A simple and basic digital class supply list printout that you can use to mark and color in what items you need for your classroom or things that your students may need. This is also a great paper if you have any children that love to play pretend school then this is a great paper to use!
Get back to school ready using ten Amazon must haves for the science classroom. Items include science prep, decor, and organization.
Amazon Must-Haves for the Elementary Classroom 1 comment Amazon Must Haves, Just for Teachers, teaching tools, tools for teachers Teachers love Amazon. It's convenient and they basically sell anything and everything you could ever need. Oh, and they offer Prime shipping. Ahhh, Prime. Enough said. This post contains affiliate links for your shopping convenience. I earn a small commission each time someone makes a purchase through one of my links. For more information about my Disclosure Policy, please visit this link. I find most of my classroom items on Amazon. Again, they're easy to order from, and it's also easy to return stuff. Here are some amazing Amazon must haves for your classroom. Magnetic Sentence Strip Pockets These magnetic pocket strips are perfect for displaying anything you write on sentence strips, obviously. ;) But they are also great for displaying your weekly vocabulary or spelling words. I've even used them to display reward tags that I wanted to pass out on a given day. They are strong and sturdy. You won't have to worry about them falling off the board. I own the small, large, and extra large sets. They each come in handy depending upon what I want to display. Frixion Markers These pens are a game changer. They are erasable. Erasable! And not the kind of erasable where you still see what you've written. The ink is completely erased. They are amazing. The ink is erased using friction from the special eraser attached to each pen. I use these pens when grading (because sometimes I make mistakes) and when filling in my weekly planner. I find that as I plan I have to make lots of changes along the way. The erasable pen makes this an easy task. I use the felt tip markers (usually for grading) as well as the fine tip gel pens (for my planner). The planner shown in the above pic is great. It fits my needs perfectly. Click here to take a look at it. The link will take you to the 2019-2020 planner. Full Page Avery Labels First of all, I didn't even know full page labels were a thing until this year. My friend shared them with me and I fell in love. As much as you can love a label anyway. These are great for creating covers for student folders. I used them this year to print covers for the fluency folders I sent home with students for extra practice. The labels stick really well to the plastic folders, in case you were wondering. :) Doorbell I've shared this wireless doorbell in a past classroom management post. It is a great (and affordable) tool to have in your classroom. It is perfect for getting students' attention, signaling that an activity is over, or letting students know that their voice levels are getting too loud. You can use it however you see fit. Click HERE to take a look at the doorbell. Wireless Glue Gun I got one of these glue guns a few years ago, and it has been a very convenient tool to have. Whether I'm gluing labels to storage bins, decor items, or anything and everything in between, this tool makes it easier to do because I'm not anchored down by a short plug. Just let the glue gun heat up, remove the cord, and start gluing. It stays hot for 5-6 minutes allowing you to glue plenty of things in that time. Simply plug it back in to heat it back up if needed. Trust me, if you find yourself using a glue gun at all in your classroom, you need this wireless glue gun. Chart Paper Once upon a time I was lucky enough to have the Post-It brand chart paper provided. Well, not anymore. If I want to make anchor charts (or graphs like the one shown below), I need to use my own chart paper. I like the Pacon chart pads best. They are inexpensive and the paper is a bit thicker than other brands out there. Chart Pens If you're going to be making charts with your class, you need some good chisel-tip pins. Bright, colorful colors are always a good choice. It also doesn't hurt when they smell really good too. Hehe. My favorite markers for making charts are the Mr. Sketch markers. I'm known for loving the nacho cheese flavor best. Adhesive Velcro Dots Adhesive velcro dots are great for labeling things that need to be switched out often. I use them to label my fast finisher drawers (sorry, no pic of those). I change out the activities every so often, so being able to just remove the label and attach a new one is awesome. I also use these dots on my morning tub drawers. I can quickly move labels around to designate which table group gets which drawer. Best of all, the dots are removable, so if I need to reposition them, or remove them entirely, I can. For more useful finds click HERE. For tools every teacher needs click HERE. DON'T FORGET IT, PIN IT! Share It:
When heading to Ikea use my Ikea Shopping List for Teachers to help guide you. Find the best deals, easy storage solutions and hacks you never thought of.
