Buying Discount Books in Bulk

Okay, so you don't need to buy discount books in bulk...but I always wind up filling my cart to the brim and then having about 3 giant boxes of books arrive at my front door. I can't help it! Confession: I have boxes of books in the basement, ready to go for every upcoming holiday and birthday and just-because gift. I just love books!

My favorite discount shops are:

https://bookoutlet.com/

Anyone can buy from here. Great deals. Literally, thousands of steep discounts!

https://www.fbmarketplace.org/

You need to register. This site is for teachers in Title 1 districts. 

Both of these websites offer tons of great books, but also toys, games, puzzles, craft supplies, and more! All at a great discount price. If there is one thing I love, it is a DEAL!

Check them out!

Christmas Traditions at Home and at SCHOOL!

Starting a new Christmas tradition?

Don't forget about this gem I shared last Christmas!

We flipped our Christmas tree skirt over and started annual handprints! We date the handprints and label with the first initial of the name. Over the years, we will make our way around the reverse side of the tree skirt and have a really special keepsake.

In the classroom, you can do something similar! Not with a tree skirt, of course. (If you do celebrate holidays in your classroom, you COULD use a tree skirt and do thumbprints to save space, maybe!) A teacher I used to work with actually had kids put their handprints in the hallway outside her classroom on the wall each year. They were labeled with student first names. It didn't take up much room, despite there being many many years worth of classes' handprints outside her doorway. Kids loved coming back for Open House to find their handprints. This is a fun tradition that can easily be done in many buildings with administrative approval!

Happy Holidays!

Christmas Traditions for Families AND students!

Can we talk about Christmas traditions that work in the classroom and at home?

The 12 Days of Christmas!

Which is what we call it in our house. At school, it might be the 12 Days of Winter Break! Either way, as soon as we hit that 12 day count down, 12 wrapped gifts appear with the numbers 1-12 on them. We open them in reverse order, counting down to Christmas or winter break. And each gift is a special book to add to our collection.

It's time to get kids EXCITED about books!

Reading IS fun!

If you prioritize it, and make it magical, they will buy in!

My daughter is me. She is a reader through and through. My son likes books, but not quite as obsessed. But when he opens those daily books under the tree? He will read that book over and over and over again. (In our house, Mr. Elf delivers them.) If all it takes is wrapping books up in brown paper to get a kid to engage with them, I will do that! Any day!

Elf on the Shelf Thoughts?

We have an Elf on the Shelf in our house. He is Mr. Elf. He comes after Thanksgiving to visit until Christmas Eve. When he arrives, he has some kind of family gift, like matching pajamas that we can all wear for a holiday photo op. (Yes, the kids are more likely to wear the matching jammies if they come from Mr. Elf, not Mommy.)

On December 12, Mr. Elf also delivers the twelve days of Christmas gifts. 12 presents under the tree. (Spoiler alert: they are all books. Always. Every year.)

The 12 days of Christmas serve a few purposes. We get new books! We get excited about these new books and read them A LOT!

Also, the kids get practice opening gifts. They are still little and need some practice before actual Christmas or we might be unwrapping gifts for days. So, we practice and learn some techniques.

To summarize, Mr. Elf is just a fun visitor from the North Pole. Bringing some early gifts and hiding around the house. He is not watching for Santa - he is just a friend from the North Pole who needs to go back on Christmas Eve to help Santa.

In my classroom, I had an elf one year. Again, the elf delivered some new books to the room and caused some chaos. It was fun to find him each day and naming him was a little graphing lesson. He did not become part of my classroom management system - he was just for fun. *I should add that 100% of my students that year celebrated Christmas and believed in Santa. Also, we researched holidays around the world, so we were exposed to all kinds of winter celebrations, not just Christmas.

I think the elf on the shelf is fun! It absolutely should not become a management tool you whip out to scare kids into being good around the crazy holidays. So, when you are thinking about using an elf in your classroom or home, be really mindful about HOW you are introducing it and HOW you are using it.

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween with a throw back to Lucy and our pumpkins!

Now that I have two toddlers, carving pumpkins doesn't look the same. We do stickers. We do markers. We do not do knives. :)

Oh, and Halloween on a Monday? Bring me back to a weekend Halloween, please! Let's survive this week where kids and families will decide that a plastic baggie full of left over Halloween candy is a totally appropriate snack. Or breakfast. Or lunch.

My love for magnetic tiles continues...

Challenge: Build the tallest structure!

Challenge: Build a structure you can go inside!

Challenge: Build an igloo!

