Spelling Sticks

Happy Sunday! I wanted to share an idea with y'all for a spelling station.  This idea is not an original idea but when I saw a teacher at my school do it- I could not believe I had not thought of it before.  Get some craft sticks and write one spelling word on each stick.  You can put these in a cup or a baggie.  Students play together.  When it is one student's turn, a classmate picks a stick for them and tells them the word.  If the student spells the word correctly he or she will get to keep the stick.  The student with the most sticks at the end of the game wins.  You could also do this with math facts for a math station.
It is a such a simple idea that I never even thought about it! My kids love this game.

I'll Take a Physical Challenge

 My students have a science test next week so we played a review game on Friday.  I wanted to spice it up a bit so I took a hint from the old show Double Dare.  After dividing my students in two teams, we went outside to the playground.  We followed a typical review game format (I asked one person from a team a question from our study guide, if they got it right they get a point.  If they did not the question went to the other team).  Here was the twist, if the person I called on did not know the answer they could take a physical challenge.  If they took one, the whole team would have to run to the picnic benches, or do twenty jumping jacks, or do fifteen arm circles.  They kids loved it!! I did limit the number of physical challenges they could use so we did get in some science review.  It was a great way to use some of the energy that makes them wiggle so much in the afternoons!