Quote of the Day

Yesterday my friend K was in my classroom observing for a graduate class she is taking.  We were working with children at the writing table when a little boy who had been painting at the easel ran up to tattle on his friend.  Out of breath, he said, "Ms. P... HE ATE PAINT!!!"  The culprit said over and over "I say sorry!  I say sorry!"

It was hilarious... and don't worry, he had only licked a small drop of paint off of his hand  :)

Teacher Discounts

I have always been a sucker for a good deal, especially when it comes to buying things for school.  Here are some of my favorite deals:

15% off at The Container Store

Sign up here

15% off at Ann Taylor Loft

 Sign up here

25% off at Borders

 

Just show your school ID at any Borders location to sign up for their Educator Rewards card.

Verizon Wireless

Click here to see if your school system qualifies for an employee discount.  I am so happy to save 20% every month!

I also recently found a fabulous website, My Education Discount, that lets you look up hundreds of teacher discounts everywhere from Amazon.com to J Crew to Staples.

Summer Reading

Every summer, I try to do a little bit of reading to get new ideas to use next year.  My favorite so far is Spaces & Places by Debbie Diller.  She has GREAT ideas to organize any classroom space, as well as new ways to think about classroom standards like word walls, classroom libraries and listening centers.

Some of my favorite ideas are:

• Organize children's books by theme, topic or author in magazine boxes.  They take up less space on a shelf than the plastic boxes I use now.
• Paint the back of a bookshelf with magnetic paint, then add a coat of chalkboard paint.  This can be used as a chalkboard and also a place for children to use magnetic letters.
• Use a pegboard to hang word rings.  They will be both visible and out of the way.
• Write one letter of the alphabet on 26 library pockets.  Post the pockets on the wall or on the back of a shelf in alphabetical order.  You can now keep sight words, vocabulary words or phonics cards by letter so that kids know exactly where to find them.
• Store big books in a tall plastic laundry basket with a lid.  They are out of the way and will not get dusty or bent.  You can also attach a container of pointers to the outside of the basket.
• Kindergarten word walls should be close to the ground so that children can manipulate words.  Magnetic or velcro word walls allow children to take words on and off, and allow words to be added easily.
• When you are ready to take down an anchor chart to make space for a new one, take a photo of it, print it on 8.5 x 11" paper and place it in a binder plastic sleeves.  Now children can still use the anchor chart and you have space on the wall... also great for giving you ideas for next year!

Adventures in Kindergarten

I am beginning my fourth year teaching kindergarten, and still loving it as much as I ever have.  I thought it would be fun to start a blog to share teaching ideas, and funny stories and kid quotes.  I hope you enjoy!


Disclaimer: Any children's names seen here are not the names of my students, and any photos used will not contain images of my students in order to protect their privacy.