Room transformations are such a fun way to really engage your students and make their learning authentic! They can be a lot of work, but once you do it one time, it becomes a lot easier. And they are so worth it when you hear your students say, “This is the best day ever!”
My favorite room transformation of all is Glow Day! I do this at the end of the school year every year and my students LOVE it!
Setting Up The Room
The best thing about a glow in the dark theme is that you can make it as simple or elaborate as you want. You really only NEED black lights. But the more white/neon things you have, the more your classroom will glow.
I use 5 black light bars in my room, but it is slightly larger than most classrooms. A typical classroom should glow well with 4 black lights around the room. Before I set up the lights, I put black butcher paper over all of the windows to really block out the outside light. Then, I hang tons of neon things around the room to decorate, such as streamers, balloons, etc.
What Should Students Wear?
To really add to the glow effect, students should wear white and/or neon clothing. I choose to buy white t-shirts for my class to decorate, but this is also part of my end of the year gift to them. I use glow in the dark paint to write “Kindergarten” and the year on the front of their shirts. Then, the students use glow in the dark fabric markers to sign their name on the back of everyone’s shirts. I also buy neon hats and glow sticks for students to wear.
Glow Day Activities
This room transformation is a great way to review kindergarten skills that students have learned throughout the year. The activities don’t have to be anything fancy. I just copy all of them onto Astrobrights paper and have students use highlighters to complete them.
I have 6 activities that I prepare for Glow Day, and set it up as stations that students rotate through. All of these activities are in my Glow Day Resource. Students are in groups of about 3 each and each group is at a station. We rotate activities after about 15 minutes.
When it comes to rotating, I have everyone stop, clean up, and gather at the carpet area. Then, I send them off to their next activity. This helps eliminate the chaos that might come from trying to clean up and rotate all at the same time, in the dark.
Glow Sticker Sounds
For this activity, I write all of the letters of the alphabet on neon dot stickers. Students take the stickers and put them on the picture that starts with that sound.
Glow Write To 100
What makes writing to 100 a million times more fun? Doing it with a highlighter that glows in the dark. This activity is so simple, but a favorite!
Dice Addition
For this, students get 2 glow in the dark dice. They roll the dice and add them together. Then, they write their answer on the recording sheet.
Count the Room
Count the Room is a favorite center in my class all year long, but it’s even better when it glows in the dark. Students walk around the room to find the teen number 10-frame cards. They count how many dots and write their answer on the recording sheet.
CVC Word Dough Stamping
I don’t actually have glow in the dark play dough, but I have found that the bright pink, green, and orange colors glow well under a black light. During this center, students pick a CVC picture card. Then, they use letter stamps to stamp the CVC word into the play dough.
Sight Word Cup Stack
This activity is always another favorite and so simple. I get a big pack of plastic neon cups and write all of the sight words we have learned during the year on them. Then, students just read the words and stack/build with the cups.
Even though I only have students at an activity for about 15 minutes, by the time they clean up and rotate, it actually takes a lot longer. I also recommend not having the lights off all day and breaking the activities up throughout the day. Otherwise, it can be kind of hard on students’ eyes.
Read Aloud
If you are wanting a cute read aloud to add to the day, this book called “Glow” by Kayla Diamond is a great one! It is about a glow stick who feels left out because he doesn’t glow. But after some words of affirmation he begins to feel confident and embrace his uniqueness. It provides a great opportunity for social and emotional learning.
I have also created a list of all of the items I purchased for Glow Day HERE. Remember, you don’t have to go all out. You can keep it as simple as you wish and your students will still have a blast!
