A big thanks to Willson Education for providing us with this great blog post about keeping cool during the summer in the classroom. You can find more about Willson Education on their Mash page here.
When it reaches the summer term and the temperatures start to climb, it reminds me of when I was an NQT. After a ridiculously hot, exceptionally long Friday, I stopped off for a well-earned bottle of wine. As I watched my items being scanned, the cashier made polite convocation saying “Gosh, it must have been warm in the classrooms today”. Absentmindedly I replied, “yes it was”, at which point they snatched the bottle of wine back and said “Ha-ha! I knew you were underage!”. I politely replied I was a secondary school teacher. Well, after a few mumbled apologies, and the gentleman behind me had picked himself back up off the floor from laughing so hard, I took my bottle of wine and went on my way…but it got me thinking about how I could help myself and my students to get through this season together…
Time in the classroom throughout the summer months can be a learning challenge for students and a teaching test for educators. However, instead of feeling like giving up completely and allowing the situation to descend into chaos, there are several hints and tricks you can try to make your teaching space a comfortable and productive place to be in.
Tips For The Classroom:
There are several ways you can set up the environment you work in to be more beneficial to everyone during the hotter months:
Before Class
Lights And Equipment – Leave the lights and any equipment not in use turned off unless, or until, really needed. Not only will this keep the room cooler but could also help with electricity bills! Bonas in our pay check please!
Open Windows At Night – Night temperatures can drop during the summer months so it would be beneficial to take advantage of this refreshing time by leaving the windows open, if it is safe to do so.
Close Blinds And Curtains – This will help to block out intense sunlight and keep the room cooler before and during the rooms use. If you don’t have blinds or curtains in your room, try using posters or asking your students to design some funky artwork to be put up.
During Class
Setting – Project images of cool colours or environments on the board with appropriate sounds such as calm winds or running water – be careful with how much you have drunk at this time, or you may start a stamped to the toilets!
Wonders Of Street View – This website explores the weird and wonderful images to be found on Google Street View, let it inspire you to find fun and unusual setting images which can spark questions and a class discussion.
Fans – If possible, set these up to create a cross breeze within your classroom, but remember position is key, you don’t want your papers flying around the room adding to the potential commotion, or poor Harry in the corner freezing due to the constant ice blast!
Water – Ensure you and your students have access to cold water. You may wish to include scheduled breaks during your teaching to ensure everyone – including you! – has a drink. Avoid sugary and calorie-high sports and soft drinks, water is the best way to hydrate and keep the body cool.
Having cold water in a spray bottle can be refreshing to spray on over-heated faces.
Running hands under cold water is also an effective way to being down body temperature.
Shade – If you venture outside to take advantage of the sunshine, utilise the shade as much as possible.
Slow Down – Don’t do anything too strenuous during the hottest part of the day, this tends to be between 10am and 3pm, however its always advisable to check the local weather forecast.
Take scheduled cool-down breaks, use this time to have a drink and maybe go through a few breathing or yoga activities to restore order to the classroom.
Book The Computer Room – There are many educational games to take advantage of on the internet, the children will play and not realise they are learning at the same time, plus you will all get to enjoy the benefits of a well-conditioned room!
Geography
Planet Planners – Created by BBC Bitesize, students use their decision-making skills to manage the challenges facing planners when dealing with various hazardous environments.
Days Since Incident – Track natural disasters as they happen, how long has it been since an earthquake, volcanic eruption, or hurricane? The answers may surprise you…
Baby Map – The country flashes each time a baby is born, with a calculation of how much the population has grown, and where, in the time you have been looking at the webpage.
Life Stats – Discover what has happened within your lifetime – What your body has done and how our world and environment has changed.
The True Size Of… – Drag and drop the outline of countries around the world to discover their true sizes in relation of one another.
History
The Great Fire Of London – Created by the Museum Of London, this website is divided into three parts: Fire Of London Game (Six chapters depict the six days of the fire where the students help pack the character’s precious belongings, help fight the fire and learn how we know about what happened in the fire), Great Fire 1666: A Minecraft Experience (Using the power of Minecraft the students delve into 1666 London to discover the cause of the fire, help fight it and have a go at rebuilding London), and a website (A simple way of looking at artefacts which allow the students to discover and explore material from partners’ and contributor’s collections).
Science
Space Elevator – Going up…explore our environment from the ground up, up and away into the atmosphere.
The Size Of Space – Discover how enormous some of the objects in our universe really are with this interactive visualisation.
Science Museum Games And Apps – Investigate a collection of brainteasers or explore science with a range of games and apps from the Science Museum.
Tips For Your Students:
Children can become agitated and restless when cooped up during warmer weather so ensure you plan for both indoor and outdoor activities if you can and keep to a tight programme. They can also become stressed and will take their cues from you as the adult, so try to keep calm, remember you are all in the same classroom! Here are a few ways you can try to help your students:
Head Outside – There are a variety of lessons which can be adapted for outside. Or why not wrap up the morning or the day with some reading, either aloud to the class or individually. Allow the students to get comfortable on the grass and enjoy the peace and calm.
Ice Pops – Treat your students to an ice pop at breaktime or use this as a great excuse to make some ice lollies with the class. They can choose their own fruit and juices to make great combinations. You could take it a step further and have them sell them and help raise money for a chosen cause.