When heading to Ikea use my Ikea Shopping List for Teachers to help guide you. Find the best deals, easy storage solutions and hacks you never thought of.
Discover 33+ essential new teacher must haves that will set you up for a successful year. After years of teaching we know what is needed, and what isn't like...
Special Educators have challenges that require a special set of tools for their classroom. Here are some great items every Special Needs teacher should have in their classroom.
Need a quick way to display visual reminders of supplies and items needed throughout the day? Pick up these print and go supply cards.This download includes a PDF file that contains 88 coloured supply cards that can be printed, cut out and laminated to use however you wish in your classroom. There a...
Okay, the worst part about Amazon is that I’m afriad Jeff Bezos will take over the world. BUT, the best is that you can basically find anything, for a good price, and it will show up the next…
Having the supplies you need can make all the difference in teaching. Here are 101 things to keep in your classroom that will help!
Help students remember what supplies they need with these supply visual reminders! Simply print, laminate, and add magnets on the back! Includes: -4 headers (supplies, supplies:, you need:, and you'll need:) -11 supplies glue stick bottle of glue pencil highligher crayons notebook paper scissors markers eraser lunchbox book Connect with me on Instagram! Tag me in a picture of these in your classroom for a chance to be featured on my page! Cultivating Brilliant Minds Instagram Page Make sure to FOLLOW ME to be alerted when new products are available. If you are looking for Freebies, sign up for my EMAIL LIST *I am just starting this file of freebies, so more will be added :) It will include products ONLY for my email list that cannot be found on TPT & items for sale on TPT (but you'll get them for free)!
This shopping guide shares 25 classroom essentials that every first year teacher needs to be confident and prepared to begin the school year.
Hi teacher-friends! Are you looking to add some fun items to your garden themed classroom this year? I love a garden classroom theme, since you can keep it fun, but still relatively simple. I’ve got all the printables you need in my Bright Garden Classroom Decor Bundle , but I rounded up a few Amaz
I always love having students help with classroom tasks and take over responsibility for some of our classroom jobs that need to be done! I’ve managed classroom jobs many different ways throughout the years, but this is the system that we have been using for the past few years that has worked really well in […]
"Your classroom environment speaks to your students before you utter a single word. What is your classroom saying?" These thoughts from Megan
When heading to Ikea use my Ikea Shopping List for Teachers to help guide you. Find the best deals, easy storage solutions and hacks you never thought of.
...I was only 7 when that song came out, but either way, you're now reading this title with the tune to that song. #missionaccomplished I frequently get asked on comments or through messages what my daily routine looks like in the classroom. I love seeing daily schedules. When creating the perfect schedule and routine for your classroom, you need to bounce around some ideas and suggestions. And where else better to get those suggestions than from other teachers?! In most grade levels you might not have as much wiggle room when it comes to creating your daily routine as we do down in pre-school. Your reading and math RtI times are set by your administrators and you've got to include 'x' amount of time in this subject and that subject. Some of the decisions are already made for you. But for me, I have full flexibility with my schedule. Even for lunch I can pick whatever time I want since my kids eat in the classroom, not the cafeteria with kindergarten. I also am free to chose when I take my lunch and my paras take their lunch. It's awesome to have such flexibility! But that still doesn't make figuring out your schedule/daily routine any easier. I usually end up with a few rough drafts on paper with various times and arrangements before making a final decision. My final copy is then transferred over to the classroom schedule and individual student schedules. A copy of it is also included in my welcome packet for the parents. The next step is plugging in the students. I always, always, ALWAYS am tweaking our schedule after the kids start. Whether it's changing the order of something or adjusting the times, something is guaranteed to change. Usually by the third week, it's set in stone. Then I send home a revised copy to the parents. They probably toss it, but I like for them to have it just in case they have to pick their child up early one day, or make a doctors appointment-- they know what their child will miss. For the 2013-2014 school year, this was our schedule. I may have tweaked our times by 5-10 minutes here and there, but didn't make new cards to reflect that. As you can see I display it right by our carpet area. We re-group here following