I have a few tricks that make my teaching life a little easier. Here are a few of my favorites:
Super Strength Packing Tape
This is a quick and inexpensive tool that does about a billion things in my classroom. We are in the basement and the walls seem constantly damp. This is the only tape I have found that sticks up anchor charts, posters and bulletin board paper until I am ready to take them down, not until they decide they want to flop off of the wall. I also use it to "laminate" small items like cards for a memory or math game. I just unroll the tape, place the item in the middle and fold it up. Be sure that you leave a small border to "seal" the item in. You can use several strips of tape if necessary. Just trim it up and you are ready to go in a few seconds.
Colander
Heavyweight Page Protectors
I'm sure that any kindergarten teacher knows that moment when... ACHOO! A little one sneezes all over a box of hundreds of tiny little math manipulatives. Yuck! After this happened a few too many times, I brought an old colander to school. Dump the manipulatives (or any other small toys) into the colander and wash it with a bunch of soap and hot water. Dump them out to dry on a table overnight and you are all set!
Heavyweight Page Protectors
This is another great secret for laminating in a pinch. I have a bunch of games printed on 8.5 x 11" cardstock that I just slip into a page protector and seal with two small pieces of tape at the top so that the sheet doesn't fall out. Then you can just pop them in a binder for storage. So easy! I also use page protectors to make books when I don't have time to laminate. See an example of a page protector "book" {here}.
What are your favorite classroom shortcuts?
2 comments
Totally LOVE your tips!
www.littlemisskindergarten.blogspot.com
hahahaha! the colander idea is genius!! those kids and their germs!
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