The end of the year is fast approaching! Teachers are wracking their brain trying to come up with end of the year activities. How about a classroom transformation? Classroom transformations are fun and leave your students with lasting memories of a fun-filled day! What better way to bring in summer than a beach day classroom transformation?! Check out the ideas below to bring the beach to your classroom!
Beach & End of the Year-Themed Activities
First things first, students can still learn during a classroom transformation, even an end-of-year one! Lucky Little Learners has LOADS of ideas that will work nicely for this special day.
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Beachy Math Centers
Why not make the whole math lesson summer themed on your beach day? These May Math Centers can be prepped ahead of time, are great for review of skills taught through the year, and will be fun for students. (Teachers can also get some much-needed individual student assessment, packing, or prepping done during the centers!)
1. Marina Measuring
Students will practice measuring in inches with marina themed math cards.
2. Arrays of Sunshine
3. Seaside Subtraction
This subtraction with regrouping math center guides students in a step by step drawing of a sandcastle. They will be learning and not even realize it!
4. Logic Puzzles
Kids + puzzles is always a good combination. Let your students test their logic skills with a beachy twist.
5. Beach day Toothy
Toothy is a game changer! If you have never heard of Toothy, start here. Try this Toothy task kit focusing on addition word problems.
6. Sunshiney Math Practice
If you are wanting quick practice, these beach and summertime themed math worksheets are just the thing!
Beachy Reading Activities
To get immersed in the beach day, read a beach themed book or two and dive into beach themed centers that tap into oh-so-important literacy skills.
Read Aloud Suggestion: Scaredy the Squirrel Goes to the Beach
Scaredy the Squirrel is an entertaining character, and there happens to be a story written about the day he visited a beach.
During the read, ask comprehension questions already written for you. After have students demonstrate their comprehension and grammar skills with several activity options.
1. Fishing for Syllables
This syllables center can be used in a couple of ways:
- Task cards: students flip over a crab card and sort into syllable piles.
- Fish for syllables: attach a magnet or tape to the end of a makeshift fishing pole for a center students won’t forget.
2. Sequencing Sea Turtles
Have students show off their sequencing skills with a sea turtle theme.
3. Diphthongs Popsicle Puzzles
Diphthongs can be tricky, but a popsicle theme makes learning them sweet!
4. Synonym Sand Castles
Synonyms practice with a sand castle theme.
5. Independent Work Options
These activities work great for individual OR partner work!
Beachy Writing Activities
Students can become authors with these fun, summer prompts.
When students are done, they can have an author’s share time and read their writing, preferably with beach music playing in the background.
Bonus tip: Hang up or pass out copies of this beach word list.
Beachy Science : Seashell Studies
Want to incorporate some science into the day? Try a seashell investigation. Hand out a seashell to each student or partner pairs for the students to investigate and describe.
Beachy Snacks, Decor & Ambiance
Now that your lessons and centers are set, the classroom should look and feel a bit like the beach! (Summer vibes!)
Snacks
What good party doesn’t have food?! There are lots of great beach-themed snacks teachers (or student/parent volunteers) can bring them in! (OR to be SUPER simple, have students bring in their OWN snack/drink.)
Check out these ideas that were found in our Lucky 2nd Grade Teachers Facebook group.
1. Jello with tiny umbrellas
Need the umbrellas? Find them on Amazon HERE. (This is an affiliate link, so if you click and purchase, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.)
2. Fruit Punch
What drink is more beachy than this?!
3. Fruit From the Islands
Can be as simple as fruit cocktail, to the fancy fruit kabobs pictured above!
These cute plates/accessories on Amazon are similar to the ones pictured.
4. Starfish Sandwiches
5. An O-Fish-al Beach Day Snack
Decor
Want to ramp up your end of year beach transformation? Here are tons of creative ideas from our facebook group:
More Beachy Classroom Photos
Decor Featured in Photographs
Ambiance
Now that the tables are set, and snacks dished out, it’s time to set the beachy vibe! Check out these videos below!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFRFaI0Ntvku0026t=3771s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfrvPOmXFOEu0026t=2s
Bonus Beachy Ideas
- Play some LIMBO Music and get out a jump rope for a limbo competition!
- Need some exercise time? Have students have a beachball volleyball tournament. (Could even use a balloon!) Students can play in pairs (or individually) and count how many volleys they can get without the ball hitting the ground!
- Summer themed directed drawings
- Fish Scale Celery Art!
Are you STOKED for this fun end of the year classroom transformation?! Want more ideas like this? Check out our classroom transformation posts below!
Remember, we are better together! Happy teaching!
Beach Day & Classroom Transformation
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I can’t wait to transform my room on the last week of school. I did camping day and it was a huge hit. A fun-filled day of learning. Thank you for continuing to create these wonderful ideas.
Where can I find the beach toothy? I have most of the toothy products and I NEED those!
Hello Andrea! Beach-themed Toothy mats will be included in our brand new classroom transformations pack set to release on May 1st, 2022! The pack will include beach, camping, and restaurant themed activities, with more themes being added to this endless bundle every few months! Be sure to check our TpT shop in May! https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Lucky-Little-Learners
Do you have all these resources in one “Beach Day” package on TPT or do we need to purchase separately?
Hello, Marci! We have a classroom transformations pack in development right now – set to release on May 1st! The pack will include beach, camping, and restaurant themed activities, with more being added to this endless bundle every few months! Be sure to check our TpT shop in May! https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Lucky-Little-Learners
I added my email when making this comment will I be notified when the beach package drops?!
Hello Tasheika! Our classroom transformation packs are almost finished and will be available to view and purchase in our site shop or on TpT at the beginning of May 2022! The best way to receive notifications when new resources are released is to join our email list. We send out weekly freebies and share early bird discounts when new products are released. Here is the link to sign up: https://luckylittlelearners.com/lp-lucky-little-learners-newsletter/