most transitions so it's a perfect location. You can also see on the job chart that there is a schedule helper. This person helps to move the clothespin down our schedule throughout the day. This pocket chart is so perfect for our schedule. I actually have 2 of them because I didn't think our full day schedule would fit. I was able to make it work though by combining some things (center time and clean up time) and doing just a dismissal picture for when it's time to get back packs. Because once they get their back pack, we don't come back to carpet, so we'd never move that clip down again. And yes, I FORGOT to put a lunch picture on the lunch/bathroom part of our day. I kid you not, I left it that way all year #teacherfail I did at some point realize the picture was missing, I just never took the time to fix it. Whoops. There is also a piece of velcro on top of the outside picture. This is for when it rains. I velcro a gross motor room picture on there. This is essentially a small gym right across the hall from our classroom. I'm sure if I ended this post here I'd be flooded with questions about what we do in each part of day so I'll go ahead and elaborate on that for you. If you didn't think this post was already long enough, it's about to get LONGER! Go grab yourself some coffee or a latte--maybe even a snack! I'm sure some of this self-explanatory, but everyone does things differently, so let's dive in! **Please note that outside and lunch should be flip flopped! I put the schedule back together just to snap these photos and just now noticed that mistake!** Arrival/Bathroom: Students come in the classroom at 7:50. Upon entering they complete their arrival routine of hanging up their name tag, back pack, taking out their folder, signing in, and then completing the work box at their seat. After they finish their box, they put it away on the shelf. Then they are allowed to play at what we call "table time." These are specific toys and puzzles on 2 tables. This is the only area they can play in at this time. Or they can look at books on the book shelf, which is located in the same area. Students are sent to the bathroom one at a time after they finish their box and are at the table. At this time one adult will go the cafeteria to get our breakfast. Breakfast: The schedule says 8:00, but realistically this wound up being 8:30. By the time everyone uses the bathroom and we get back from the cafeteria, we sit down for breakfast. Each child has an assigned seat at the table and a placemat that they made. Everyone gets germ-x, we sing "open shut them" and then they are told the breakfast choices. Every child must ask before they can have anything --whether it's with words or pictures. Some students are even served bite by bite to make them request more. Communication is the goal! Anything to promote it! As they finish breakfast, they go back the table time toys. Anyone who still needs to use the bathroom will go after breakfast. When everyone is finished, we turn on the clean up song to put away our books and table time toys. Then students transition to the carpet. Greeting Time: This did not start at 8:30 either. More typically it was anywhere from 8:50-9:00 before we sat down. We do 3 things during greeting time and I have these 3 things on a small schedule that I move another clip down on so the students know the 3 tasks we do at that time. (Sorry I don't have a photo of this!) We start with our Hello Song. Each child is holding a name tag. We sing hello to each one and we practice spelling their name before they give me their name card. For some this might include the first letter, then gradually build up to their full name throughout the school year. Next, we do our message board. Messages are on the easel in our greeting area. Most often we have 2 messages, and on Thursday, 4 messages. Our standard 2 are "jobs" and "outside." We review who has what job, and then whether or not we will go to the playground that day. Following messages, we move on to the song book. Each day there is a child's name on the cover of the song book. That child gets to pick the song for us to sing as a group. They LOVE the song book! (That's another blog post in itself!) Earn/Gross Motor: Following greeting time we have earn time. It says gross motor because in the beginning of the year that's where we go for about 10 minutes instead of the students making a choice between 2 earn items. We do it this way just to make the correlation between the yellow star and special activity. After about 2-3 weeks we will start counting our happy sticks and making an earn choice. We'll be here for days if I elaborate on happy sticks. I have another post about it here, although that's also due for an update because a lot of things were adjusted/tweaked with those throughout the course of the year. Once everyone has made their choice we set a 3-5 minute timer. When the timer beeps, earn is over and we go back to our spot on the carpet. Earn choices are typically small sensory items that they can play with in their spot. If we have bubbles they might move around some, or some messy goop they'll transition to the table