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Peabody TeachFor teachers and grown-ups

Countdown timer

Pick a time, press Start, and leave it on the projector. The digits are big enough to read from the back row.

Ready

5:00

Keys: Space start or pause · R reset · ← → 30 seconds · 1–8 the presets · M sound · F full screen

How to use it

  1. Press a preset (1, 2, 3, 5, 10, 15, 20 or 30 minutes) or choose Custom and type a length such as 7:30.
  2. Press Start, or Space. Press F to fill the screen; the buttons fade away until you move the mouse.
  3. Add or take off half a minute with the arrow keys. A soft chime sounds at zero (turn it off with M).

Ideas for class

  • Put 2 minutes on the screen for packing up, and let the class race the clock.
  • Use 5 minutes for a warm-up question that students answer in pairs.
  • Run 10 minutes of independent reading, then ask one student to describe the best sentence they read.
  • Switch to the Quiet style for a test: no sound, no flashing, just a thin line that shortens.
  • Use the Sand or Race style with younger students, who can see how much time is left without reading numbers.
  • Set 15 minutes for a center rotation and press 1 to 8 to jump to a preset between groups.
  • Copy the link after you set a length: it opens a timer already set to that time, ready for tomorrow.

Related

Questions

Will it keep the right time if I switch tabs or the computer sleeps the screen?

Yes. The timer compares the clock at the start with the clock now, so it does not rely on counting ticks. If the browser slows a hidden tab, the time shown is still right the moment you look, and the chime plays when it reaches zero.

Why is there no sound?

Browsers only allow sound after you have pressed something on the page, so press Start once. Check that Sound shows on (press M to toggle), and that the computer volume is up. The Quiet style never plays a sound.

Can I put it on a smart board?

Yes. The buttons are at least 64 pixels tall, nothing needs a hover, and it works offline once the page has loaded. Press F or the Full screen button to hide everything else.

Does it save anything?

Only your colour theme and the sound switch, in this browser. A shared link stores the length in the address after the # sign, which is never sent to our servers.

How do I make a timer for exactly 12 minutes?

Choose Custom, type 12 and press Set. The address changes to include the length, so you can bookmark it.

Nothing you do here is sent to us. Names, lists and settings stay in this browser. No sign-in, no ads.