Challenge: Build a fort for yourself!

But, actually, I did not give my kiddos any challenge at all! That's the beauty of toys that foster creativity and use of your imagination. Sometimes there isn't a challenge. Sometimes you dump some toys, items, crafty supplies, etc. out on the floor and see where it takes them!

An important Reminder as the School Year Begins...

This was my classroom door a few years back. 

I love the message it sends my students. We're here for THEM. That means that they are important. It also means that we are all in this together - a student's job is to learn and a teacher's job is to provide opportunities for learning. We're really just guides to support students in discovering who they are meant to be.

One thing I struggled with early on is eliminating "guys" from my teaching vocabulary. I loves that I could use this door as my guide. I called the kids scientists during science. Readers during a read aloud. It makes sense - when you see a child as an author, they do, too!

So, as the year gets going, I know this is the tiring time. The time that you just want to get into the curriculum but also need to lay that solid foundation of rules, procedures, and routines. It's also a really nice time for you as the teacher to bond with your class and show them that they truly are your priority. Enjoy the getting to know you phase of the year. Sprinkle in some fun between practicing lining up! :)

Happy beginning of the school year to all!

Throwback! Classroom Seating Edition

Once upon a time, this was my classroom:

Do you see those low white seats? They are the popular IKEA bookcases, turned on their sides. Very sturdy! They lasted for 10+ years!

I made those cushions. Horrible. Did not last 10+ years. They are simply foam covered with fabric. They slid all over and kids pulled at the fabric, which I hot glued together. It did not work.

Fast forward...well, 10 years!

These are the same bookshelves. The EXACT same bookshelves. You can see there is wear at the bottom, where kid feet rested, but overall, still in amazing shape! Sturdy and functional and cute!

The biggest difference is the cushion. I got plywood, foam filler, batting, and covered all of that with the cute indoor/outdoor fabric. Then, I did not use a hot glue gun, my old best friend. Instead, I used a nail gun. Seriously, these things have held together!!!

Currently, they are in my basement at home, being used regularly by two toddlers, a dog, and a cat. But they were in multiple fourth grade classrooms, a third grade room, and a second grade room. They lasted through more classroom moves than I can count. They were the perfect meeting area for every mini lesson and classroom meeting I ever held. When I had to move classrooms, first I would place my benches for our meeting area, then I would figure out where my classroom library would go, and then everything else just fit in where it could because those two elements were top priority in my mind. 

Whether you are homeschooling, teaching in a classroom, or a mom looking for functional seating in the playroom, I highly recommend using the IKEA hack!

Happy First Day of School!

I love a good photo op!

As a classroom teacher, I was always creating photo opportunities for my kids, documenting our learning journey together. At the end of the school year, I would compile them into a video slideshow with music, and yes, tears. I took so many pictures that the slideshow was usually close to an hour long, or even longer, and would you believe that those kids sat them, mesmerized by their growth, how much fun we had, and just how far they had come? Oh yes. 

So, as the year begins, think about how you can make this year memorable and special for you students. I think that is just as important as the academics - no big SEL events, but weave SEL throughout your year by being supportive, listening, and providing opportunities for kids outside of academics. It's so important, and that time spent building a strong foundation through relationships will come back to positively impact academics and behaviors. After all, kids work hard and listen to adults who respect them and care for them. I mean, they just know.

THROW BACK: Genre Graphs in the Classroom!

This is a major THROW BACK!

I used to always have a genre graph in my classroom. Now, this was before the days of my school district having any kind of curriculum. I take that back. We technically had some boxed program, but I started using it and it wasn't meeting the needs of my students, so I asked my principal what my options were and she literally told me to teach the standards however I saw fit. So....I did my own thing!

Now, this genre graph helped me a lot. As we worked through texts in fourth grade, We would add the title and author on a sentence strip and put it on the graph above the genre it fit with. This was beneficial is a variety of ways:

1. We were working on graphing. Who doesn't love cross curricular displays?

2. We were reviewing the genres and discussing them as we placed each text.

3. We were practicing how to cite texts when we wrote them on the sentence strip. And yes, I had kids write them. Get those kids involved in your classroom displays!

4. It held me accountable. I have favorite genres. I have favorite texts. Does that mean I can teach just that genre all year. No. I need to hit them all at some point. So, when I saw my kids' scores on a benchmark and they were rocking nonfiction questions and then I realized we had read 13 nonfiction texts and only 2 fiction texts so far....well, that made sense. And it helped me adjust what I was doing.