behind the carpet for that. Centers/Clean Up: Following earn time we are ready for centers. Halfway through the year I added task box schedules for the students before centers. I will probably adjust our schedule for this next year. (This is also another blog post in itself!) The students who have task schedules are given a picture to transition them to do their work. Following their work they can earn centers. Students choose a play center to go to at this time. During centers I may call students to work with me one on one on IEP goals, work on PECS exchanges with students, and all students use the bathroom again. Following a 5 minute warning, the song helper will turn on the clean up song when it's time to put away our toys. Earn/Gross Motor: Again, same as above. We count our sticks and get our earn. Large Group Time: This can be a variety of activities. It almost always starts with a story read aloud that's engaging. Students either have story boards to follow along with or a manipulative to hold on to and/or sequence along with our story. We may also sing a thematic song during this time too. While we are doing this one adult goes to get our lunches from the cafeteria. If we finish our large group plans before lunch arrives, then we turn on the smartboard for activities while we wait. Lunch: Once lunch is set up at the table students will transition there. We follow the same routine as breakfast. After they eat they use the bathroom and then play with table time toys again. Once everyone has finished lunch they should all be at table time. We will clean up table time to transition to outside time. Because an adult gets the lunches for the students, we make our choices using this lunch book. This is excellent for your non-verbal students, but I use this for all of mine. Outside: Weather permitting we go outside to the playground. We try to clean up our table time toys at 11:30am to line up for the playground. If we're running behind, we just extend our time once we get out there. We stay out for about 20-30 minutes. When we transition back inside we get right on our cots for quiet time. Typically a teacher has set up cots while students are eating lunch, or stays behind to set them up while we go outside. Quiet Time: Some of you may be shocked that we're doing quiet time and wondering how in the world we do it. Don't give me any gold stars yet because I have a trick. It's called the Smartboard. We play preferred tv shows via DVDs on the smartboard during quiet time. The students don't sleep anyway and this is so much more calm and manageable than when I tried "quiet time baskets" with quiet activities. We have to have a quiet time to allow all the staff in the room to get their lunches. This is what makes it the most manageable. Quiet time will last for 45 minutes. Before the students get up a staff sets up for snack. Snack: We turn the lights on to signal it's time to get up. Students put their pillows and blankets under their cot sheets and go to the snack table. A teacher puts away the cots. The snack helper passes out placemats and we proceed with snack the same as our other meals. However, now, when they finish snack they may go to any of the play centers. They do not have to play with table time toys. This is great since some students either do not want snack or finish snack early. Centers/Clean-Up: This is the same as above. In the afternoon centers will run for about 1 hour. Again, I can pull students to do one on one activities with me and some students will complete a second task schedule for the day. We follow the same procedure for clean up. Earn/Gross Motor: Again, same as above. We count our sticks and get our earn. Dismissal: After clean up from our final earn for the day it's time to pack up. Students are sent to the cubbies to follow their pack up routines (in visual form for most) and then we sit down in our cubby. Our busses come the pre-k wing door and we can see the busses as they pull up from our classroom. As a bus pulls up I call those students to line up and walk to their bus. We do this 1 bus at a time. On nice days we will go outside and play on a small playground until our bus is here. SHEW we made it to the end of the day! Are you exhausted yet? Teaching full day pre-k is LONG. I have done it for 2 years now and will start my 3rd year with all day in September. I LOVE it. I do have some students who will be with me for a half day though. They leave after AM centers. We will sing a goodbye song to that student(s) after we have cleaned up and a teacher will take that student to their bus and the other adult continues with the routine with the others. I mentioned 2 things in here that I could elaborate more on in other blog posts. If you want to know more about ANYTHING, just comment below! I will definitely be doing posts at some point this summer on our song book and an update on happy sticks---that is so overdue! I hope you got something helpful out of this! **Update: I have created {editable} schedule cards just for you! You can use these in a pocket chart like mine, or display them however you choose! Head to my TpT store to check them out!