Breaktime Activities – Advise your students to not run around too much during break and lunch times. Make available alternatives such as board games or puzzles. You could encourage them to bring in their favourite games to share with the class.
Meditation And Yoga – Organise scheduled breaks throughout the day to help calm and centre the students by practising simple meditation and yoga.
Rice Packs – Easy ice packs for the classroom with no mess, simply fill a sock with rice and freeze for an hour and voila! Instant homemade ice pack!
Incorporate Water! – How much do you trust your class…? Including water in your lessons could be a lot of fun, in science you can look at the displacement of water, in PE you would run races with cups of water on their heads, in geography discover avalanches by using crushed ice…
Tips For You And Your Staff:
As well as looking after your students you MUST remember to look after yourself too! Here are a few tips to think about before taking on your day:
Suncream – Apply suncream, even if you are not planning on being out in the sun and ensure to have a hat handy.
Clothing – Choose light-coloured, loose-fitting clothing which reflects light and wont cling to your body. Natural fibres such as cotton and linen are more breathable too.
Shoes – Wear breathable shoes such as cotton tennis shoes or sandals.
Lunch – Pack yourself a boxful of healthy, colourful salad, fruits, and vegetables to help keep you cool, hydrated and nourished. Eating a heavy meal can make you feel unwell in hot weather. Other lunch ideas include chicken or pasta salad, Greek yogurt, cheese and crackers or soup – trust us…read on…
Drinks – First we advise having cold water within reach all day and now we suggest drinking hot drinks and soup as they will make you feel cooler. Hear us out, hot drinks cause you to sweat which outweighs the fact hot drinks will raise your internal body temperature slightly. This is more effective on drier days as when sweat is evaporated, energy is also absorbed into the air and helps to cool the body.
Caffeine dehydrates the body so stick to decaffeinated teas and coffees when you can.
Treat Yourself – Have a little something waiting for you in the fridge to celebrate a job well done come breaktime or once you get home.
Recognising Heat Related Illnesses – Being able to recognise the symptoms of heat exhaustion and heatstroke, the differences and treating them is crucial for you, your staff, and your students:
Heat exhaustion does not usually need emergency medical help if you can cool the patient down within 30 minutes. If it turns into heatstroke, it needs to be treated as an emergency.
| Heat Exhaustion | Heatstroke |
| Symptoms: Heavy Sweating Weakness, tiredness, dizziness Muscle cramps in the arms, legs, stomach Cold, pale, and clammy skin Fast, weak pulse Nausea or vomiting Headache Fainting Heavy thirst Treatment: Move the patient to a cool location, apply cool, wet cloths, and give them sips of water. Remove any unnecessary clothing. They should start to feel better after 30 minutes. | Symptoms: Still feeling unwell after 30 minutes of resting in a cool place, being cooled, and drinking fluids High body temperature (above 40oC) Hot, red, dry, or clammy skin Rapid and strong pulse Confusion or lack of coordination Possible unconsciousness Treatment: Immediate medical attention is needed as heatstroke can be fatal. Put the patient in the recovery position if they lose consciousness. |
(Information gathered from NHS Website)
Children and those with long-term health conditions (such as diabetes or heart problems) are more at risk of heat exhaustion or heatstroke.
Tips To Moderate Behaviour:
Keep Your Cool – If things start to become chaotic remember to stay strong, remain calm, take a deep breath, and resume control.
Set Boundaries – Be consistent with your normal rules while being aware of the unusual circumstances. This way you can step out of your normal routine and still have fun.
Be Prepared – Have a plan B. If you have switched the computer and projector off use the board, be prepared to be initiative and on-the-spot thinking!
Lesson Plan Ideas:
The heat can be cause for students to lose concentration and anyone to lose their sense of humour. The days can feel longer, and everyone just wants to be outside enjoying the good weather. Here we have some activities which we hope to inspire you through these hot days:
English
Study literature with a cold setting.
Make up your own fairytales by going ‘naked’ and not using electronics – Use the great outdoors as
the perfect backdrop and space for everyone to rehearse.
Read aloud to the class, this could be done with heads down on desks or outside in a shady area.
Go back to basics with practising handwriting.
Science
Study the buoyancy of objects in water and the resulting displacement.
Study various devices that will float on water.
Study the best materials to keep an ice cube frozen.
Study your senses in the outdoors – Go barefoot on the grass, close your eyes, and listen, smell the
flowers and cut grass.
Geography
Study cold climates such as Iceland or Antarctica – Amazingly, imagining a cooler climate can really
help deal with heat.
Study how other cultures survive in hotter climates.
Study climate graphs.
Religious Education
Study yoga used in different religions and have a go.
Physical Education
Stretching and breathing exercises
Set up water relay races.
Play Simon Says – North, South, East, West or similar games.
Apple bobbling – throw in a pear and see what happens…
Other
Create, make, market and sell ice lollies or pops.
Discuss the positive and negatives of using bottled water versus tap water.
Discuss/Show and Tell things you are grateful for; this can help to calm some students.
There are many underutilised ‘special features’ on DVDs which can be used within the classroom.
Leon Day – 25th June 2023 – officially halfway through the year and nearer to Christmas 2023 than 2022!
Let the students decide…if you dare…this way they can feel more in control of their environment and education making the situation a little more bearable for everyone involved.