Classroom Advent Calendar on the Cheap

As December approaches, many teachers are looking for ways to celebrate the Christmas holiday that keep both classroom discipline and budget in check. An advent calendar is one way to do that, provided you select affordable rewards and activities. Here is a way to incorporate a traditional holiday advent calendar into your current classroom routine, without breaking the bank.

First, use a classroom calendar with slightly larger squares, similar to the ones most elementary teachers already use. Those who teach older grades will still be able to incorporate this, it will just require a larger activity space. (Here’s a set of directions to make your own affordable classroom calendar.)

Second, find a source of smaller envelopes, such as the multi-packs of miniature gift cards from the craft or dollar store. Attach one envelope to each calendar day you will be in class during the month of December.

Third, come up with a list of affordable or free classroom rewards, prizes or activities. Make sure you have enough to cover each of the days where you will need envelopes. Some suggestions include holiday pencils, free paper passes, watching a movie in the class, five bonus points to add to a future quiz or test, a classroom popcorn party, erasers or a no homework night.

Write each of these items on the card that goes with the envelope. If you bought a pack of miniature gift cards at the craft store, you’re all set. If you folded your own decorative envelopes, then you’ll need to print off some cards or slips of paper to use.

Pull out the reward, prize or activity at whatever time of day works for you to reveal what’s inside. You might even want to schedule a different reveal time for various days, depending on what’s inside the envelope. For example, a night off from homework at the end of the day, an afternoon classroom movie that you let the students know about just before lunch, or new holiday pencils at the beginning of the day.

Have you tried a similar advent calendar activity in your classroom? What types of activities or gift card ideas did you use?

Related Readings: An Easy Holiday Advent Calendar for Two Dollars and 70 Affordable Advent Calendar Ideas.

Photo Credit: Campbelj45ca

Physical Education: Seven Pieces of Equipment for a Frugal Program

With tight budgets and position cuts the norm in many school districts, physical education often ends up being on the classroom teacher’s list of responsibilities. How do you implement a sustainable physical education program without diverting valuable classroom budget dollars on supplies? Here are seven simple suggestions to get you started.

Hula hoops.

Great for using with traditional hula hoop activities, for exercise stations outside and more, these things are easily found at dollar stores and other affordable retailers. Pick up a set of four to six to have on hand.  For more information on hula hoops and other items in the classroom, check out this article on classroom hacks.

A parachute.

This might be something you want to purchase per grade level, but for teachers of very young primary students, brightly colored classroom parachutes offer a springboard for numerous quality strength building and direction following exercises.  If you’re going to splurge on one piece of equipment for early primary, parachutes are an excellent choice.

A selection of various fitness balls.

Playground balls, basketballs and soccer balls can all be used for things like 4-square, kickball, soccer, basketball and fitness station drills. A collection of three to four makes a nice affordable start to your personal classroom collection of physical education equipment.

Popsicle sticks and reinforcement charts.

In a previous article on how to use craft sticks in the classroom, I covered a very affordable PE program that could be ongoing in your classroom for very little money or space.  Having students run around a course or track of a quarter mile and receiving an additional stick each time they go and recording the distance per student on a classroom reinforcement chart is efficient, cheap, well received by students and requires virtually no advance planning after the initial chart is up on the wall.

A whistle.

Cheap, simple and easy to overlook as a piece of valuable classroom equipment, a whistle provides as much support for your physical education lessons as it does for recess lineup.

Music.

You’ll need a play source as well as a good collection of music to use for cool downs, rock outs, and high stepping musical chairs on rainy days. Seriously, don’t forget the tunes.

Bandanas.

These have numerous affordable uses in the classroom, but when it comes to PE they are fantastic as a cheap solution to identify teams. Instead of paying big bucks for vest-style pull on tops to use for the traditional “skins and shirts” team identification, have half of the class wear their class bandanas around their necks in the voted upon color.

Most of these items not only work to support your physical education program, but also ensure you have a quality selection of playground equipment as well. Have you written about frugal physical education ideas before? Share your link in the comment section. You know we love to hear from you.

Photo Credit: Striatic

10 Free Resources for Learning and Technology Professionals

There are many free resources online designed to help learning and technology practitioners design curriculum, plan lessons, advance their career, and engage students in the learning experience. This article by Karen Schweitzer offers a list of 10 free resources to explore:

TED – This non-profit organization is dedicated to “Ideas Worth Spreading.” Each year, TED hosts an annual conference that is attended by many of the world’s leading academics, learning technologists, and business leaders. TED’s blog and video podcasts are great for learning and technology professionals who want to stay-up-to date on tech news and innovations.

Tech & Learning – Tech & Learning is aimed as the K-12 educational community. It also provides a wide range of resources for practitioners who support learning and performance in the corporate or professional world too. Resources include blogs, tech forums, webinars, hot topics, articles, and tips.

Enterprise 2.0 Blog – The Enterprise 2.0 Blog is an Enterprise 2.0 Conference affiliate. The blogs offer a wide range of news and information about social learning and technologies in various environments.

Jane’s E-Learning Pick of the Day – Jane Hart is a social media and learning consultant. She posts new eLearning items of interest on her blog every day. She also offers a social media in learning blog and a directory of eLearning resources.

eLearningPost – This eLearning blog explores news and stories from around the web that are related to corporate learning and instructional design. The blog also frequently links to articles on knowledge management and learning communities.

The Bamboo Project – The Bamboo Project is a useful blog from education consultant Michele Martin. The blog seeks to educate individuals and learning professionals about lifelong learning and career development systems. Some of the things Michele likes to write about include learning, training, knowledge sharing, and professional development.

Dice – Dice is a good place for learning and technology professionals to search for jobs online. The site also offers career news and a forum to ask questions, chat, and network with other education and technology professionals.

Employment Engagement Network – This social network is dedicated to employee engagement. The network has more than 1,400 members and provides a place to chat, blog, and network online. The Employee Engagement Network also offers many free resources, including e-books and slide shows.

Blended Learning in the Workplace – This free, eight-page report provides a detailed survey of blended learning trends in U.S. workplaces. More than 118 corporate training and e-learning practitioners were surveyed for the report.

TeachAde – TeachAde is a social networking site for educators. The site is an excellent place to find additional resources and network with other teachers and education professionals.

This is a guest post from education writer Karen Schweitzer. Karen is the About.com Guide to Business School. She also writes for OnlineCollege.org, an online college resource. You’ll find her previous guest post, Twenty Professional Development Resources for Teachers, an informative and helpful read.  

Photo Credits: Per Ola Wiberg and Karen Schweitzer

How To Work Around Paper and Copy Limits: Guest Post from Tom DeRosa

Teachers are used to working with limited resources, but few issues impact your daily instruction as much as limits on paper, the number of copies you can make, or both. In my career, I’ve dealt with all three. There were schools with strict copy quotas per teacher or department, overworked machines that broke down weekly, too few copiers for a large campus, or no direct access to copy machines at all.

At my first school, we had a part-time “copy person” who was the only one authorized to make copies. If you needed copies, you had to get them to her several days in advance at a minimum. On the other side of this issue is paper, which is subject to similar restrictions. Plus, if you have a printer in your classroom, paper seems to become even more scarce.

 As a teacher who always created a lot of custom materials and didn’t rely on textbooks, this was a source of endless frustration, as I’m sure it is for many others. Out of necessity, I developed a series of simple teacher hacks based around three principles: Learn how to use all of the copy machine’s features. Use The Three R’s. Make copies without a copier.

Learn How to Use All of the Copier’s Features

There’s a basic set of features almost every copier has that will limit your paper use and the number of copies you’ll make.

 Double-sided printing.

First, there’s no reason to ever print anything single-sided. Technophobic teachers don’t bother to figure out how to do this, which doubles the amount of paper used. Remember, you don’t need a two-sided original to make a two-sided copy either.

 Multiple pages per sheet.

Even if you use only the two pages per sheet conversion, you’ve just cut your paper use AND copies in half. Combine it with #1, and you can turn an eight page original into only 2 pages and 4 copies.

 Resizing.

 Sometimes fitting things onto a smaller number of pages is just a matter of scaling something down, which the copier can do for you. While you may use an extra copy or two to get the size you need, if you cut a page or two from your print job, the paper you save for your job adds up quickly. Sometimes you can actually fit a little more than the multiple pages per sheet function if you resize yourself. A regular 8.5″ by 11″ page reduced to 60-70% will often easily fit on half a page. Find the right number by noting what percent the copier uses when it does multiple pages per sheet for you, and increase the percentage a bit.

Scanning and emailing.

Newer copiers actually let you scan any document and email it yourself as a PDF. If this is available, you can eliminate the need for printing tons of extra copies for absent-minded students, or even yourself. Scan it, then print it on demand later.

The Three R’s

Reduce.

The easiest way to reduce copies is to print only a “class set” (enough copies for your largest class) to be reused throughout the day. If students work in pairs or groups, your class set will shrink even more. Generally, the larger the original document, the more you should lean towards the class set, even for tests. Remember, anything your students can write can be written on their own paper, including their

work if you require that. Once you remove spaces for answers from your handouts, whatever the subject may be, you’ve probably eliminated several pages from your original.

 If you have a printer in your classroom, whether school issued or your own, procuring ink can be an expensive and difficult task as well. Reduce the amount you use by printing in a low-ink mode (sometimes called draft, economy or fast mode), printing only specific pages, or utilizing a program like Green Print to eliminate anything you don’t want to print (like ads and menus from websites, for example).

Finally, ask yourself this question whenever you feel the urge to copy: “Do I really need to copy this?” If it’s a very short assignment, for example a handful of open-ended questions, is it really a big deal to put it on the overhead or board and have students copy it (or just answer it)? You don’t want your class to be known among students as the one where “all we do is get handouts”.

Reuse.

Reuse every single-sided paper that crosses your desk. You’ll likely get tons of these from school officials, but you’ll also have a surprising amount left over from things you print after you’re done with them. I kept a special box for these near my desk, because it has tons of uses: scratch paper for students (and me), printing non-official documents on my classroom printer, and as a canvas for cutting and pasting together the originals I would later copy for class. It’s amazing how much paper you go through for stuff you only need temporarily.

Obviously if you’re making class sets, you’ll be reusing copies throughout the day, but remember that you could save your class sets and reuse them in subsequent years or semesters to save even more.

Recycle.

Okay, so you won’t reduce the number of copies you make or paper you use by recycling, but you’ll send the message to your students that you’re trying to cut paper waste. Hopefully, they’ll do their best to follow your example.

Make Copies Without a Copy Machine

Your own classroom printer.

I’m a big proponent of having your own printer in the classroom, preferably a multifunction one that also scans and copies. They’re very affordable, and in a school with limitations and problem copy machines, it will make your life a lot easier. You can make single copies very quickly or print on demand from your computer. This saves you from emergency runs to the copier and doesn’t make a dent in your copy quota. If your school copier doesn’t have the scanning capabilities described above, this is your way of avoiding the copier altogether.

Have a home printer.

If having one in your classroom isn’t an option, you should absolutely have a multifunction printer at home. You can get a lot of prep done that might normally require a copier, if only to make one or two copies to create your originals. You can even print out class sets (using the low-ink setting of course) when time or access to the copier at school is an issue.

Scanning.

Finally, the ability to scan documents is completely necessary if you’re serious about cutting down both paper use and the number of copies you need to make.

Tom DeRosa lives and teaches in McAllen, Texas. The owner and author of TeachForever.Com, he has also written several pillar articles of note. Included are 52 Teachers – 52 Lessons, The Golden Girls’ Guide to Telling Great Stories (fantastic), and Why We Need to Change the Way We Teach Math.

Photo Credit: Teach Forever

Free Classroom Fitness Program for Teachers

Trying to find time to honor any type of fitness program in the classroom when PE has been virtually stripped from your school’s curriculum? Lucky to fit in one group activity per week along with all of the unexpected assemblies, special ed integration consults, math reviews and more? Kathy Kaehler, healthy living expert and personal trainer to the stars, has a great free program on her site that provides physical fitness activities to do with your students in workouts as short as one minute. Ready to read on?

Kathy’s program is called Schoolhouse Workout, and features a different one minute workout every month. Often, you’ll see Kathy leading it. Other times, a guest celebrity will be leading the troops. The workouts are in video, approximately one minute in length and are archived for your convenience. Your students won’t need any equipment, other than the occasional use of their desk chair. This makes it perfect for those teachers working in the trenches of various districts where supplies and equipment are either hard to come by, or difficult to replace such as remote international locations. As long as you have a decent internet connection, you’re good to go.