Building a classroom wish list is simple for meet the teacher night. Read about 8 things this kindergarten teach loved having with the help of parents!
Which classroom items from Amazon do I need? This thought runs through my mind every year. At Education to the Core, we want you to be the very best teacher you can be. As well as, help you achieve better work-life balance so you can start taking back your weekends! So we made you a list of 25 Classroom Items every teacher needs from Amazon!
I believe that sensory play is VERY important for our students with autism and severe-needs. However, I also realize that academics are important and that there is a huge push for special ed teachers to be aligning all instruction to the common core. I started trying to implement more academic tasks into our sensory play and want to share some of my ideas. It's been really fun to give my students more rigor through hands-on play. Color sorting activities Hide a variety of manipulatives (sticks, bugs, dogs, dinosaurs, etc.) in sensory tubs and pair with sorting trays for quick and easy color sorting activities! I try to change the manipulatives weekly so students don't get bored. Letters/ phonics: Hide letters in sand and have students build CVC words or match letters as they pull the letters out. Have students string letter beads on pipe cleaners to build CVC words. Shapes/ patterns Put blocks or manipulatives in sensory bins and have students extend or build patterns! Just remember, that you can add visuals to support students! You can also put shapes in sensory bins and have students match the shapes to a simple shape board. Puzzles/ Fine Motor Put puzzles and fine motor activities in the sensory bin for students! This is great for working on fine motor skills and for students to generalize their independent work/ put-in skills. Counting/ Numbers Have students take numbers out of sensory bins and sequence the numbers or give students 10s frames and have them count manipulatives as they take them out of the bin. I like to color-code my 10s frames so students can use them a little more independently. I'd love it if you'd share any ideas you have about making sensory play more academic!
At Education to the Core, we not only want to you be the very best teacher you can be, but we want to help you achieve better work-life balance so you can start taking back your weekends! So we made you a list of Back to School Items Every Teacher Needs from Amazon!
Are you a new teacher looking to stock your classroom or need teacher gift ideas? This list of 30 teacher must haves is perfect for any elementary teacher.
You want your classroom to be a colorful, cozy, and inviting learning space. You’d love to have a cohesive theme or at least a color scheme, so everything looks put together. But are themes childish? Aren’t middle schoolers too old for classroom decor?
DO NOT PLACE YOUR ORDER UNTIL YOU CONVO ME FOR ADDITIONAL CHARGES. PLEASE REVIEW BEFORE PLACING YOUR ORDER: A special gift for any Teacher, this stool is a great addition to the classroom. Design is ALL hand painted and customizable to your liking. The stools pictured was designed with a teacher who chose a sweet saying and “pencil legs” and “crayon crossbars”. You can choose a different, customized top of the stool and I can work with you to design according to your preference. Each top can vary or be customized for the special teacher in your life. Additional items are often ABC, 123, apples, bookworm, scissors, books, and other basic classroom items. Special requests are accepted and welcomed! I do NOT use a stencil or vinyl lettering to make any of these designs. For additional ideas see the teacher chair listed in my shop!
Set of furniture items that works really well together to create an open-ended construction area.
We all have a huge wish list of items that we could use in our classrooms right? This year, put out some free helping hands for meet the teacher night to help you get some of those much needed items for the school year. There are so many parents out there that are more than […]
If you are a teacher, and you are on Amazon, you fill find these items so helpful and convenient! We want you to not only survive, but to THRIVE this school year!
CALMING BOX: How to help kids calm down? A calm down kit is a great tool that will help children self-regulate when they are anxious or angry
Set of furniture items that works really well together to create an open-ended construction area.