*Also, those genre posters were a freebie. Just a plain old google search.

Welcome to Open House!

Do you feel completely bombarded by tons of families, all trying to meet you like you're some kind of celebrity at Open House? Me too.

So, a few years ago, I made this photo booth. I downloaded some free photo props, laminated them and left them on a chair outside my classroom. It was a good stopping point for families before they got into my classroom to meet me, or a fun activity as they were leaving. And it gave them just another thing to do while they were waiting to get a few words with the teacher!

Bonus? My administration is trying to get Twitter and Instagram and Facebook going at our school, so some families sent the pictures to them or used hashtags so that made me look pretty good! :)

A Balance Board

I am always on the hunt for toys that engage for hours. I want my kids using their imaginations and creating. I had seen so many parents rave about these wooden balance boards, but I never realized just how open-ended they could be. My kids are WAY more creative than I am!

My kiddos, who are 1 and 3, have made slides, boats, bridges, homes for their animals, caves, and so much more. You need to monitor the young ones - my one year old has bopped his head on it once or twice. Overall, I see growth in gross motor skills, determination, perseverance, collaborative play, and just sharing a toy! Not an easy feat for toddlers!

I've Said it Before and I'll Say it Again - The Pure Joy of Having a Box is UNMATCHED.

We order from Boxed. Have you heard of it?

I live kind of in the middle of nowhere and I love bulk shopping. Like, love it. When everyone was hoarding toilet paper at the start of the pandemic, I was totally fine because I naturally keep every single bathroom fully stocked and have an extra 30 pack in the basement just in case. I also happen to love saving money, so buying in bulk is a way to do that in the long run.

Anyway, I always drove out to BJs once every few months to stock up on essentials. Then the pandemic hit. I was pregnant and not about to go into a big store surrounded by tons of people, so I cancelled my BJs membership and discovered Boxed. It doesn't have quite the selection, but they deliver! To my door! No more leaving my house and hauling giant, heavy boxes to my car! So, I love it.

And here we are. A Boxed delivery means my children have access to the world's biggest boxes.

For this box, we used markers to draw inside. We drew a scene and on the ground was a pond with fish and of course my one-year old swam in it. 

I have set my kiddos down in the box like a playpen, thrown some markers and paint sticks inside and let them go nuts for a while. Do we need a bath afterwards? Yes, usually. But I can also make dinner without worrying about the one-year old trying to twist the knobs on the stove, so I call that a WIN!

Anyway, I think it is important to remember that expensive toys are NOT always where it's at. A plain old box from an awesome online bulk supplier can do the job, no problem. Well, the only time it becomes a problem is when my three-year old hoarder child decides to literally fill that box with everything she owns for no reason. And then put a chair on top and sit on it. But that's my problem. 

A Change in Scenery to Get Kids Reading

I've found both at home and in the classroom that switching things up sometimes can be really valuable and reinvigorate some enthusiasm. I am a major supporter of routines and procedures, but every once in a while it is motivating to make a change.

At home, we will create "reading nooks" every once in a while that will stay in place for a few days. For example, turning our two chairs into a little bed and adding a bin of books. Later, we added cozy pillows and blankets. Additionally, every few weeks I take a huge armload of books from one kid's room, bring them to the other kiddo's room, and switch up the books on their bookshelves. It always leads to them rediscovering books they love but forgot about, or spending an hour going through their "new" books.

In the classroom, I would bring in different flexible seating options throughout the year, introduce new books to the library, switch things up with a "Flashlight Friday" routine that involved reading in the dark with flashlights, reading marathon days, etc. Just something different and exciting to get kids refocused on their love of reading! Isn't that the point? Kids who love reading, read. Kids who read, learn. 

Spark the JOY of READING Early On!

That's the face of a kid who loves books!

Isn't that the goal?

Get books in the hands of kids early on and let them enjoy those books. Every single time a child is reading a book, there doesn't need to be a quiz or a discussion or a running reading record. Sometimes kids need time to explore books and just foster that love of reading that will last their whole lives.

That's why I really do love the program we use in our school, Collaborative Classroom. It gives kids time to love on books, build their reading stamina, and conference with teachers. If you haven't heard of it before, look into it! It's a nonprofit and has transformed our culture for learning!

Just give kids a box. That's it. Save your money.

Seriously. I have spent A LOT of money on toys in my life. Wonderful, open-ended, purposeful play-type of toys, all highly recommended. But you know what really entertains? A box.

A box can be a fort. 

A box can be a canvas for artwork.

A box can be a ride.