If your internet access is sporadic, get the workout parameters when you are at the internet cafe in the city and jot them down for use in whatever remote village you happen to be working in. Otherwise, just hit the play button and enjoy. Since they are only one minute long, I recommend using them in the following way:

If you are able to route the video to a larger classroom TV as a monitor, fantastic! Otherwise, just model for your students and roll with it.

Creative use of lesson length. Personally, I think the brevity of these one-minute workouts is the greatest strength of the program. Particularly in today’s schools where the term fitness program is virtually nonexistent. That being said, most teachers are used to a full thirty to forty-five minute activity. If that’s the way you still want to go in your classroom, fine. Use the one-minute video segments as a way to start the group activity off. To keep things more integrated for the kids however, I recommend a hybrid. For the first viewing of the video each month, use it as a kick off activity for something like kickball, fitness station rotation or my favorite frugal classroom fitness activity – the popsicle stick running program. ( See this craft stick project ideas post for instructions.)

From there, once the kids have become familiar with the order and moves of that month’s workout, use the one minute workouts throughout the day as a healthy way to transition between lessons. A few of the workout videos will require some room for push-ups and such, so you may want to select a couple of different workout videos to get you through the month. You have several options, since they are all archived on the site. Just choose one that requires a smaller amount of personal space if you are switching between two activities that are both desk related, or to take a minor break during a really long test. Have the kids flip over their papers to avoid peeking and rock out for sixty seconds to get the oxygen pumping.

To access the workouts, simply register on KathyKaehlerFitness.Com . Related Readings: Six Exercise Tips for Travelers and Affordable Inside Tips from a Celebrity Personal Trainer.

Back to School Ideas for the Classroom: What to Do for the First Day

We all scramble every school year to find balance between getting our classroom management and discipline procedures up and running and providing those first day of school activities that go the extra mile in style. This article covers both in detail.

Last year, I wrote an article on strategies to start the school year off right. It covered ways to set a serious academic tone while having a stylish classroom. While that article is still more than worthy of a serious read, I actually have a few other ideas for the back to school scramble. Many of them are my own supplemented by specific online instructional pieces, others are ideas straight from some of my internet colleagues. Enjoy!

Make sure your bulletin boards mean business.

I like to have great looking bulletin boards too, but quite frankly many teachers spend valuable time on them every week or month that could be going into lesson planning, extra attention for students or just plain having a life. Let’s face it, if you’re balanced and rested your students will respond accordingly. Try some of my year long bulletin board ideas or some of the tips the article Twelve Bulletin Board Ideas for Older Classrooms. Your room will still look great, and the students will know you value their work and take classroom time seriously.

Throw a New Year’s party.

 I actually found this great back to school idea from YesITeach.Org. They actually suggest picking up New Year’s themed party supplies on discount the January prior to that school year. The year number will match the back to school year, and it’s a great way to start off with the right attitude. (I’ve also seen this work really well as a penny pinching tip for high school seniors. They can do this to have their graduation year theme supplies at the end of the year for a fraction of the cost.) For individual teachers, I think this would be a great idea for the end of the first day, after you have finished establishing discipline. Or, you could try it as a school wide event outside in the playground as the kids get off the bus.

 Scavenger hunt in the library.

This also comes from YesITeach.Org. The media person hosts a scavenger hunt in the library to find things like a particular fiction book, a multi media resource, etc. I thought this was a fabulous idea to review library skills and include a room that is often left out of these back to school welcome ideas for students. Larger classes might need to be broken down into small groups with slightly different scavenger hunt paths, but the idea is sound enough and can be used when each new class has their first library period.

 DIY school book covers.

They need to be done anyway, right? And this way you can work it in with that day one activity that always brings groans . . . the old erasing all of the pencil marks from the reissued text books trick. Now when you hand out books for mark erasing, you can incorporate DIY cover ideas or hand out an ideas list for some of the tougher ones to motivate the students to go the extra mile at home.

Personally, I recommend a combination of both. Do one or two throughout the day in class, and hand out the ideas list for them to get excited about covering their books from other classes or subjects. Some of the cooler ideas I found while surfing the web? A decoupage tie-dye style cover project from Kaboose.Com, a felted book cover from CraftBits.Com, instructions for embroidered book covers from Craft Stylish, and tip or two from Family Fun Magazine.

Other ideas I’d suggest would be paper collages, colored pencil sketches and modern designs and using multiple colors of duct tape to add waterproof striping over the top of plain paper shopping bag book cover. It’ll last all year, won’t harm the book and still provide room for individuality in the form of color choice and diagonal versus vertical or horizontal striping.

 Pimp those lockers, kids!

Once students start breaking into middle and high school, locker decoration and individualization come into play. One way to put a little fun into the first day or two of school and still be providing support for those kids who have trouble with organization and clutter is incorporate activities for decking out their lockers. If other teachers are game, you could even turn it into a grade level or school wide contest. A few ideas?

Construct a pen holder out of a small painted can or covered box with a magnet on the back. Those who like straight advertising and product packaging art will find this project from Not Martha exceptionally quick, as you won’t have to even decorate the tin if you don’t want to.

Make some magnets with the students to help them organize their notes, forms and book club orders. Plenty of things can be turned into locker door organizers by simple slapping a magnet on the back. Seashells, gem colored glass stones, fun rocks or even these photo and word magnet projects. Also, a magnetic mirror is a great multipurpose locker accessory. Students can check their hair or lip gloss and use it to hold notes and permission slips. Another cool online project find was this article on gemstone colored retro style magnets. Very groovy.

This article from Cosmo Girl has ideas for covering corrugated cardboard to line the walls of your locker and provide instant bulletin board space, as well as a supply list and instructions for installing removable extra shelving that won’t damage the locker’s interior. All Free Crafts has this project for making your own denim locker organizers, and Kaboose.Com has instructions for making a desk or locker organizer from a Pop Tart box.

Art gallery.

Personally, I find it extremely important to value their art work and set a higher standard for myself when it comes to how I display and incorporate it into their classroom environment and daily routine. This article from Scholastic suggests unifying thrift frames with spray paint for extra artsy “oomph”. Another way to cheap it out and still have lots of visual drama is to back the standard 8 ½ x 11 inch white paper art projects with larger pieces of dark blue or black construction paper. This is sort of a poor man’s matting job that looks great on a dime.

Larger art sized paper projects can be backed by cutting darker colored butcher paper to provide a three to five inch border around the piece. I’ve done this for things like buddy and self portraits in charcoal, larger pieces done in the style of particular famous artist and collage style projects.

The idea is to get this up and running on day one and have at least one wall dedicated to display rows and columns of the work. It’ll make open house night a breeze.

Related Readings: Other articles on LessonMag.Com you might find helpful at back to school time include Ten Tips for First Year Teachers, Six Strategies for an Inviting Classroom and Four Hot Tips for a Smooth Running Classroom.  Over on Wise Bread, you might want to check out my piece on DIY school gear and other savings ideas.

Photo Credit: McKay Savage

Inexpensive Classroom Supplies for Teachers on a Budget

Times are tight for schools everywhere. Teachers who do have a classroom supplies budget with their school or PTO are needing to pare things down as much as possible. Most are still dipping into their own monies to make ends meet in the classroom. With the economy as sluggish as it is, purchasing classroom supplies with take home pay is getting harder and harder to justify on the home front. Need some ideas for teaching on the cheap? Here’s a list of articles on supplies, resources and project ideas for saving money in the classroom.

• Shoestring portable puppet theater.
• DIY whiteboard with homemade cleaner.
• Three cheap classroom hacks using traditional bandanas.
• Cheap ways to go green in the classroom.
• Torn scrap paper mosaics.
• A homemade multipurpose game board.
• Affordable paper bag review game.
• Cheap classroom lessons using index cards.
• Using inexpensive glue sticks to your home court advantage in the classroom.
• Multiple project ideas for file folders.
• Using old fashioned clothespins in the classroom.
• Rock your management style with paper clips.
• Wooden craft sticks as an affordable instructional supply.
• Explore the power of using free newspapers as an instructional tool.
• Creative classroom uses for rubber bands.
• Get more use than expected out of those donated phone books.
• Turn garbage into gold with empty cardboard beverage flats from the school vending machine.
• Use binder clips as a cheap organizational aid.
• A list of great cheap classroom supplies for struggling school teachers.
• An interesting freebie resource for ESL teachers.
• A simple DIY classroom calendar project for cheap.

Other ideas would include checking out the classroom cheapies at Dollar Tree, or using the inexpensive suggestions in this article for art smocks and hula hoops. Do you have a great idea for affordable classroom supplies or resources posted on your blog or web site? Our goal is to turn this page into a comprehensive resource for teachers searching for cheap teaching ideas. Contact us with your site’s URL, and we’ll be in touch about a link exchange. In the meantime, please feel free to post a comment below. We love to hear from readers.

Photo Credit: Pink Sherbet

Free Middle Eastern Studies Resource: The Doha Debates

Those educators serving junior high through high school students who are looking for a quality media resource to study Middle East issues and current events have a fantastic freebie available to them at the click of a button. Read on.

The Doha Debates, carried regularly on CNN, have a web site of their own. What’s great about this is that if you miss an episode, you can catch the podcast, transcript and both high and low resolution video versions of each debate via their archives, which are organized by season.

They tackle such issues as marital choice, the wearing of hijab, and the ongoing Palestinian problems. There are also special debate sessions scheduled regularly where high ranking officials are brought to Doha for the students to ask direct questions. This recently included Shimon Peres, the first high ranking Israeli official to visit Qatar in more than a decade. Other guests have included Bill Clinton and Desmond Tutu. Occasionally, the debates are scheduled at an overseas location. For the most part however, they take place in Doha.

Since they are conducted (except for the special visitation episodes) in debate format with two speakers for each side of every motion, these make for an excellent classroom discussion resource. Work the archived episodes in as you see fit. Incorporate research from a free ESL current events resource or turn them loose to discover titles and URL resources from regular media. When the new seasons start each year, consider assigning research ahead of time based on the subject. Then host a classroom debate and vote prior to watching the high resolution video episode in class and compare results.

 However you decide to incorporate it, I don’t think you’ll be sorry. This is a quality resource with a high degree of political balance and professional quality. Available at DohaDebates.Com.

 Photo Credit: Doha Debates

Fundraising without buying cookie dough or magazines for yourself!

Okay, how many of us have bought an extra magazine subscription we don't need, cookie dough for the freezer, cheese cakes, gift wrap that gets tucked away and forgotten, oh,  the list goes on!  Here are some fundraising ideas that come from things you already are buying for your home.  The school needs to set up accounts and then have collection areas.   Capri sun juice pouches- Capri sun has a great program right now- save the juice pouches and send them in in packs of 100. Each pouch is worth 2 cents and they reuse them and make backpacks, bags, binders, pencil bags.   Your school will need to set up a collection bin in the lunchroom and have someone that is in charge of counting

Generate less trash in the cafeteria and learn new skills for a new ‘greener’ lifestyle

Walk into any school cafeteria after lunch and observe the bins and bins of trash the students create with little thought. With a little work and education, your school staff (or parent organization) can tackle this and generate less trash, as well as teach the students a valuable skill. Before making the changes, make sure the district or community has the facilities to support the changes. Bring in the right people from the community to make sure the effort made to collect things for recycling is rewarded with pick up! 1. Educate the students and change language they use. The first week of school, expectations need to be set up, they need to walk through and have changes explained and understand why they

Spelling Activities: Twenty-Seven Ways to Practice in Style

Spelling lists are a necessary part of our weekly routine. We all want our students to do well, but still need to spend time creating exciting lessons for the rest of the curriculum. So how do we keep the spelling activities familiar enough to allow for self direction, yet fresh enough that the students won’t balk at the idea of doing them? Here are twenty-seven tips for primary through high school to help get you started.

For starters, having a deep repertoire of practice activities is critical. You want the activities to feel familiar when the come again in the classroom, so students will be able to immediately get to work. However, you don’t want to repeat a certain activity too many times, or it will become boring for the children. Also (and this is just a personal opinion), it helps to have a fair number of the spelling practice activities take place while you are busy with small group instruction or circulating the room to reinforce on task behavior. It just sets things up for success from a classroom management perspective. Here are several that I’ve used at various grade levels over the years, and a couple that I ran across just recently.

Spelling memory.

Similar to definition match up for vocabulary instruction, you’ll need index cards for this as well. It’s great for sight word based spelling lists as well as harder to spell terms. Basically, two separate cards are needed for each word, as well as an initial copied list to check off found words from. Since students create their own master game list and word cards, this makes the age old traditional assignment of copying down each word 2-3 times meaningful and game – based as opposed to boring and tedious. My experience is that children up to at least fifth grade enjoy this activity.

