Are you in the final days of the school year and hanging on by a thread?!

I feel you.

We all know the mixed bag of emotions that the end of a school year brings along with a level of exhaustion only seen during back to school time.

Cue the “there’s no tired like end of school year teacher tired” memes… although I don’t have the energy to find one to share ;).

Low Prep Student Gifts

It's always fun to have a little goodie for our kiddos on the last day of school but it can be tough to find the energy to put it together.

We need easy, quick & low-prep!

I’ve done lots of different gifts over the years but this year I returned to an old favorite…good ‘ole crazy straws!

Crazy Straws

Aww, the nostalgia of being a kid and drinking chocolate milk through these.

Love that they're still a hit with my first graders today.

Found these at straws Dollarama: the colors were fab AND they change color!

Add some cute gift tags and voila!

I would typically add student names but this year I decided to let them choose their color.

Plus, it was way easier...shhhh ;)

Ten years in first grade tells me that white won't be a fan favorite so I grabbed a couple of extra packs.

We don't need tears over straw colors on the last day! #chooseyourbattles

Buuuuut...I’ll also plant the seed that since they change color, we don’t know what the white might become ;)

You can grab your own set of Crazy Straw Gift Tags below!

You’ll be able to personalize them by adding your name. Just type and print!

Reading Pointers

Another thing I love about the twisty straws? They can also double as reading pointers!

Some of my first graders will definitely see that as their primary use.

We add lots of reading pointers to our chant books throughout the year.

Each poem is in a plastic page protector so the pointers easily tuck into them.

They love to practice tracking with 'reading wands' that match the theme of the poem. 

For our last poem of the year, Farewell First Grade, I gave them glittery drink stirrers. Great way to end the year with a little sparkle!

Hope you’re all doing well and if you’re still in school like me, hang in there!

If you’re already on summer vacay: ENJOY!

May you find the time to rest, reflect and rejuvenate…because YOU DESERVE IT! 

Until next time,

Happy teaching!