The pandemic has definitely thrown a wrench in some of the things we planned to do in class this year. I had to celebrate my very first student birthday virtually the other day and was not about to let the day pass by without planning something fun.
During a typical school year, my students’ families would bring in treats to share with the class and we would sing Happy Birthday. Since we needed to celebrate virtually, I told the students we would B.Y.O.T. (Bring Your Own Treats) to class, sing Happy Birthday and eat our treats together in class.
While this was fun, I decided to up the celebration just a bit and asked the student’s parent to tell me where their child would like to go on a field trip if they could go on a field trip right now. The student told their parent they would love to go to Legoland.
So, I searched on Youtube and found a few videos that park visitors had taken while at the park and, especially, on rides. We watched a couple quick video tours and went on some virtual roller coasters and other park rides together. The students had a blast!
I told the students to buckle up as we prepared to start the rides. They even threw their arms up in the air as we went on the roller coasters! After we had finished the rides, one student raised their hand and told me that their dad had turned on the leaf blower and blew it in their face to mimic the wind on the ride. On the second ride, which was a water ride, their dad got a spray bottle and sprayed them as we splashed down into the water. A+ dad! Way to go!
What’s even more important is that the student whose birthday we celebrated had a memorable birthday. We have a few more birthdays coming up next month and I cannot wait to plan even more virtual field trips!
Here are some links to a few great videos I found. Enjoy!