A manuscript and cursive T-chart.

This one works well for grades where you’re transitioning from manuscript to cursive penmanship, or for ESL groups that are learning both versions of the new alphabet. Require name and date in the top right hand corner of the looseleaf page, and keep the top margin available to label each column of the T-chart. This way the students are responsible for their own lists, and get the initial practice of having to write each word twice. It’s an authentic activity as well, because taking home a spelling list is necessary for weeknight study activities. This technique also reinforces both spelling and penmanship without taking time away from other holistic lessons and activities.

Parts of speech sorting mats.

This can be used with story vocabulary spelling lists as well as sight words. Divide a sheet of looseleaf notebook paper into two columns, and then add lines to form four to six separate rows of two cells each. Label each section with a separate part of speech such as adjective, conjunction, verb, pronoun, etc. Have students create individual word cards by using cut apart sections of index cards and copying the words from the spelling list on the board. They will then practice sorting the word cards onto the various sections of the parts of speech mat. Using the dictionary and story the words are pulled from, the students will also need to copy a fresh list onto notebook paper, making notations as the parts of speech for each word. They can use it to check their answers. Have each student create their own set of materials, but work next to a partner so they can check each other’s work. If you’re not sure what a sorting mat should look like, check out some of the coupon sorting mats used by money saving mothers around the internet. It will give you a pretty good idea of how this spelling lesson should work. If you don’t want to take the time to have students create their own mats, use our multipurpose game board strategy and use this as a small group or buddy pairs center activity.

Newspaper search.

It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of using things like newspapers and phone books as affordable classroom materials. Here’s a super cheap spelling activity students can work on using nothing but their own supplies and donated newspapers. Have students create a T-chart on a piece of notebook paper by drawing lines with their pencil. After recording name, date and assignment information in the top right corner, the spelling words need to be copied in order down the left hand side of the paper. Using their own scissors and glue sticks along with one new newspaper each, students will search for examples of each word to cut out and paste directly across from the corresponding hand written word in the next column. If a reasonable attempt has been made to find full examples of each word and some are still missing, students may resort to cutting out individual letters to assemble the remaining words letter by letter.

Three – column term / antonym / synonym charts.

You might need to have the class orient their notebook papers horizontally for this one, depending on the average length of the spelling words that week. Label the tops of the columns with the three categories mentioned, placing the terms category first. Then, assign research of antonyms and synonyms for each word, and have the students record them in the appropriate slot in the chart, on the same line as the corresponding term. For those occasions where there isn’t a synonym or antonym to be found, record a dash  (hyphen)  in the slot. This will make their overall charts look complete data wise, and yet let you know what could or could not be found.

Secret code.

Kids of all ages love to solve secret code puzzles. Why not work this in to your weekly spelling routine? Members of our curriculum web site, TheLessonMachine.Com, have this provided for them in all of our units anyway. For those who are just starting out however, you could always have the students create their own and have a partner solve them. Or, you could create one of your own and list each word in code on the board. Then work as a group or assign independent decoding of the spelling words as a sponge activity.

Pictionary or charades.

This doesn’t exactly work with every single word, but there are usually at least a few terms each week that are suitable. Establish a set of workable rules and use either one of these as a sponge activity for getting kids to line up, or to kill a few minutes while waiting for the art specialist to arrive.

Story retellings.

This only works if you are integrating your spelling words with your weekly classroom literature choice. Require a minimal number of terms to be used, and require students to rewrite the story to be told in their own voice. This gives you an integrated writing, spelling and reading assignment with only one project to grade.

Syllabication and accent breakdowns.

You can do this not only in written form, but also with oral and kinesthetic strategies. Integrate dictionary skills practice as well by looking up each word together as a group. Pronounce the words together as a class. I also like to pronounce the words in sections as well. For example, if it’s a five syllable word, say the word in its entirety, followed by the first two syllables only, then the first three, first four and the word in its entirety again. I say the word or sections of the word first and have the students repeat after me. This works REALLY well with ESL students. Still looking for the kinesthetic connection? As you say each syllable, touch a different joint, starting with your shoulder and working your way down one arm and up the next. Or, have them count out the syllables on their fingers. It’s a great way to work on syllable count in morning language, if you are the type to write up a simple paragraph using some words from the spelling list.

Prefix and suffix breakdowns.

You can work this one in as words come up certainly, but if you are looking to cover the concepts with a strong initial focus, it might be good to concoct a list on a week where you don’t necessarily have a separate story to read. (For example, when you  are allowing extra time to work on a science or social studies report.) That way, the vocabulary for that assignment will already be familiar to the students and you’ll have the open slot to create a prefix and suffix rich list for that week. Cover what the most common prefix and suffix combinations are and what they mean. Use this information to decode word meanings as a group and work in the concept of root words.

Word search puzzles.

These are again something we work in with all of our literature units as a way for teachers to have access to a meaningful sponge activity every week. However, they can also make a great DIY activity for the children. They can use quarter-inch or larger graph paper to create two copies each of their own word search puzzle. Place the words in the puzzle from all directions and then fill in other letters into the open squares randomly. Just make sure the second copy is the exact replica. (Or photocopy the original) One will have the answers highlighted in red (or another color) and the other will not. Glue each graph paper to opposite sides of a slightly larger piece of colored construction paper and slip into a sheet protector. Then, using grease pencils or water based overhead projector markers, they can swap with a buddy to each have a unique word search puzzle  that they can self check afterward.

Rhyming matrix.

Students can either create one on notebook paper or in their journals using a pencil or create one on the computer using the insertion of a table with multiple rows and columns. In the first column on the left hand side, list the spelling words placing one term in each table cell. Several cells will be to the right of it for adding rhyming words that correspond with that particular word. I would shoot for a minimum of five rhyming words for each spelling term, but do what you think meets the needs of your class. This creates an impressive looking final chart that is more grown up in appearance than your basic rhyming list, and also gives the students practice with charts and tables.

ABC order.

An oldie? Yes. But valid, nonetheless. Being able to alphabetize data is a skill we need into adulthood. Granted, if you have older students you’ll want to have them alphabetize the list in addition to another activity, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to work it in.

Incorporate alliteration.

Assign spelling sentences for each word where every word in the sentence starts with the same letter as the spelling word. (Or at least as many as possible.)

Word form wackiness.

See how many forms of each spelling word you and your students can come up with as a group. (past and future tenses, suffix or prefix additions, etc.)

In the Bag.

I’ve mentioned this game before as being popular with nearly every grade. It requires nothing but basic information on word strips, cut paper or index cards stuffed in a paper sack for on the fly review games. Here’s a link to a full article on how to set one up.

Direction cards for line up order.

Basically, you call on one student at a time to complete a particular spelling task before they are allowed to line up for recess. If you have more students than words, it’s no big deal. Just start through the list again. Some examples: spell a word while standing on one foot, spell a certain word backwards, sign language spelling, spell and use in a sentence, etc.

Body Boggle.

This full body floor game is great for competing in teams of two for larger words, or one student against the other for shorter words. Use for indoor recess, or a center activity.

Anagrams and palindromes.

Children in intermediate grades and above have fun spelling a different word with letters from a particular vocabulary term (anagram) or noticing that a word is spelled the same forward and backward (palindrome). Incorporate these ideas as appropriate.

Stencils and stamps.

For younger children or any learner needing an extra kinesthetic element to spelling instruction, have stencils and alphabet stamps available for students to create each spelling word letter by letter on its own index card. Then they can punch a hole in the top left corner of each card and thread them on a book ring to take home for extra practice.

Rainbow writing.

This is a definite hit with first and second graders. Using larger lined index cards or sections of sentence strips, have the students copy their spelling words one at a time in pencil using their best penmanship. The larger handwriting makes this a perfect time to incorporate rainbow lettering. After each word has been written, have the children take a word at a time and copy over it using a different color crayon. Then another, and another until they have four-six colors copied over the original lettering. The colors should overlap creating a rainbow effect. Primary children love rainbows, so this is a fantastic way to get the age old “write your spelling words x number of times” assignment to have meaning for them. It’s also a great science integration if you happen to be covering rainbows, crystals and light bending concepts.

DIY bingo.

Use extra large graph paper with squares that are 13 inches in width. Have each student place a different spelling word in a random square (allowing some to actually be in straight or diagonal lines) until each word has been use. Then have them fill in the extra squares with random words. Then they can switch with a partner, and using dried lima beans as game pieces you call out the words until someone has a straight line of covered terms for “Bingo”.

Morse code.

Work in a nearly lost art by assigning conversions of the spelling words into this form of code. Then have them switch lists to decode back to the original words.

Sidewalk chalk.

Take the kids out for recess a few minutes early and let them practice spelling words using sidewalk chalk and a checklist. Collect the chalk in a bucket afterwards and let the children keep the lists in their pockets. This way they’ll make it home for study time.

Dry erase markers on sliding glass doors or windows.

The writing can be removed with spray cleaner and the activity as a whole has a fair bit of fun factor. Great for home schooling or resource rooms.

Self selected spelling study.

I can’t take credit for this one. Although I think it’s super cool. Here’s a chart a teacher put together of various ways he’ll allow the children to work on their spelling homework. Rather impressive, in my opinion.

Spelling aerobics.

Again, not my idea but a great one regardless. Here’s a link to some ideas on how to try this out in your classroom.

As you can see, there are more than enough ideas here to keep things fresh throughout each grading quarter, no matter what grade level you teach. Several of these activities could also be incorporated into a bulletin board learning center for older students. However you decide to incorporate them, your spelling activities will be seamlessly integrated into your overall classroom routine.

Photo Credit: Got Plaid?

Eight Simple Ways to Reduce Plastic in the Classroom

OK. We all know about the plastic bag dilemma. Additionally,  most of us are trying to use at least a few cleaning and personal care products that are less toxic. The recycling gig is also familiar to many. But when I recently read about the Pacific garbage patch (North Pacific gyre) on Beth Terry’s web site, Fake Plastic Fish, I found myself completely overwhelmed.

This thing is enormous, people. I’ve seen a fair bit in my lifetime. And I can honestly say it takes quite a bit to shock me, let alone bring me to my knees. When I started researching this phenomenon and saw just how enormous it was, I had to sit down and physically get control of my emotions. I felt physically ill. How can one person feel like what they do makes a difference? And yet, how can anyone sit and do nothing? Beth has done such an amazing job of providing inspiration and information to us. While I’m not sure I can get to her level overnight, she has made me think about what more I can do with my purchasing decisions. Schools generate an enormous amount of trash. When it comes to your classroom, how much of your room’s waste is plastic? Here are a few simple strategies to get you started. I’ll post more information and product reviews as I come across the resources. In the meantime, here we go:

1.Use a refillable tape dispenser.

This alone eliminates the casings the regular rolls come in. Yes, you still have the tape itself, but it’s a start that makes a significant waste reduction.

2.Create your classroom supplies list carefully.

Whether you hand your list out at the end of the year, or have it available for pickup in August, your list has the power to make a huge impact. Consider recommending refillable pens for intermediate grades, stainless steel pencil sharpeners and refillable stainless steel water bottles.

3.Buy your supplies in bulk, particularly things like liquid and powdered tempera, hand sanitizer, lotion, etc.

It’s difficult to find plastic free packaging on some of these things, but by purchasing in bulk you’ll have fewer containers to dispose of.

4.Be more conscious of the teacher supplies you purchase and use.

Your students look to you as a a strong example. Consider a non plastic lunch tote, or wire bins for supply storage.

5.Chalk.

Rather than go for the plastic packaged markers and white board for every single lesson, get back to basics with a blackboard and chalk. Bonus? It’s cheap.

6.Rubber stamps.

I think stickers are fun too, but some of them are enormous and not exactly made of paper. A fun stamp with colorful ink will still reinforce quality work in a way the kiddos can get excited about. They also make stamps to fit in the small squares on reinforcement charts.

7.Composition books.

When asking students to bring in several journals for various subjects, request that they skip the ones with plastic covers and go with the old fashioned paperboard bound composition books.

8.An eco bag fund raiser.

This’ll get the ball rolling, and now is a great time to do it . . . BEFORE everyone buys their kids plastic versions. The folks over at EcoBags.Com gave me the link to their Earth friendly fund raising program. I’ll be reviewing the product individually in the next few weeks right here on Lesson Mag. (So stay tuned.)

Got another classroom plastic reduction tip? Share your information in the comment section below. This post was written in support of the Green Moms carnival, which will be hosted on April 14th, 2009 over at Fake Plastic Fish. For other going green in the classroom information, check out our cloth bulletin board post, eco trash bag article and this post on affordable classroom transition strategies.

