Go Noodle and Brain Break Tickets

I don't know if it's the end of the year "Senioritis" or what, but I've been slacking on this blog and anything TpT related.   I've been too focused on tying up loose ends, packing up my class, and trying to beat this 90 degree heat at the beach to blog.  After several days indoors with 1st and 2nd graders who are dying to get their wiggles out, I just come home and zone out on reality T.V. and popsicles {don't judge}!!!

I've got some exciting news that forced my lazy body to turn off the T.V. and do a quick post.  I've teamed up with the fabulous folks at Go Noodle to bring you a great management tool that I've been using in my classroom for a few months!!!

I’ll be the first to admit it, I was late to the brain break game.  Although I don’t feel guilty about it, I wish I’d discovered Go Noodle a lot sooner.  I’d been hearing about brain breaks on social media but finally saw them in action thanks to Instagram.  I hadn’t even been go the Go Noodle website yet and was already hooked.  It looked amazing and I needed to be part of the action.  I went to the website and registered in less than five minutes.  “Easy peasy” as my first and second graders say!

            I am now a teacher who brain breaks and let me tell you, it has truly transformed our classroom in so many ways.  My students beg for brain breaks.  If by some chance I forget it’s brain break time, they will remind me!  They are great before a test, or after lunch when you need your scholars to calm down.  I love them because it gives my little ones a chance to decompress with “Maximo” and his yoga routines.  They love to get their wiggles out with zumba, boys included!

            Once I discovered that Go Noodle is the best thing to happen to my teaching since the clip-up chart, I decided to incorporate them into my classroom management system.  I use a clip-up chart for individual behavior, table points for small groups, and a marble jar  the entire class.  In the middle of the year, I introduced the class store.  My first and second graders earn coins to buy items from our class store.  I made it easy this year.  I put all of the prize tickets into clear, baseball card sleeves with the amount of the prize on top.  

   The top-selling item to buy is a brain break ticket.  Students save up all week to get their hands on one.  My forgetful friends are now reading nightly to earn coins, my friends with less than stellar behavior are working on making better choices, and my chatty little guys are more quiet.  So you may be wondering, what’s the big deal about a brain break ticket? 

            Oh my, when you buy a brain break ticket, you hold all the power (for about five minutes).  Boys and girls are eager to buy a brain break ticket because they get to choose the Go Noodle brain break for the morning or afternoon.  They love having the power to choose what they want and I love it because it saves me trips to the store for junk.   Plus, the administration and parents love that students are making healthy choices by choosing to exercise rather than buy candy.  Some of my students have caught on to Go Noodle and now do brain breaks at home with their siblings.  If that isn’t amazing, I don’t know what is.  If you don’t have a class store, you can use brain break tickets for friends who clip all the way up on their clip chart, students who bring back their permission slip or an important note, or add it to your treasure box.  Use these tickets anyway that works best for your class.  I can’t wait for you to join my class in Go Noodle and all that it has to offer!

For the original post and FREE brain break tickets, click on the champs below!