A box can be a boat.

A box can be ANYTHING kids can imagine. And it's GREAT play! 

When we get a massive order in a giant box, my kids immediately come and help me unload everything. It makes my heart happy that they like helping until I realize that they are only doing it to get to the empty box faster. Which is okay, too, because then I get to witness the toddler imaginations at work and it really is a beautiful thing. 

Handprint Art: BEST DAD HANDS DOWN!

Check out this easy to use printable for Mother's Day, Father's Day, Grandparents' Day, Teacher Appreciation Week, Nurses Appreciate Week, Principals, and Birthdays!

Recently, I decided to keep one frame ready to go in our house for these handprint art holiday gifts. Now, we switch out the most recent piece of artwork, so whatever is hanging is from that year. We still save the old handprints and cards and cutesie handmade things, but they are not ALL on display because that would just get crazy!

How to Use:

Simply use ink pads or paint to add your child's handprints to the templates provided! Afterwards, you can have children sign their name at the bottom. This is a memorable keepsake that can be framed or used as a card for special occasions.

What's Included?

There are 30 pages available. Plenty of black and white options for Mother's Day, Father's Day, Grandparents' Day, Teacher Appreciation Week, Nurses Appreciate Week, Principals, and Birthdays!. Names include:

- Mom

- Mommy

- Dad

- Daddy

- Grandma

- Grandpa

- Teacher

- Principal

- Nurse

Click here for the printable!

LEGO Building Brick Challenges for Kids of ALL AGES!

You know what I really love about STEM challenges? SO many of them can be posed for kids of all ages. You'll always be surprised by the responses from kids! They can truly be thoughtful, innovative, and motivated!

I have created LEGO Build Brick STEM Challenges for seriously all ages. Using them in school for our STEAM program, as well as for myself as a classroom teacher and a summer school teacher, I continue to be dazzled by the new ideas kids come up with. (I even test some of these challenges out on my 3-year old, pictured below!)

STEM challenges create a community - kids love sharing and reflecting on their creations, supporting each other through hiccups, and cheering their peers on when there are successes. It also builds on the collaboration of classmates. I oftentimes hear kids say, "How did you build that?" or "Can you help me with this?" or "Wow, I never thought to try that! Great idea!"

Now, when I use these challenges in my own classroom, I have always used plastic pencil boxes or larger plastic totes to house the actual LEGO building pieces, and typically each child gets their own. Each tote may have a varied assortment of pieces, and kids are allowed to share, but they have their own place to store their pieces. From there, I usually project the quick challenges on the Smart Board, discuss them, and set a timer for building. We have a share time, and move on. For challenges that take longer, I have written responses for kids to plan, build, reflect, and revisit their build. But really, the beauty in using STEM challenges like these in your classroom or home is that you are able to tailor it to fit your specific needs!

Click here for ideas to incorporate LEGO STEM into your home or classroom today!

Handprint Art: Just add a handprint for any occasion!

Check out this easy to use printable for Father's Day, Mother's Day, Grandparents' Day, and Birthdays! Actually, it will fit for ANY holiday!

How to Use:

Simply use ink pads or paint to add a handprint upside down on the paper. I painted the thumb and across the top green, and the fingers/palm red in one handprint. Keep the fingers together when stamping. Once it dries, add black seeds. I used Sharpie, but you could use black finger prints or black paint with a paint brush. SO EASY! AND SO CUTE!

*I did this with my 1-year old and my 4-year old. THAT's how easy it is! Definitely most appropriate for Preschool/UPK through 2nd, but it can work for any age group!

What's Included?

There are 22 pages available. Half with a border and half without.

5 Holidays to choose from.

- Happy Mother's Day

- Happy Father's Day

- Happy Birthday

- Happy Holidays

- Merry Christmas

Click here for the printable!

Handprint Art: I Love Your to the MOON and Back!

Check out this easy to use printable for Mother's Day, Father's Day, Valentine's Day, Easter, Christmas, Holidays, Grandparents' Day, and Birthdays!

How to Use:

Simply use ink pads or paint to add a handprint right in the middle, between the two letter Ms. You'll have the easiest Mother's Day craft! (Handprints can be done in the color of your child's choice. The "You are my sunshine" quote would be really special with a yellow handprint to look like a sun, though!)

*I did this with my 1-year old and my 4-year old. THAT's how easy it is! Definitely most appropriate for Preschool/UPK through 2nd, but it can work for any age group! Put the finished product in a cute frame and your holiday gift giving is all set!

Click here for the printable!