Photo Credit: Tourist on Earth

Bulletin Boards: Twelve Ideas for Older Classrooms

 

Educators of older students ask me all the time for ideas that are low on “cutesy” and high on sophistication. This request holds true for bulletin boards and classroom décor as much as curriculum and lesson structure. Want some ideas on how to pull this off? Read on.

Let’s face it. All students eventually get to the point where they are basically “over” teddy bears and apples. So what do you do from fourth-twelfth grades when it comes to producing quality bulletin boards for the classroom? Here are some tricks to get the job done.

Cover Images from Books and News Magazines.

Color xeroxed ( and possibly enlarged, depending on the original size) copies of book covers and news magazines are great for literature studies, theme units or current event projects. Even book covers for younger readers will provide a more grown up feel than snowman cutouts. So if it’s mid year and your third graders are starting to request more sophisticated bulletin boards in the classroom, this idea is a great way to start.

An Editorial Collection.

If you have a hot topic in the news that’s discussed quite a bit in your classroom, post a newspaper article from the local paper on the board and surround it with brief op-ed pieces from your students written on large index cards. This is a fantastic opportunity to introduce that type of work, as well as work in a critical thinking assignment.

Distribution Center.

Overwhelmed by all those notices, book club handouts and forms from the office? Consider making at least one of your bulletin boards an information distribution center. Choose a title such as “Command Center” or “Central Command” if you are teaching at a DODDS school. Include a sedate classroom calendar in the center and perhaps a news clipping or two regarding the school. Then attach some acrylic document holders for handouts, returned documents with signatures, a homework slot, attendance and lunch count. This takes at least one bulletin board slot from a full time chore and puts it firmly in the category of  management tool, leaving you with a  smoother running classroom. You can even use some of the space for reinforcement charts and other low cost student reward programs.

Photos.

Instead of animated cartoon-style drawings, consider photographs or color prints as your graphic illustrative element. Some examples could include travel and nature images for geography and science studies, volcano shots, Hubble images, mountain range photos, tribal action shots from remote villages, etc. Another great way to go is with action shots of your students themselves involved with various stages of the writing process, math games, lab experiments, etc. Post cards also rock as a way to get professional quality bulletin board images on the cheap. Tried all of that and still can’t find what you need? Check out online image databases of postage stamps from around the world. If you have a color printer, these can make great download solutions. Remember, national governments pay artists big bucks to come up with fantastic stamps. This is professional quality work you are able to snag for less than a song.

Post Its.

These things come in about as many size and color options as index cards, and are great for adding bold color and graphic elements if you don’t have access to a large supply of construction paper. My favorite use for them is as a replacement for the primary grade level calendar pieces. Instead of cutesy tree ornament pieces in December, go with green and red squares from peel off desk pads. Not only will this look more appropriate for the older grades, it’ll also make for a cheaper classroom calendar.  Just make sure you match the Post It size to the calendar squares.

Lose the Baby Borders.

Snowmen and school buses just don’t cut it after third grade. Consider cloth borders such as belt webbing or woven tribal trims used for funky DIY sewing projects. Nautical themed rope, wide ribbon and solid colored trims are also more than usable as ideas for your bulletin boards. Also, call me crazy but I think straighter edges look a bit more grown up as well. They also reduce the visual chaos present on so many bulletin boards. This is important for older grades where the bulletin board information can be more diverse, or relating to a more complex scientific or math concept.  It’s also helpful for any grade level where you may be trying to provide successful inclusion time for students who may be sensitive to overwhelming amounts of visual stimulation. A good source for materials like sentence and cursive strip borders would be Dollar Tree.

On the other hand, if you really want something unexpected or three dimensional, consider play money from a board game, playing cards, colored pencils or some sort of chopstick / tongue depressor border for a natural look. Just attach the items in an overlapping or side by side pattern, depending on the look you are going for. If you attach the items to the outside frame of the board and make sure they overlap to the inside a bit, you could technically skip needing a formal paper border for the rest of the year. Score!

Shadowing.

This looks great for lettering as well as for white paper printouts of textual information that might otherwise look dull. When doing it with letters, you simply cut out a second set of letters to attach to the back of the brighter ones, taking care to position them slightly up and to the left. This allows for them to still appear as one letter, and yet be highlighted visually. My favorite three looks are black shadows with newsprint lettering, black shadow letters with any other bright color and holographic letters with black shadows. The newsprint combo is great for current events or information distribution bulletin boards, and the holographic shadow letters look smashing for themes like meteorology or mathematics. Black background with front color combo lettering works for nearly anything else you want to look more grown up and serious such as author studies or geography.

Using the shadowing technique for printed text is equally simple. Whether it’s a paragraph with dated historical data, a game schedule for the school basketball team, or contest entry details for a grade level poster competition, all you need to do is cut a colored piece of background paper and attach it to the clipping or printout the same way you would with lettering. Up, and to the left.

News Headlines.

Whether for current events, school coverage in the local paper or recreated news headlines from a particular date or period in history, including visual headlines (shadowed or otherwise) just makes for a more sophisticated look overall. You could also modify this idea for informational resource bulletin boards as well. Just be sure to make the topic or category titles are “newsy” enough to catch the attention of students, teachers, parents or whoever else you are creating the bulletin board for.

Inserts, Foldouts and Maps.

Many traditional periodicals have freebies that come along with the monthly copies. Nat Geo is known for their killer maps, and various news magazines have charts and fold out center articles that make fantastic fodder for bulletin board themes. Bonus? Professionally published materials always look more grown up than basic kiddy charts.

Darker Background Colors.

Whether you go the fabric route or use traditional butcher paper, darker colors ground the room, have a more serious feel and provide a fantastic backdrop for colored elements like post cards, geographical imagery and travel photos. Also, if you are planning on using busier looking elements like detailed maps and charts as primary objects in your bulletin board design, you’ll need all of the visual grounding support you can get.

One year in Kuwait I arrived to find that all of the colored butcher paper had been used. Black was the only color that remained until the overseas supply delivery arrived a few months down the road. Those of you who follow my Wise Bread blog know how highly I value black elements as a stylish and affordable decorating strategy.  Since I had fifth grade that year, I decided to experiment.

The result? I ended up with some of my most smashing bulletin boards ever and the students loved them. In fact, several of them commented the very first day to children in other rooms that they were in the “cool” room with the “grown up” decorations. Yup. Black’s a hit. It’s also extremely neutral, providing a transitional background to use on bulletin boards all year long.

Graphic Organizers.

Charts, graphs, diagrams and tables are all professional ways to integrate curriculum into the bulletin board space in a way that will appeal to older students. Even yarn or twine pieces stretched from labeled push pins to tinier chart details still looks streamlined and serious while providing extra organizational support for readers. Think period tables, KWL charts, etc.

Topic Choice.

This is particularly helpful if you are teaching in a resource room where the material is geared for younger or lower ability levels. Consider a biographical study board of an important historical figure such as Columbus where the information is written for the ability level but presented in one of the ways suggested in this article. Leave the four-six line elementary songs and chants for the primary grades. Another example would be a basic scientific method board versus one on teddy bear math.

These are my top twelve solutions for better bulletin boards. Some other helpful resources from around the web? This link has one of the better breakdowns I’ve seen on elementary versus high school design choices. You can also look here for some fantastic illustrated examples of bulletin boards for higher level math concepts, or here to read about an idea for using DVD cover images to jazz up a Shakespearean literature study. Last but not least, this resource page has an excellent write up on student-created middle school literature study bulletins. Got another great tip for educators in the upper grades? Share the love in the comment section below. 

Photo Credits: Dull Hunk, Digital Art 2, Becflies 2001, Image Editor.

This article was included in Carnival of Education #225.

Eco Trash Bags for Classroom and School

Trying to fight the plastic bag dilemma? Still need to get your classroom trash to the curb? I recently came across a product that is as helpful for schools as it is for office and home. Read on.

The Perf Go Green company has tackled the issue of biodegradable trash bags in a way that won’t produce harmful gases during the breakdown. Made of recycled plastic, these bags are super sturdy and contain an additive that allows the products to break down into non toxic biomass within two years. No toxic fumes or byproducts are left behind. How cool is that?

The bags are bright green and are available in standard 13 gallon kitchen,  larger 30 gallon yard size (which is what we actually prefer for our kitchen trash), commercial trash bags for whole school use, and paint drop cloths for larger student projects. I’ve reviewed the product in depth over on my Wise Bread blog, but wanted to bring them to your attention here in the education arena.  They are available at various retail stores and at Amazon.

Because these bags are so affordable, they should be an easy sell to your school board, administration, PTO or steering committee. This product seems to be custom made for making a distance on a grand scale via use in institutions and municipalities. They also have food storage and cash register bags scheduled to come out some time in 2009.  If you’ve been looking for an alternative to toxic trash bags in the classroom, Perf Go Green may be just what you’re looking for.

Photo Credit: Amazon.Com

Three Easy Ways to Provide Tactile Instruction for Parts of Speech

Let’s face it. Grammar is far from the most exciting subject matter out there. Providing instruction for it can be a bit like pulling teeth without  Novocaine.   Here are three simple ways to make it hands on for students in early primary through intermediate grade levels.

First, get yourself some bingo chips, dried beans or other game piece. When reading through classroom trade books together as a group, work in an extra vocabulary activity one day by having students place game pieces or chips on the first noun on a particular page, second verb, third adjective, etc. This is great for reinforcing listening skills, as well as sight words from the story.

Second, have each student fold a piece of looseleaf paper in half vertically. Then direct them to fold their paper rectangles into thirds horizontally and unfold. Each learner should then outline the folds in pencil, and label the top of each section with the part of speech you assign it through a modeled example on the chalkboard at the front of the room. Distribute donated newspapers to class members, along with glue sticks and student scissors. The project? To cut out a minimum number of word examples for each part of speech category assigned. For example, eight nouns, eleven verbs, seven adjectives, etc.  This activity makes for a great self directed lesson with fun music playing in the background. Need to get caught up on grading or do some intensive prep work for a massive science experiment later in the afternoon? This project will buy you some time and get those grammar skills covered at the same time.

Third, make a sorting mat. You know those coupon mats all the money saving mothers out there are using? Make one for parts of speech. Or, you could just write the parts of speech in removable ink on the laminated sections of your multipurpose game boards. Either way, have a game board ready and use the student sets of vocabulary index cards from the weekly story words to place the terms in the proper parts of speech categories. This can work out to be really low prep if your classroom management system promotes binders or two-pocket folder “offices” where children can store their own sorting mats and weekly vocabulary cards. If that’s the case, make it a quick sponge activity before lining up for recess. After you verify a student got it right, he or she can put their materials away, push in their chair and line up at the door.

As you can see, none of these ideas are expensive which makes them achievable within any classroom budget. If you are looking to get back to basics on the cheap, these ideas might just be what you are looking for.

Photo Credit: Scott Ableman

More Classroom Ideas for Old Fashioned Index Cards

 

Looking for cheapskate lesson ideas? Love the idea of tried and true materials with major multipurpose potential? When it comes to affordability, index cards are hard to beat. Read on.

They come lined and unlined, colored and plain, small and large, blank on one side and ruled on the other. With all these options, it’s no wonder classroom teachers love to stockpile them. I’ve already addressed their uses for vocabulary study. These ideas provide strategies for using this flexible classroom supply in additional curriculum areas. Ready?

Flash cards.

Math facts, using two separate colors for masculine and feminine words in foreign language study, question and answer memorization and more are all ways to use these old-time cheapies effectively as study tools. If handwritten penmanship isn’t as precise as you’d like for the subject matter you are studying (foreign alphabets, mathematical equations), key the information into a printable table with uniform cell sizes using a basic word processing program. Then print, cut and affix.

Postcards.

These are a great activity to promote communication at all grade levels. Early primary pen pals, high school students writing to famous authors, requesting information and freebies from various programs and communicating with state and national leaders as part of a government study are all ideas where these would come into play. Four inch by six inch index cards are a great size to make your own postcards. I prefer the ones that are blank on both sides. On the back side, have students draw a line down the middle of the card while it is oriented horizontally. Then address as normal on the bottom right portion of the card and attach appropriate postage to the top right corner. Students will write a message appropriate to the assignment on the left side, and you can assign individualized card designs for the front of the student created cards.

Index card art.

