Happy Half!

In elementary school, birthdays are special.  Students are sung to, treats are had, and a cute certificate is placed on their desk.  They get to use this special chair sign for the day:

(That is of course, if they celebrate their birthdays.  Always check during the first few days of school! I do this by including a question on their family surveys.  Chair cover is from the Dollar Store.)

My birthday always falls within the first week of school, so I rarely expect presents...because they've known me for what, 3 days?

However, my heart aches for those summer birthdays who don't get celebrated.  So this year, I decided to change that.

We are celebrating half birthdays:

I sent a note home to all my parents in December who had students with June, July, or early August birthdays to let them know we'd be celebrating and that they're welcome to bring in treats.

One mom made these:

They were delicious!

There has been a lot of positive feedback from my students and their families, so I'll definitely be doing this again next year!

I gave in

I gave in.

I tried to avoid the whole I have to go back to work situation by quickly changing the channel whenever back to school ads came on...but I failed.  I gave in.  I was out running errands and I ventured into the dreaded back to school supply aisle.



I bought my classroom supplies today.  I snagged some deals at the Dollar Tree and Target.

New classroom supply buckets:

(Round 2).

I'm hoping the smaller size will mean less mess.  I used these supply buckets last year and well, they didn't work.  So now, round two!  I plan to make cute table cards like these:

I will either color code or number code the supplies, depending on if I can find the appropriate sticker colors.  I'll print the cards, laminate them, and use a hole punch and binder rings to attach the cards to the buckets.

I found this cute chair cover at the Dollar Tree:

I think it's a fun way to add some joy into the classroom and make students feel special on their birthdays.  Plus, it's not related to food, so no need to worry about allergies!

I found this gem in the dollar aisle:

It will be a nice reference for students after I've explicitly taught these roots.

While I love my old classroom sign, 

It's time for a new one.  I haven't decided on what colors or fonts I'll be using so until I make up my mind, this is how it will stay.

I do love dollar tree stationary and will be using this for my classroom welcome letter.

I snagged these and will create a cute "survival" kit for my fifth graders.

I don't have everything fully figured out yet, but something about it's okay to make mistakes because it's proof you're trying and that I hope they sparkle (since the pencils are sparkly).  I'll post the final version once I've made up my mind.

I also stocked up on some new cups, which is one of my favorite classroom management strategies.

My old ones had been through hundreds of students...so it was time for a fresh start.

I found these at Target and think they'll go nicely with the bright colors I've picked out for my classroom decor.

I am excited for decorating my classroom!

Now, it's time to relax and enjoy my last few days before headed back for training.

Dollar Store Finds

As a teacher, we are all aware of dollar stores and the numerous supplies they have that can be modified for classroom use.

My personal favorite is the Dollar Tree and their teaching section.  Many school districts have tax-exempt status, so grab the form from your office and show your teacher id to save a little extra.  (Ok, not save...just not pay tax)

Laundry bins:

These two items make great book organizers.  I like to organize my bookshelf by genre, but you can always do alphabetically or leveled :)

 

l love the idea of buying all white bins and then using colored ribbons to differentiate for reading groups.  If you're not feeling that crafty, you can always laminate note cards, put a hole punch in the top two corners and attach the note card to the bin with binder clips.  Plus, if the note cards are laminated, you can easily change the information, table names, etc.  I love working smarter, not harder :)

However, printing labels on card stock and laminating them works just as well:

photo albums plus flash cards =

Just make sure your students use dry erase markers and not sharpies :)

Speaking of dry erase markers...

Gluing a pom pom on the end makes for an instant eraser!  (Also, it saves your napkin/tissue/paper towel supply and kids keep their hands clean..well, cleanish)

You can also use the picture frames to display instructions to students at centers:

They're easily changeable too!

The fake flowers can also help you make sure your pencils don't disappear.  Use duct tape to beautify pencils and pens, then store in a vase on your desk:

Happy thrifting!

Bulletin board short cuts

Bulletin boards...you love them or not hate, but tolerate them.  A tried and true tip to make it easier is to use wrapping paper or twin flat (not fitted) bed sheets.

I like using sheets because staple holes don't show, which means I can reuse them year 
after year. You can pick up sheets at second hand stores or during back to school sales :) 
Just make sure you buy flat sheets not fitted ones! 

Also, borders are super cute and can be super expensive, so laminate your borders before stapling them up!