Kiss Your Brain!

Last year, following one of our BIG tests at the end of the year, I promised my students that when it was all over with, they could kiss their brains.  Of course, this idea motivated many of them to finish on time and with much effort.  They had no idea what "kiss their brains" meant but offered plenty of suggestions.  After they finished, the students were delighted to find that it meant they received a Hershey's kiss for all their hard work.  As I put it, their brains deserved a treat for doing so well.  This year, I plan to implement this concept from the beginning of the school year and not just for tests.  

I had an old glass candy jar that I have had since I started teaching. (That was a whole 3 years ago!)  

I had also just bought some shimmery stickers for kids to personalize with. 

Why not use what I already had to make an awesome motivational tool?  Couldn't find a reason not to, so this is what I did:

Now, you are not going to believe this, but I bought these alphabet stickers and searched and searched for a "Y" or "y."  I wasn't picky.  There was no "y" whatsoever on any of the 6 sheets I bought!  Crazy I know.  So, I manufactured a "y" with two exclamation points and a lowercase "l."  It is pretty obvious, but kids don't care, right? (as long as they are getting candy...)

... and now all I need are the actual kisses (and some smart brains to kiss!)

* ms. charity *