Who knew these things were turning into an individualized art medium? I found this set of images from Flickr.Com, as well as one or two others from people who posted personal index card projects. Some ideas that come to mind for classroom use? Playbills for performances at schools for the arts, sketches that look like zoomed in photographs of simple items such as beach balls, sunglasses or flower blooms, abstract or free-form modern art assignments, working in a science-art connection while students are studying tiny life forms or cell anatomy (these would look GREAT as zoom-ins), buddy portraits, self portraits using miniature standing mirrors and charcoal pencils, recreations of famous works in miniature, book jackets for older grade levels reading novels and chapter books and recreations of headline photos and titles from a studied historical event or figure. A tightwad decorating idea for an older classroom would be a bold solid color wall and an arrangement of finished 4 x 6 or 5 x 8 index card projects protected in simple glass and steel clip frames. Think rows and columns like you’d see in a formal art display of repeating items.

Puppets.

There are a number of simple ideas you can use to create puppets from these little nuggets of classroom thrift. Three that come to mind are hinged shadow puppets, decorated craft stick puppets, and a simple 3 x 5 card folded in half with a stick-out dragon tongue and pop up eyes made from the classroom scrap box.

Project summaries or descriptions.

Call me a terror in the teaching trenches, but I seriously think art projects and math assignments are consistently overlooked as opportunities to include written assignment descriptions. When I assign a particular art or math project, I like to have the students write up a brief analysis or description on a small to medium sized index card and attach it somehow to the finished product. Since younger grades have the sentence writing requirements so heavily pushed in the curriculum, this is a great way to work in the skill. No more having them make something up that’s totally unrelated to your current theme, and writing it down on notebook paper. Can you say boring? Working in the sentence or paragraph writing as a project description keeps the writing assignment meaningful and shows them that their artwork is just as valuable as other classroom assignments. Love that.

Assignment modifications.

Trying to provide a successful inclusion experience for students with extra needs? Often their difficulty with completing certain assignments has more to do with being overwhelmed by the empty space of an entire piece of notebook paper. If you are assigning fourth grade persuasive paragraphs for example, why not hand out 4 x 6 or 5 x 8 lined cards to the entire class? That way, the students needing the modification don’t feel singled out since everyone has the same assignment length anyway.

Shorter assignments.

Why waste paper? If you have a project that can be accomplished in less space than a piece of looseleaf provides, assign the work on a medium to large sized index card. The work can be illustrated on the back and hung from the ceiling via twine and paper clips. These also look great on bulletin board displays. Think haiku or acrostic poems.

Interactive time line activities.

For any historic period or event you happen to be studying, assign a sub-event or important date to be written about, dated and illustrated on an index card. Have a horizontal time line with dates only marked off displayed on a classroom wall or above the chalkboard. Distribute student copies of a more detailed time line to discuss as a group. Call on individual students when their respective events come up in the conversation. It will be their turn to attach their card in the correct spot under the time line.

Mix it up.

This is certainly not the definitive list for classroom ideas using index cards. In fact. I found several other ideas of note while poking around for ideas to round out this article. Here’s a tip for introducing classroom rules and procedures at the beginning of the school year, instructions on how to make a jumping origami frog, another idea for custom designing your own classroom checklists and a fun format for working on math concepts that steps outside the box of traditional flash cards.

There you have it, folks. This is my hands down best Lesson Mag effort at providing you with index card strategies for an in-check classroom materials budget. For other ideas on how to use affordable supplies in your learning environment, check out these articles on glue sticks, newspapers, telephone books and file folders.

Photo Credit: Karin Dalziel

Vocabulary on the Cheap: Two Easy Hacks Using Simple Index Cards

 

Need a cheap way to get your students involved in spelling and vocabulary activities? Read on to find out how easily simple index cards can get the job done.

The classroom supply budget is a major concern to everyone in education. So is getting the kiddos involved in ways they can feel excited about. One of the easiest, most affordable ways I’ve found to do this over the years is with index cards. Bonus? These ideas work at multiple grade levels. While the list itself is slightly longer, I’ve found all of the ideas fall into two basic categories. Ready?

The two-sided approach.

Write one story word on the front of each card, and the corresponding definition on the back. This enables you to assign the good old fashioned writing down of the terms and definitions in a way that is meaningful for the students. It produces an end product they can use to practice with at home or with a buddy. Using them as flash cards during parent study support is one way to go. So is having the glossary on hand as a cross reference tool while learners put all of the words face down and have to guess the term by reading the definition.

Pair ‘em up.

With this approach, you’ll need two same-size index cards per vocabulary term. By writing the words on one set of cards and the definitions on the other, you open yourself up to a more diverse set of study options. Partner-based flannel board matching activities using the glossary as a cross reference tool, mixing them up in two columns on the board and sorting them together as a class, or mixing up both sets and arranging them upside down in rows on student desks to play “vocabulary memory” by trying to remember where matching sets of word cards are after repeatedly flipping them over for review and returning them to their original position.

As you can see, multiple options using only one traditional (and affordable) classroom supply item. What I love about index cards is their flexibility. In my opinion, they are right up there with file folders and craft sticks in the diversity department. Look for more index card ideas for the classroom in future posts. Happy teaching, everybody!

Photo Credits: Karindalziel and Troismarteaux

Want a Green Bulletin Board? Consider Cloth!

Cloth Bulletin Board

I don’t have to tell you how much paper consumption goes in to our yearly bulletin boards. I also don’t have to tell you just how tedious it is to get them ready and keep them rolling every year. Looking to save paper and a little bit of your precious time? Read on.

Cloth is a colorful, creative and eco friendly way to go when it comes to selecting a bulletin background. Bonus? You can reuse it year after year. Simply select a solid background color a bit larger than the cork surface of your board. Press or lightly steam the fabric, and staple tautly and smoothly to the bulletin. Using a sharp Exacto knife, trim the cloth to the edges of the board frame. If you’re super confident in your measuring skills, consider having it custom cut at the fabric store and skipping the aggravation of trimming altogether. You can do this with many different fabrics, including a dark colored cotton to ground the room, burlap for texture, or felt for additional use as an old fashioned flannel board. In addition to being the green way to go, cloth backgrounds have some other perks as well. A few of note?

• It’s fade resistant.
• Staple and tack holes disappear.
• If a substitute teacher does tape something to it, you won’t have tear marks staring you in the face and begging to be recovered.

 

Need some ideas for trim? Rope or braiding works great for an ocean or nautical theme, or visit a bulk discount fabric store for other trims such as flat, non fringed ethnic trims that are a bit wider, or thin belt fabric.

Got another idea for a great fabric bulletin board? Share it with us!

Photo Credit: Yaronimus Maximus

Project Hack: Some Thoughts on Glue Sticks

Tired of cleaning out individual glue caps with the closest available paper clip? I hear you. Here’s why glue sticks are one of my favorite classroom supplies . . . and why they always went on my new student “back to school” buy list during my classroom days.

No leaks.

Not on the desk areas, not in their backpacks, not in a box of your math manipulatives . . . nowhere. Sure, if you leave them out in the hot sun you may get some melting, but in general, these are not a messy project tool.

No clogs.

Ah, the freedom of starting a whole group art project without losing an entire free class period ahead of time cleaning out glue bottle nozzles. Just give the directions, distribute the materials and let them go for it.

Streamlined product dispensing.

Release yourself from over pouring, over squeezing, messy residue and more. Glue sticks are much easier for me to use as an adult, so I can only imagine how much easier they are for a young child still working on fine motor skills.

So take the plunge, free yourself from unnecessary glue bottle aggravation and set your students up for success.Go for the glue sticks, and imagine the power of streamlined student projects.

Photo Credit: Oskay

Streamline Parent Communication with Your Own Blog

Trying to accommodate parents without re-documenting every piece of communication you release? Got more than a fair number of forgetful tikes in your class whose newsletters never quite seem to make it home? Consider starting your own blog site.

No longer simple online journals, blogs have come into their own. Why not put one to use in your own teaching career? A few ideas to consider when doing so:

· Several free options exist on sites such as Word Press or Blogger.

· Blogs are paperless, saving time, consumable resources and money.

· They let you do your job once, and yet still gives parents a backup if their child loses papers on the way home.

OK, so now you’re sold, but not sure what to do with your blog now that you have one? Well, here are a few suggestions to get the creative juices flowing.

· Pull all parents on your RSS feed so they are up to date at all times.

· Post homework each day as a backup for students copying the info from the board.

· Upload permission slips and other forms so parents may print them out at home.

· Snapshots and updates on special projects or concepts being studied.

· Incorporate class updates into a special section of your online portfolio.

Is there a little more to it? Of course. But if you can type, operate simple software and know how to do basic word processing, you are more than half way there.

Photo Credit: VSQZ

Art on the Cheap: Torn Paper Mosaics

Teaching in an extreme situation where you are short on everything, including scissors? Here’s a lesson idea I got years ago from a frugal art colleague in Micronesia. Bonus? It’s one of those great lessons that can be used from early primary through high school.

The project? Torn paper mosaics. The flexibility? Nearly endless. Useful for covering nearly every topic through art integration, this lesson basically requires copy paper, glue sticks, pencils and colored scraps of paper. Yes, that’s all.

· Basically, you select a topic (pumpkins, multi-cultural landscape elements, modern art shapes, etc.) and make sure your colors of paper scraps fit with the assignment.

· Students lightly sketch outlines for elements in the mosaic picture.

· Colored bits of paper are torn and glued to form the elements of the picture, leaving slight spaces in between to represent the grout. Filling in all areas, including the sky as a background, really adds drama and zip to the student pieces.

To easily modify the lesson for various grade levels, simply adjust the detail and size of the mosaic assignments. Voila! A dirt cheap art project for all topics and grade levels. We’ve got your back.

Photo Credit: Chris Robinson 1945

More Classroom Hacks for Teaching in the Trenches

If you’ve been following this blog all along, you’re already aware that I love to pass along great classroom hacks as soon as I think of or run across them. This is no exception. Read on for some great ideas on getting things done on the cheap and easy.

Hula Hoops.

In addition to making great classroom playground equipment, these can be used in PE and also for small group circle assembly. As any primary teacher can tell you, younger students really have a difficult time forming circles on their own. Having a few hula hoops on hand for small groups to assemble around gives them a bit of fun factor and you a bit of sanity. Particularly helpful for teaching in outside environments where the school may just be one shaded area surrounded by coconut trees. These situations also tend to be short on classroom furniture. If you are at a school where most of the instruction has to take place outside, you can easily distribute some hula hoops around your area and have one circle for reading group, one for a language game, and one for quiet PE stations such as stretching or sit-ups.

Affordable Art Smocks.

Remember shirt smocks? So do we, and we’re recycling this age old classroom classic. Old adult-sized long sleeved button up shirts can come from family members or a thrift store such as Goodwill. Great for science experiments and art projects, children need only to put them on backwards and have a buddy fasten a button or two in the back.

Poster Taping Tips

Anyone who’s taught in a jungle environment can attest to how difficult it is to keep posters taped to the wall. If you are lucky enough to have walls you can staple things to, congratulations. If you are stuck with concrete however, this is for you. To protect the back of your poster during end of the year removal, flip it over and place flat pieces of masking tape on each corner. This will give you a stable base to put tape circles on, from which they can easily be peeled off later. The jungle element? Instead of placing your tape circles up and down, go horizontal. Keeping them up is still a challenge, but they will at least last longer this way.

Document the Journey

If possible, consider incorporating a digital camera into your learning environment. Document projects and class work throughout the year, compile a slideshow for open house, etc. This is much less expensive than having to continuously purchase film, batteries and developing services. If you have a tech person, you may even be able to include the documentation in a web site.

Get Some Help from the Animal Kingdom

At an outdoor “garden school” in Tucson, Arizona, a trained therapy dog is a favorite visitor for the students to read to. This is worth considering in any learning environment, as practicing oral reading with a class pet or visiting animal removes the fear some students have of reading in front of others. It also generates enthusiasm for those learners who may not be excited to practice reading aloud otherwise. Even a fish tank or aquarium in the classroom or home learning corner can be used to implement this strategy, which is particularly powerful for the shy ESL learner.

Student Anchors

If you’re comfortable going high tech for your student report presentations, consider turning the entire event into a type of news show. Learners can write brief commercials, bring background music for the “anchor people”, write introductory scripts, etc. I have personally done this at numerous grade levels. Students of all ages love the outcome.

Book Parades

This idea was inspired by one of our newsletter subscribers. At this particular school in Texas, students each make a small “float” based on their favorite book, or dress up as their favorite character. The entire school then has a parade to honor the literature each student has celebrated. Home-schoolers could easily implement this as well in their local park or group gathering place.

