Learning on holiday

Recently my family went on a holiday to Geraldton for a family members wedding. My children had to have 2 days off school as we stayed for an extra long weekend. I don't normally take my children out of school for holidays but did so on this occasion.  While in Geraldton we visited the museum and looked at the Leonardo Divinci exhibit. The kids had lots of fun working Divinci's machines and seeing how things work. I was surprised at how much my daughter could tell me about Leonardo Divinci. We also visited the old hospital, police  station and the HMAS Sydney 2 memorial.

I'm a firm believer that although you are in holiday there are always learning opportunities to be found. The kids learnt a lot about history and what life was like in early Geraldton. Along the way we also collected the gold coins found at many WA tourist locations. Our collection is slowly growing and we now have the proper folder to keep these coins safe.

Easy raffle system for upper primary

I came across this great idea while on my relief teaching travels. The idea is simple and yet so effective. Instead of handing out raffle tickets,  this teacher has divided up a piece of bright wrapping paper into squares. When students show good behaviours they are invited to write their names into one of the squares. Once all the squares are full the wrapping paper is then cut up and placed into a box. A set number of names are drawn out and given a prize. This reward system could last between one week to a whole term depending on how frequently the teacher invites students to write their names. I really like this because it  clearly shows who is being rewarded for positive behaviour.