doing this in my daughters class too... We are doing a treasure hunt! Its super fun I have done it before with my own kids and friends. They follow clues around our town or you do it on school grounds and find more clues and we also hide eye patches and ear rings and bandanas. It will lead them to the park where they will have pizza and Popsicles!
Good Luck!
H.

Hi D.- Here's a fun one. Magnet frames. We took puffy self stick shapes on pre-fabbed foam frames with magents glued to the back and the kids could stick whatever decor- glitter, markers, puffy shapes- to the frame. YOu can also do this with wood popcicle sticks and buttons and beads and glitter. While the kids are decorating, have them line up to take pictures- or do a class photo. They can be printed out (digital) or do polaroid (if you can still find them) and stick the pictures to the back. It's fun, sugar free, and they can take it home and place it on the fridge.
Another idea is mini seed pots- get the little 2 or 3 inch pots, an easy growing flower/plant seed or herb, and some dirt, and have them put it together. They can decorate the pots if they like (beads, glue, stickers) and take it home and put it on the window sill. Make sure they get a card with instructions on plant care.

Hope these inspire you to do something fun!
-E. Mc.

Making bees out of a spool (or other cylinder) and pipe cleaners is always fun. The kids paint the spools yellow with black dots. Black pipe cleaners can be coiled for the head and others can be used for wings, legs, etc.

Hi D.,
My idea has to do with food. All you need are cupcakes not decorated, blue icing, teddy grahams, gummy life saver rings and paper umbrellas for drinks. Yep you got it! Just frost the cupcake blue,(doesn't have to be smooth), put a life saver ring in the middle of the cupcake with a teddy graham in the middle of the ring and finish it off with a umbrella behind the teddy bear. (umbrella optional, but very cute).
I hope this helps you. Have a great time!

D. : )
Rescue, Ca.

An autograph or memory book for each child to write somthing for their friends. They could decorate the cover and use the crayons/markers to decorate the pages. It's inexpensive and you could use left over construction paper for the pages. If the school or parents have left over photos of activites throughout the year they could be donated for the project.

My kids have done autograph books. You take a picture of the class and put it on the front and then you add blank pages behind so that the kids can all sign the book and leave phone numbers so they have friends to call over the summer.

The teacher usually had the kids leave the finished books on their desks and then the kids rotated around the room to sign each book.

D.

Hi D.,

Have everyone come dressed for a LUAU and do Fruit-ka-bobs on a straw :O)

You can bring music and a limbo stick and that's all you will need :o)

~N.