If you have a great shoestring teaching idea, or one that is just too cool not to share, please post about it in the comment section. Sharing these things helps us all out, and our students as well. Happy teaching, everyone!

Photo Credit: Peiqian Long

Fantastic Ideas for File Folders

Whether I’m starting fresh or recycling used one, file folders are on my short list for simple, affordable classroom consumables. Bonus? They’re super versatile. Read on for some teacher-friendly ideas.

Some of my favorite project ideas are the ones that involve the easiest methods and most affordable supplies. File folders meet both of those requirements. Here are a few simple things you can do with them in an educational setting.

Pattern cut-outs.

This is a great way to use folders that are a bit tattered around the edges. Trace and cut out one pattern, then replicate as many as you need for classroom “trace and cut” crafts.

Student-published book covers.

This requires starting with a fresh new folder for each child. Simple bind with staples or brass fasteners and use loose leaf paper or printed computer documents depending on student access to technology. Cover designs can also range from simple to elaborate depending on your consumables budget.

DIY journals or learning logs.

These are basically blank, fillable versions of the book cover idea above. Most instructors prefer class sets of those black and white composition books, but depending on your location, these may be hard to come by. Having a DIY option up your sleeve will help keep all of your learning programs available even in tough financial times.

Individual student calendar resources.

Here’s a link to a great way to have students follow along individually with group calendar work in the classroom. Home schooling? Your morning calendar routine will be even more streamlined. You do have to scroll down a bit to see the illustrations, but it’s there.

Mini offices.

These absolutely, totally ROCK! Heard about them years ago. Here’s a link to an excellent illustrated version of one.You basically have all the reference materials you would otherwise have to hand out individually and have students keep track of on one fold-up file folder office. I really wish I had known about these while I was still in the classroom. Personal verdict? One of the best classroom ideas I’ve ever seen. Bonus? Easily adaptable for all grade levels, K-12. Here’s another link to an idea of how you can use these in the classroom.

Individual privacy cubicles.

Basically, you assemble them the same way you assemble the “offices” discussed above. Put two of them together so they overlap in the middle and then staple them together. They can then be stood up on individual student desks for quiz and test taking, or as an extra integration support tool for those students who are easily distracted visually.

Easily stored games and learning centers.

There are loads of ideas out there. Here’s a link with a couple of interesting and simple ones. Want some more? Here are some printouts to just glue on and go.

These are just some of the ways I’ve found to use file folders in the classroom. I think you’ll see how flexible they are as a resource for affordable classroom programming. And there’s no denying they provide a huge bang for the buck. Got a great idea for a file folder project? Share your thoughts below.

Photo Credit: Mooganic

Shoestring Teaching: The Multipurpose Game Board

Need a get-the-job-done, dirt cheap option for reviewing content in the classroom? These multipurpose game boards always did it for me. Read on to find out how to make them.

•Take an extra large piece of oak-tag or other strong paperboard similar to a file folder, and visually divide it into 3-5 inch squares using a ruler and a permanent marker.
•Next, laminate the piece.
•You will need a writing tool that you can clean off from the laminated surface such as an overhead marker or a grease pencil.
•You will also need a flat rubber ring at least 3-4 inches across, such as a rubber ring for a canning jar or an automotive part.

Congratulations! Now you have a reusable game board for reviewing various classroom concepts. And that’s not all! You can also integrate basic math skills at the same time. Here’s how it works:

•Using your washable writing tool, carefully record questions from language arts, science, social studies, etc, into each empty square, making sure you have the answers on hand for cross reference.
•You will also need to record a point value for each square in the corner(s).
•This is where the math integration comes in. Early primary grade educators may only wish to have 1-2 points per square, where other grades may select higher point values to integrate column addition. Advanced classes may even include a small math problem in each corner in addition to the other question to force students to solve what the point value is before adding it to their point totals.
•For each turn, have a student toss the rubber ring randomly onto the game board. The rubber material provides a natural “cling” against the laminating film, helping it to grip the board when landing rather than continuing to slide.
•If the ring falls on one square only, students have a chance to answer only that question, and therefore earn points for that square only. If the ring lands where it overlaps two or more squares, then learners are allowed to attempt to answer all of the questions within the ring’s circumference.
•This would mean of course that they were also allowed to tally any and all points from correctly answered questions. As the educator, you decide if you want each student to tally each point score as a group activity, or to simply record the team or individual points on the board, solving the math together orally.

Still not inexpensive enough for you? No problem. You can either shrink or enlarge the size of this game board and still save money. To make a smaller version, use a piece of photocopy paper with the grid, questions and point values printed on it from the computer (small font). Slide this paper into a clear sheet protector and use a smaller rubber ring. For a larger version, use a large, flat piece of discarded cardboard from a large box. Draw on the grid lines with a yard / meter stick and a permanent marker. Then, cover with clear contact paper.

The rest of the directions are the same as for the original game board. However, for the extra large version you may want to explore larger ring options, such as a ring-toss game pieces or homemade bean bags.

So there you have it, readers. One game board with unlimited content review and introduction options. Simple. Cheap. Effective. Bonus? Kids dig it.

Photo Credit: Justin

Classroom Uses for the Old Fashioned Clothespin

When it comes to cheap office supplies, clothespins are tough to beat. Bonus? There are loads of things you can use them for in the classroom. Following are just a few.

Project clamps.

Great for all the old stained ones that parents are getting ready to chuck anyway.

Art clothesline.

A bit old fashioned? Maybe. But they still get the job done, and are a great way to finish drying those water color paintings without clogging up desk space.

Communication with classroom specialists.

Working at a place where Post It notes are outside of your budget parameters? Clip a directional note to the seatwork of a student who leaves the room for support in another room.

Stick a magnet on the back and use it to hold student artwork or reminders.

This is also a great project to have the kids create and take home to the folks.

Get a grip on classroom snack storage.

They’ll help keep those plastic bags of crackers fresh.

Make a reindeer ornament at Christmas time.

Simple, affordable, and kids dig it. Here’s a link.

Insect crafts.

I’ve seen several different variations over the years that would be fun to try when doing a classroom unit on insects. Here’s a cute simple one with a grasshopper theme. I think the kids would have fun using these to keep their desk papers organized.

Make a multicultural doll.

Here’s a link to one celebrating Asian heritage. As simple as the design is though, I would think you could easily modify with various shades of paint to match different skin tones from around the world. I’m already picturing one dressed with an African tribal cloth. Here’s another link with resources on making clothespin dolls as well, with a couple pictured that could easily represent the heritage of certain European countries.Cute!

Make a center game using clothespins and the cardboard circles that come inside your pizza box.

I love this idea because it is so inexpensive.

Student communication.

I’ve seen teachers successfully use these for students to communicate their location. Each one would have one with their name on it clipped to one side of a poster board. On another side of the board or across the bottom would be various locations such as bathroom, nurse’s office, etc. Children simply clip their pin under the name of the appropriate destination. Simple!

These ideas represent my top ten picks only. As always, please feel free to share your ideas. These things are so cheap that almost any PTA should be able to pick you up a bag at the dollar store as part of a classroom support package.

Photo Credit: L. Marie

Middle East Henna Activity

Need a cultural heritage activity that’s big on style and short on cash outlay? Here’s a slamming alternative to traditional face painting booths that’s not only more culturally diverse, but cheaper as well.

Using simple henna patterns and inexpensive eyeliner and eyebrow pencils, have your students draw temporary designs on themselves using the easily washed off makeup pencils instead of the semi permanent henna. This is a great center activity, open house activity during international day celebrations, or an alternative booth to face painting at the school carnival. You can find some fun henna patterns for no charge using this link.

This really is fun for all ages, and an unexpected twist. If you want your boss and room parents to think you’re a true rock star, try this out. Really.

Photo Credit: Hiral Henna

Paper Clip Ideas for a Rocking Classroom

Simple, cheap and around for as long as most of us classroom warriors can remember, these under-the-radar bits of office supply fluff can help you get the job done on multiple fronts. Read on for a list of affordable classroom tips involving the humble paper clip.

Ornament hooks.

Need a way for parents to hang those precious homemade ornaments your students just made? Or, maybe you need to find hanging options for a load of donated tree ornaments from the PTA. Either way, paper clips can be your best friend when it comes to this.

Hanging art displays.

If you have one of those old fashioned suspended ceilings with the metal grids in your room, then these work great. Over each student’s desk and anywhere else you might need to hang a sign or art item, attach one paper clip to the edge of the metal rib. Tie on a desired length of classroom twine, and then tie another paper clip on to the dangling end of the string. This is where you can clip on flat edges of lighter pieces of art work. Great for open house night.

Bookmarks.

In addition to rubber bands, paperclips can make awesome bookmarks. Bonus? They don’t fall out as easily as paper ones. Word of advice? Go with the coated ones if you don’t want your pages to get rust stains.

Plaster of Paris Project Hanger.

Embed one in the back of each student’s project on the side where they will want to hang it from the back. Allow to dry. Easy breezy.

Emergency Zipper Pull.

Got a primary student with a zipper malfunction? Thread one of these little gems through the hole and pull up. Problem solved.

Unclogging those annoying glue bottle nozzles.

If your administration or PTA hasn’t upgraded you to glue sticks yet, this could be one of those tedious problems from the good old days that you still need to deal with. Straighten out a paper clip and go for it. We’ll be pulling for you.

Emergency bra strap repair.

Have a hormonal high school student on high wardrobe malfunction meltdown? If the problem happens to be one of those broken plastic hooks, a paper clip can get the job done in a pinch. If the problem is further up the strap, a safety pin might be more what you need.

That’s it from my end. If you have additional bits of clip wisdom, feel free to post a comment. I’m sure we could all use additional suggestions for sticking to the classroom budget and having a touch of convenience at the same time.

Photo Credit: Sunshine City

Cheap Stuff for Starving Teachers

I don’t know about you, but rarely has my allotted classroom budget met my needs. In fact, in all my years of teaching, I can only think of one school where I was provided with everything I really needed. Even there, I had to be financially careful. And we all know what the unwritten expectation is when school districts can’t fund their own mandates . . .spend your own money. Big surprise. This article highlights my favorite teacher cheapies.

Bonus? They are available in almost every school supply closet, making it easier for you to hang on to your hard earned paycheck.

Page protectors.

I love these. Readers’ play scripts can be protected year to year. They also work great for protecting activity pages where the students need to answer a question or solve a puzzle. Place the paper inside and children can write their answers in water based marker or grease pencil, and wipe off when they are finished. Keeps copying costs to a minimum. Want more ideas? Check this out.

Index cards.

An inexpensive learning supply, they can be used for vocabulary / definition flash cards, spelling memory games, math fact quiz cards and more. For extra flexibility, they are also available in lined and unlined, large and small, and various color options. Tough to beat for affordability, wouldn’t you say?

Cardboard beverage flats.

Even in Micronesia, I had access to these at no cost. If the school does not have a vending machine where these are left over after stocking, chances are there’s at least one store that will save them for you. Use them for holding paper scraps, completed student assignments, desk protectors for messy projects, marble painting, story boards, science fair displays, and homemade hinged-together briefcase portfolios. Here’s a link with more details.

Twigs and sticks.

It doesn’t get any cheaper than this. When you are in an extreme teaching situation and do not even have access to craft sticks, have students bring in twigs and sticks when you need them for things like nature crafts, kite support, puppets, native tribal weaving projects, etc.

Torn paper art projects.

My art guru friend Shelly taught me this little trick while we were teaching on the island of Guam. If you are working in conditions where you do not have scissors for your students, these projects are wonderful. The project she showed me was for torn paper mosaics, where students create a scene with torn bits of paper arranged with spaces in between on a background using glue sticks.

Donated newspapers.

I’ve had English language newspapers donated literally in every location I’ve ever taught at – the States, Guam, Kuwait, Italy, etc. Not only are they free, they provide a tremendous amount of mileage in the classroom. Some of the things I’ve used them for: current events, spelling word search, event collages, stuffing large models of book characters or giant paper sea turtles, tearing up for paper maché projects, and covering desks for messy art and science activities. I’ve also had newspapers offices donate the ends of the rolls of blank newsprint. They usually have a fair amount of paper left over, and it’s great for brainstorming charts and morning language. Old blueprint charts are great for this use as well. For a complete list of ideas for newspapers in the classroom, check out this previous blog post.

Used copy paper.

Folding the pages in half with the printed side in and stapling them allows you to put them together for a clean set of pages to be used for student publishing. Free materials . . . score!

Phone Books

Lots of ways to use these in the classroom. Bonus? Telephone companies will usually donate last years left overs in mint condition.

Dried Beans.

