The Pumpkin Patch

This idea came from a colleague last year who did a "Secret Santa" activity with her students each year. I adapted it and started doing it every month to encourage positive behaviors. We love it! At the end of every month, my students receive a special mission. They are given the name of one student to watch and observe all week. This is a top-secret assignment. No one knows who is watching them! The goal is to spot that person doing one or two kind, friendly, generous, respectful, responsible things during the week. Then, at the end of the week, each student decorates a pumpkin, turkey, snowflake, heart, clover, rainbow, etc. (depending on the month) for their top-secret person. On the back, they write about the great things they saw that person doing. Then Miss Barber collects them and posts them on the board. At the end of the day, each student receives the item with their name on it and gets to read about the positive things they were spotted doing that week. It's such a fun surprise!

On the last day, we all are dying in suspense because we see our name on the board but we still don't know who was spying on us all week! Even Miss Barber participates in the fun and watches a students all week (and has a student watching her all week). Many of the students keep their pumpkins in their pencil boxes as reminders of the ways that other students appreciate them and their good behavior. What an encouragement!