Educational Weather Printable Poster, Nursery and Classroom Wall Art, Nursery Decor, Educational Print, Weather Print, Printable Nursery Wall Art, Educational Wall Art An useful poster that can help children learn the weather conditions and will act as a nice and colorful decor for a nursery or classroom. Please note that this is a digital download and you will not be sent a printed copy. More Educational Posters available in my shop: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/RaeDigitalArt?ref=simple-shop-header-name&listing_id=1185222626§ion_id=37071123 Contents: This item includes several different sizes: - 2x3 Ratio for: 4x6, 6x9, 8x12, 10x15, 12x18, 16x24, 20x30 - 3x4 Ratio for: 6x8, 9x12, 12x16, 15x20, 18x24 - 4x5 Ratio for: 4x5, 8x10, 12x15, 16x20 -11x14 - A Sizes for: A1, A2, A3, A4, A5 You will be able to download all the different JPG images for all the sizes. All the images are in high 300 DPI resolution. Need a different size? Just add a note to your order or message me privately and I will be happy to provide different custom sizes. Procedure: Once you have purchased this item, you will be able to download it within your etsy account and print it at home or in a professional shop. To access your digital files from your account: Sign in to Etsy.com and go to Your account. Go to Purchases and reviews. Next to the order, select Download Files. This goes to the Downloads page for all the files attached to your order. More information about Etsy downloads and possible issues: https://help.etsy.com/hc/en-gb/articles/115013328108?segment=shopping To print this painting you can use your own printer or bring it to a professional shop. Please also note that the colors might vary slighly from printer to printer. Finally, also note that the purchase of digital download is final and no refund will be accepted and provided.
Theater can provide crucial skills to children with special needs. Here are 10 reasons your child with special needs belongs onstage.
Fidget toys are great self-regulation tools to help with focus, attention, calming, and active listening. We asked some of our contributing bloggers what widgets they would recommend. The results are...
Learn more about fidget tools and how they can be used to support students wtih anxiety, ADHD, or sensory issues in your classroom. Information on how to get started and which items might be best for
Are you a new teacher looking to stock your classroom or need teacher gift ideas? This list of 30 teacher must haves is perfect for any elementary teacher.
The perfect gift for teachers, teachers assistants or anyone in education! They can also be used as a fun way to organize your child’s markers, pencils & colored pencils! The Apple jar is a tissue holder, but I can customize any jar you’d like to hold tissues! *This set of 3 can be broken down and bought separately! Available in 16oz or 32oz (pictured above) *Pencil comes sharpened or regular! *I have added a picture of the tissues I use for these jars so you can refill as needed!
Set yourself up for success this school year by grabbing these new teacher must haves. They make your teaching life as a first-year teacher easier.
Just what every classroom needs - a basket full of mini beanbags to keep fidgety hands busy! These pocket size beanbags are great fidget busters and stress relievers for children and adults. Enhance learning by keeping hands busy. Filled with a variety of different size and shaped beans. Interesting to touch, manipulate, squeeze, toss. Small enough to keep in pockets, school bag, car, purse, briefcase, desk drawer. Juggling Hacky Sack Party Favors Student gifts Classroom supply Quiet times Office Stocking Stuffer Easter Basket Classroom Set of 24 - 2 1/2" x 2 1/2 " beanbags Solid and Multi-Colors Please contact me for a custom order if you would like other colors or sizes.
21 Amazon Prime Day deals for teachers! Check out this
Back to School Tips including seating arrangements, teacher must haves, and what I wish I knew from the begining of my teaching career.
Rainstick sensory bottles are a great auditory, visual, and tactile experience for kids! Learn how to make a rainstick using household items.
Over the years I have found that when I teach my guided reading groups, there are quite a few items that I need daily. In the past, I have had all the items spread out on counters, in cabinets and just all over the classroom. This year I got a cart to house all my ... Read More about Tools for Guided Reading
Ideas for elementary, middle, and high school classrooms.