Any large flat bean will do really, and even the smaller ones can work for certain things.Very affordable when purchased at a discount dry goods store, these durable seeds make fabulous bingo and game markers. Substituting these for the expensive plastic game markers assures that you always have plenty on hand when students misplace them (which they will). Economical and eco-friendly!Another really cool thing you can do with the larger flat broad beans is lay a bunch of them flat on newsprint and spray paint one side of them the color of your choosing. The result? Dirt cheap DIY math manipulatives. Take a specific amount of them (nine, for example) and put them inside an empty cup. Shake and dump onto a work space. The beans will come out in various number combinations that equal the number in the cup. Great for younger grades working on math facts and number exploration.

These are items or ideas that made my job easier during my years in the classroom. If you know of others, please let us know.

Photo Credit: Worak

A Cheaper Classroom Calendar: DIY to the Rescue

Let’s face it. Classroom calendar supplies can add up to big bucks. If you are at the primary grades and need to work in patterning, it can more than double. Here’s how I made my own and skipped the cutting out and laminating of countless expensive apple and pencil cut-outs.

First, get a piece of plain poster board in the color of your choice, preferably not to dark. Leaving an open space at the top for the name of the month, mark out a grid with squares the size of an average Post-It note. Use light pencil lines at first, and follow up with a permanent marker and a straight edged ruler.

Next, either laminate the entire thing and attach to a larger math themed bulletin board, or laminate directly to the wall with easily peeled off, clear contact paper. Not only is thise calendar much more affordable than the deluxe designer version from the teacher store, but different colored post-its can be used in place of having to purchase several different dozens of calendar pieces for patterning and theme building that teachers like to do at all grade levels. Bonus? You’re not stuck replacing an entire set of calendar pieces if you lose one, or one gets damaged by a student.

Want to skip even the cost of the Post-It notes? Use different colored dry erase or water-based overhead markers. You can write the name of the month in at the top each time, and switch out the colors used to record the various days of the month. This is great also if you want to make the numbers smaller in the upper right hand corners of the squares and save the rest of the space for recording class events, holidays, field trips, assemblies, etc.

Bonus? You can clean off the calendar and start fresh each month. Here’s a link to some DIY white board cleaner recipes that’ll do the trick.

Photo Credit: Liz Marie

Classroom Uses for the Age Old Craft Stick

These things have been around for as long as I can remember, including my years as a grade school student. Available in multiple sizes, they really go the distance for getting things done on the cheap. Need a few ideas for putting them to use and reducing your classroom materials budget? Read on.

Streamlined questioning practices.

While you can do this with the old fashioned popsicle size, I find it easier with the larger tongue depressor style ones. Put each student’s full name on a stick with a fine to medium tip permanent marker. Then put all the sticks in an empty coffee mug.Use this to randomly call students to answer questions by pulling one stick at a time until everyone has been called on at least once. Then start over. Learners of all ages perceive randomness as fair, so this also eliminates frustration outbursts from students who feel they may have been waiting too long and have a tendency to take it personally. It took me years to start doing this, and then I wondered what on Earth took me so long.

Super Simple Running Program.

Conducting the PE program all by your lonesome with say . . . absolutely NO funding? I’ve been there. Here’s an idea I picked up from an overseas teaching colleague that requires nothing but popsicle sticks and a reinforcement chart: Using your car after hours, measure out a quarter mile course around the playground, school grounds, etc. Try to make sure it’s a course you can see all parts of. Have a giant box of popsicle sticks prior to the class activity. Lead the group in a stretch and have them all start at the same spot on the course. Everybody then jogs / walks / runs around the course according to their own pace and ability level. Every time a student runs back by you at the starting point, hand them a stick. Four of them will equal one mile run. Keep track of everyone’s progress via a bar graph on a reinforcement chart. They love it, and the cost is minimal. You could even use sticks from the forest or jungle if there was no classroom budget for the popsicle sized craft sticks.

Puppet projects.

Stick puppets may not be fancy, but they get the job done. And with puppets being such a HUGE part of holistic story retelling for early language learners, this was something I used a great deal when teaching in Micronesia. When school financial concerns eliminated even these from the budget, I didn’t have a problem resulting to simple twigs. That’s how much I believe in puppet show story retellings for young learners.

Weaving shuttle.

Apparently, they make these things with grooves on the sides of the end. Who knew? When we were doing basic carpet weaving demos with yarn and small square looms in Kuwait, We just had the handymen notch grooves in the regular popsicle sticks for us. If your school has access to the notched ones, go for it. It’s great for simple weaving activities, and the kids really enjoy learning about the warps and wefts of carpet making and practicing simple designs. Even the intermediate aged ones.

Streamlining attendance and lunch count.

I wish I had thought of this one. The fact is, I only ran across this idea when researching extra information for this post.This teacher numbers a class set of jumbo craft sticks for little hands and puts a magnet on the back of each. Since they are not named, she doesn’t have to do it every year. The same number applies to the students for everything else such as coat hooks, cubby holes, etc. The kids place their numbered stick under hot lunch, bathroom sign out spot, etc. She uses the side of her deep file cabinet as a place where the magnets will work. Slick!

These are my top picks. If you have a project or management idea using craft sticks that you feel is exceptional, sound off in the comments section!

Photo Credit: S & S Worldwide

Shoestring Teaching: The Portable Puppet Theater

Looking for a classroom drama resource that’s quick, easy, inexpensive, and will take up practically no additional space? This tip is for you.

What you need: a tension rod to fit the doorway of your room, and a curtain with a slot at the top to fit the chosen tension rod. That’s it. Just make sure the curtain is long enough to at least reach the floor. It’s OK if it’s a little long. You can just balloon it out for more drama.

What you do: Slide the curtain on the rod. Assemble it across the doorway to the room. That’s it. Students can watch inside, while on the other side of the curtain performers have as much space as they need without worrying about being seen by the spectators. When the performance is finished, simply roll up the “theater” and place in a file drawer or on an unused shelf. Easy!

This idea is also great for traveling performers, or those teaching specialists who have to travel from class to class without a room of their own. I ran across this idea years ago on the teaching circuit. Those of you who may have used thistechnique . . . we would be thrilled if you’d post a link to your own blog or to an online image. And of course, personal success stories are always welcome!

Photo Credit: Jude Pics

Shoestring Teaching: It’s in the Bag!

Need a simple cheap review strategy that can take you from day one to year end ? Would you love it even more if it truly could be used from early primary grades through high school? I’ve got your back. With this article, I’ll show how you can review any concept, any time using only a paper grocery sack and some index cards. Is that cheap, or what?

Here’s what you do: Label the outside of the sack with the game title “In the Bag”. Using the index cards and writing tool, record various questions from material covered thus far such as quotes from known literary characters, plots for book titles, glossary definitions, math problems or even spelling words.

Next, put them all in the bag and shake. The next time you have a few minutes between classes or dismissal time and need a sponge activity, call on a student to come up and select a card from the bag. This person will get to read the question and call on the person who will be required to answer. For example, if you use spelling words the person called can be expected to both spell the word and use it in a sentence. Or, if it’s a famous quote from history, it can be a matter of reading the card without giving the class the answer.

Still not cheap and easy enough? Check out these additional time and money saving hacks: Take the word cards down from your weekly spelling lists and put them directly in the bag, skipping the additional writing requirement. Don’t want to have to worry about 3-4 separate review games in the elementary or middle school grades? Put all of the various topic cards in together and make it a multi-subject review every time you play.

For educators working under extreme conditions where even index cards are a major budgetary indulgence, this can also be accomplished with donated scrap paper cut into squares. Whatever you have to do to get the job done, right?

With this strategy, you should be able to meet your review goals easily, regardless of the financial parameters of your school or home teaching budget. Happy teaching!

Photo Credit: Tanakawho

Words of the Week Part One

Vocabulary building ideas are always a challenge. One simple way to make sure you are doing a bit extra is to consistently incorporate a word of the week. Read on to findstrategies for trying this out, and an extensive start up list for those raring to go.

First of all, if you want to make sure you stick with it, I recommend having a list ready in advance. Second, while you’ll be looking up the word in the dictionary with the students, have a simplified definition ready to post in class. This will make it a more user friendly activity for ESL students, and those needing light to moderate modification in the classroom.

Once you’ve looked up the word as a group and read the dictionary definition aloud together, paraphrase out loud and record the definition where all students can see it. Be sure to encourage the word’s use and re-use throughout the week. Some ideas:

•Student recording of the word and user-friendly definition in journals.
•Brainstorming various sentences as a group, all of which use the word correctly.
•Incorporate the word into your daily morning language activities.
•Require its use in a creative writing assignment.
•If you assign spelling word sentences as homework, tack the word of the week on to the end of the list.

Need some awesome word lists to get started with? I’ve got your back. Here are a few starting with letters A through C.

For the letter A:

Abdominous, abapical, abattoir, abecedarian, abnegation, abjure, abrogate, acaulescent, accretion, acrimony, acrasia, acumen, adjutant, allocution.

For the letter B:

Baculiform, balneology, balustrade, bantling, barcarole, basipetal, bastion, bauble, beatific, becalm, bedlamite, beleaguer, bemire.

And last but not least, for the letter C:

Caterwaul, caudal, catharsis, causerie, caustic, caveat, cavil, censorious, centenarian, centesis, charlatan, chimerical, choler, claque.

I’ll post more at a later date. These lists should get you rolling in style. I’m sure this goes without saying, but those of you out there with super fantastic ideas for incorporating words of the week? Share the love!

Flickr Photo Credit: Desi Italy

No Brainer Ideas for Newspapers in the Classroom

Loads of ideas are out there for using newspapers effectively in the classroom. Following are some of my favorites, as well as some interesting ones from around the web.

Desk covers for messy projects.

I always called these work spaces, but basically they were individual sheets of newsprint that when unfolded covered basically the entire surface of a standard elementary sized student desk. Great for gluing, painting, science projects, etc.

Paper mache.

Torn into small pieces, recycled newsprint is a dirt cheap art medium. Score!

Current events.

Even lower intermediate level students can usually find something they are able to understand and write about. Bonus? It’s a standard Friday homework assignment that requires no photo copying. Love it.

Spelling word search.

Have the students make a T-chart on a piece of loose leaf paper and write their spelling words down the left column. Then, have them search for as many of those words as possible, resorting to creating them from individual letters if finally necessary.

Parts of speech search.

Divide notebook pages into sections with various category titles such as nouns, verbs, conjunctions, adjectives, adverbs, etc. Assign a specific number of each part of speech to be found in the newspaper. Students should cut out individual examples of each and glue them into sections using glue sticks.

Make an old fashioned hobo or clown style hat.

Using several sheets of newsprint laying at opposite or bisecting angles across the top of the students’ heads, have them hold the papers on their head firmly while you press down to the sides of each head and wrap your way around using wide band masking tape. Then roll up the edges of the paper and staple, creating a sort of rim. Paint. You can also do another style of hat by placing the papers over the top of a large empty coffee can. Then do the same type of masking tape band and trip the edges out flat. Depending on how far down the coffee can you go, you will either end up with a stove pipe or band box hat. Paint and trim as desired.

Select articles ahead of time that fit in with what you are doing in class.

The five W’s, intro-body-conclusion, whatever. Have the students cut out personal copies of the article chosenfor your assignment. I remember one year when Hershey’s was choosing a new color of M&M. There sure were some fun lessons on main idea and predicting with that topic!

For weekly papers, have students create current event collages.

Using titles, excerpts and pictures, have students create a collage of the week’s events. Then assign a written summary according to the grade level you are instructing. Have the kids attach the summary to the bottom of the collage as sort of a “drop down” element of the art. Bonus? Parents dig ‘em!

Use the comic strips to practice transcribing dialogue.

Wish I had thought of this. Kudos to thosewho did over at I Love That Teaching Idea. Have your class work on their skills for writing dialogue correctly by using conversations between cartoon characters as a starting point. By working this in a few times per month, your kids will have that skill hands down! It’s a skill you’ll be needing to cover anyway. This way, they can actually have a bit of fun with the drill and practice, and read something they like anyway. Bonus? The limited vocabulary in the weekly comics is great for those kids who may have a tough time completing some of the lengthier assignments. Don’t you love it when inclusion efforts flow so easily?

Other interesting newspaper idea links from around the internet?

• Simple, easy to understand student assignment ideas using classroom newspapers.

• A fun activity celebrating newspapers and nursery rhymes. This looks like a great reading buddies activity.

• An article on using newspapers in the high school classroom as the entire course text. Interesting.

   

   

• An excellent article listing ten fantastic reasons to use newspapers in the classroom. I’m sold!

