Hosting a Christmas market in your classroom

In my last post I discussed the European Christmas Skype conversations that my class had taken part in and this work fed into a week creating a European Christmas market in our classroom.

Learners were inspired by trying to be the most successful stall with two small prizes available for the best looking stall and the most money made at market. The work that nearly all of the learners put in was fantastic thinking about persuasive language, product placement and the literacy and numeracy skills that underpin enterprise work.

There were stressful times where it felt as though we wouldn't get everything finished however the learners were helped by wonderful support staff who also really bought into the idea and helped learners to make craft, cook cakes and decorate their stalls.

Many parents commented on the success of the market from what they could see on the actual day and when the money was counted by the learners the found they had made £131.10 profit an amazing achievement!

The market was a success and it worked in our school environment with our learners however i do feel aspects would not be transferable to other educational environments. Learners were given a lot of freedom and some learners could have abused this if it was not for the group leaders and support staff i had available.

I would however encourage other staff in education to think about hosting a Christmas Market as the enjoyment and excitement it generated in the learners which was channeled into their work was immense.  

Star of the week – The market was fantastic but I also want to mention #primaryrocks. I joined my first ed chat on Monday (8 - 9pm) and hope to join in many more as a way of sharing interesting ideas and discussing issues in education with a good array of teachers.

Wish for the week – The budget for the Christmas Market escalated as the week went on and some staff felt obliged to spend their own money. In future projects it would be fairer to keep to the budget set by the school and to try to discourage staff from spending.

The Week Ahead

One reason for writing this blog is the lull i now feel myself in after the Christmas Market. It feels too close to Christmas to maintain normal routines and work and there is as always at this time of year lot's of disruption however it's important to keep moving forward.

I feel i need to direct my time away from long-term planning and more into maximising the quality time I spend with children in the classroom finding fun activities that the children can interact with and learn through at their own pace. Two days to the Christmas performance!