   

   

• Great overall resource for educators, including background articles and links to all sorts of print and online news media for students of varying ages. 

   

Well, that’s all folks. If you have links to online images of projects you’ve done or have additional newspaper in the classroom suggestions, don’t forget to drop us a line.

Photo Credit: Alosh Bennett

Rubber Bands in the Classroom

After a post I wrote on this subject a while back for Wise Bread, I started thinking about their use in the classroom and just how often educators put them into play. Here’s a quick rundown of a few ideas I’ve tried over the years.

Securing rolled up classroom art work.

Take down the art posters and drawings your students have done and roll them up with a trusty rubber band. This will make them easier to transport home in one piece.

Basic primary science.

These work great for younger grades when demonstrating the concept of expanding and contracting muscles. Lift up your right hand until it is even with the same shoulder and grab the rubber band between your thumb and forefinger. Grab the other end of the band with your left hand and hold it firmly against your shoulder. Then slowly and repeatedly extend your right arm to the straight position and bring it back again. A powerful and simple demonstration. Bonus? It’s dirt cheap and doesn’t require any special equipment.

Classroom Tie-Dye Activity.

Tie dye shirts are great for all grade levels. Not only does this make a great classroom art activity, if you go with one basic color or all use the same color combination, you’ll have class shirts to wear for field trips. This is fabulous for events where there will be large groups of people and if your students will be separating and gathering again at a different place.

Dioramas.

Nothing like a power band to close up a shoe box diorama project. They’ll actually have a prayer of surviving the trip home on the school bus.

Bookmark.

This one is also mentioned in the Wise Bread piece referred to above. However, I think it also bears repeating for its use in the classroom arena. Doing this with extremely young students could prove tricky and may result in some wrinkled pages. But for disorganized teenagers in need of some extra logistical support, this idea rocks. Simply stretch the band around the binding of the book and up the center of the inside on the page you want marked. It doesn’t fall out this way.

Make a rubber band ball.

These are easy to make and keep your loose ones from being scattered all over your desk drawer. I love them in the classroom because they have loads of what rock star blogger Linsey Knerl calls “fun factor”.Here’s a link to instructions on how to start one for your classroom.

With as long as these things have been around, I’m sure there are way more ideas out there from professionals such as yourselves.Remember to share the love and post your slamming suggestions below. Have a great week, everybody!

Flickr Photo Credit: B. Melcher

Green Teaching: Page Protectors to the Rescue

Wanting to do your ecological part in the classroom and needing to conserve supplies at the same time? Then maybe it’s time to give some serious consideration to repurposing the standard paper sheet protector.

Traditionally used for keeping black-line masters in good condition, portfolio assessment or corporate presentations, these little gems can help you save money, preparation time and yes, paper. Following are some ways to use them effectively in today’s classroom.

Read-aloud play preservation.

Big on readers’ theater in your program? Print them out, along with companion glossaries, and place the individual collated copies into color coordinated three-hole report covers. You know, the kind you can get at ten for a buck during the back to school sales? Not only can these be used year after year, but the covers will look great for performances in the park or your basic blue jean classroom theater production at open house night.

Streamlined activity sheet use.

Needing to limit photocopies and still really wanting to work in some vocabulary puzzles and small group math quizzes? Print out enough copies for your desired size of activity group (I prefer four-six students) and place each one in a plastic sheet protector. Use water based overhead markers or traditional grease pencils for students to work with. Correct together during group time and erase for the next group. Green. Cheap. Easy. Extra bonus? I dare say more than a few parents will thank you for limiting the nightly paper storm.

Center activities.

Got some printouts with answer keys for things like spelling word search puzzles, math facts, and science questions? Print out two-three sets of each and slide them back to back into sheet protectors. One side will show the blank activity page for students to work on, and the other will have the answers. Using the same strategy mentioned above of grease pencils and overhead markers, let children work together or independently on the sheets. They can correct their own work and practice skills throughout the week to get ready for quizzes and tests.

Organizing classroom communication.

Having a small three ring binder with a sheet protector for each student gives you a place to house all of those paper scrap notes from parents, notes from the nurse, etc. You never know when you are going to be called on to document a pattern or confirm your side of a miscommunication with a parent or administrator. If you end up not needing the info, just get rid of the file items at the end of the year. If you do need it however, you’ll have your proverbial ducks in a row.

Activity sheet protection for outdoor nature activities.

If you have a younger group who may find it challenging to constantly copy directions off the board, print out simple, easy to follow directions for the activity and put them in sheet protectors. Let them work individually, with a buddy or in a group to complete the activity without the page ending up in shreds. First grade educators, are you with me? With this strategy you get to have a successful day along with your students. This also works for maps when traveling or doing rainy day hikes with older PE students. It’s also one of my husband’s favorite travel tips for when we are on the road.

Instant Individual White Boards.

Love this idea! Wish I’d thought of it myself years ago. But I have to come clean. I actually found it when researching this post. Just use this link and scroll down until you see the activity titled “instant white boards”. Basically, in order for each student to have their own “white board”, you need enough smooth finish sheet protectors for each learner to have one, an equal number of sheets of 8 x 11 inch card stock, and erasable markers. To erase the kids can either use tissues, or their own recycled foot portion of an old athletic sock. I would think it might also be helpful to tape off the top open slot with horizontally placed scotch tape to keep it sealed. These are great for sentence dictation, math problems on the fly, daily language correction activities and more. To keep classroom management concerns at bay, consider collecting them after each group use, or having each student keep theirs in a 3-ring resource binder where such things are stored for quick hassle free classroom access.

Organizational support for those home and school binders.

While I never used these during my classroom years, I know of several colleagues who managed them effectively. Having a few included in each one for loose notes and routinely swapped communication documents can save you loads of follow up stress.

So that’s it, readers. My best efforts at using page protectors to streamline your classroom management and paper consumption issues. That being said, I know there are loads of talented educators out there with slamming ideas as well. Feel free to contribute any additional suggestions you might have in the comments section so we can all benefit from your expertise.

Flickr Photo Credit: TXD

Teaching Ideas for Old Phone Books

When I taught in Micronesia, the phone company came at the start of every year to donate extras of the previous year’s book. In a school district that had very little in terms of a materials budget, this was one of those rare times when I had a full class set of anything. Here are my top picks for using these great freebies in the classroom.

Practice ABC order with a name chase activity.

Make sure each of the students has a book, and you should have one too. Call out the name of a person in the phone book and have students scramble to see who can find the right name. The first one to read off the correct phone number, gets a point. Decide ahead of time on a free prize, such as a homework pass signed by you. This works with the entire class or in small groups. Bonus? It’s a legitimate language skills activity that costs nothing, wastes no paper, and doesn’t leave you with extra paper work. Additional perk? It can be pulled off with absolutely no advance planning. Can you say cancelled assembly?

Recycle them as craft project work pads.

Doing something a bit gooey with the class and want to avoid desk cleanup? Take off the front cover and use the first page available to glue on, color over the edges of a pattern pieces, paint, etc. When the project is finished, each student can tear out that top page and use it as a drying space by the window for their work. The books can then be stacked on a shelf until the next time you have a messy craft project.

Use the books to familiarize the students with the community.

An extra perk of this approach is that the students will gain familiarity with the format of information recorded inside, and you’ll be able to instruct them on how to find information they might someday need. Here’s a cool link with some interactive lessons.

Alternative bulletin board backing.

Rip out the yellow pages and overlap the individual pieces to form an inexpensive covering for the backing of a bulletin board. The overlapping is what gives it the visual interest and keeps it looking interesting instead of cheesy. The pale yellow is a decent backdrop for blue construction paper-backed art projects. I’ve even seen a damaged dumpy apartment wall done in this stuff once and I have to tell you, it didn’t look half bad. The newsprint makes the backdrop a bit more serious, which is nice for a classroom with older students.

Paper mache.

Have the students tear the white pages into small pieces and bag them. When everyone has enough torn paper, commence with your art project of choice.

Got another creative idea for phone books? We’d love to hear it. Sound off below!

Flickr Photo Credit: How Can I Recycle This?

Beverage Box Ideas for Starving School Teachers

If you’re like most teachers, free is your favorite price when it comes to classroom resource materials. Enter the humble cardboard beverage flats.

You know the ones. They come holding soda cans by the case. Not the colored ones you rip open. The soda can flats I’m talking about here are those plain ones the vending machine person uses, or that are used to hold cases of canned vegetables. Preferrably the rectangular shape. About the size of a piece of art paper on the bottom and several inches deep, they are one of the unknown gems of classroom teaching. So make friends with your grocery stocker and school vending machine person. You’re going to want to load up on these things for sure. Move over shoe boxes!

To give credit where credit is due, this is one of those ideas I got turned on to by those resourceful folks on the island of Guam. If there is one thing I learned there as a teacher, it was how to be resourceful. Here are a few things you can do with the plain brown beverage flats that soda cans come in.

Marble painting.

All you need is one marble, one color of paint, one paint cup, a spoon, a sheet of plain photo copy paper for each student, and an empty beverage flat. Call up students one at a time while they are working on seatwork. Each student will place their piece of paper (you could even use the back sides of extra copies) face up on the bottom of the beverage flat after writing their names on the back. Have a small cup of the paint ready for learners to carefully drop the marble into. Have them fish it out carefully with the spoon, draining the excess paint against the inside of the cup and taking care to keep the marble coated. They will then drop the marble in the box and replace the spoon in the paint cup. Next step? Start rolling. The box will keep the marble contained and the paint will really last quite some time. They can go from side to side, corner to corner, or both. Each piece of art work will be unique and minimal art supplies are needed. Rock on!

Construction paper scrap boxes.

I like these far better than a larger box. First of all, each only holds enough to be easily sorted through by students working on art projects or book celebration assignments. They are much easier to reach into, even for me as an adult. Bonus? In the same amount of classroom space it would take to store a larger cumbersome scrap box, I can stack enough scrap-stocked beverage boxes to make an entire class activity work using small seated-together groups of students. Now this is the kind of idea I wish the mentors had given me early in my career. I really could have done without all the tedious, stay until ten o’clock at night to individualize the vocabulary list advice. No offense intended.

Briefcase portfolios.

This was one shown to me by a fellow third grade teacher on Guam, Carolyn Ferrares. Carolyn, you’re a rock star when it comes to classroom instruction on the cheap and easy. She basically showed me how to slit one of two beverage flats along the two corners (long side) to create a back flap. This was attached to the same side of the bottom beverage flat by poking two holes and adding brass paper brads. Then, the two beverage flats will slide together similar to the way a delivery pizza box works. If you want to go the extra mile, you can fashion an affordable rope handle through both thicknesses of the front edge. If this is too plain for you, you can either cover them with paper or spray paint them first. When decorated in their full glory, these things are absolutely precious. When I finally get my teaching supplies out of storage, I’ll put up a picture. If anyone else has done this, please post a link to the image. This is truly a great little project.

Triptychs.

Have each student paint three beverage flats in a single matching color. Then, they will need to develop a picture which is actually done on three separate pieces of art paper lightly tacked on the back with painters’ tape. Make sure in advance that the papers will each fit neatly on the centers of the back of the beverage flats. Separate the papers and attach them in order on each beverage flat. The open side will be used to hang each box in order by the top edge. I really love this project because the depth of the boxes gives the finished pieces a museum style look when hung against the wall. Bonus? It’s dirt cheap to do.

Science fair displays.

As with the triptychs, you’ll need three beverage flats for each student doing a science fair display. Cover them with butcher paper or paint and hinge together twine, tape or the medium of your choice. Put together the sections of your science fair project data and attach to the sections of the back sides of the boxes.

Story boards.

You only need one per student for this one. Attach a stapled together file folder to the bottom of the inside to holt stick puppets. Paint or cover the box and design the overall visual story elements (field, sky, trees, etc.) on the back either vertically or horizontally. The scenery should of course match the story title. Also assign written retellings of the story in question as a separate writing grade. Have students perform their retellings at the end of the school week.

There you have it. My favorite ways to use plain cardboard beverage flats in the classroom. Got any additional ideas? Let us know so everyone can benefit!

Flickr Photo Credit: Lorentey

Cooking in the Classroom: Three Simple Recipes

Primary level instructors tend to work this in for thematic purposes. However, even older students can enjoy an unexpected treat occasionally. Whatever your reasons for wanting to whip something up at school, here are three simple recipes to get you started.

Ice Cream in a Bag.

Is this a cool idea, or what? I found the recipe in Mary Webber’s The Frugal Family Kitchen Book. For ingredients, you’ll need:

¼ cup whole milk or any kind of cream
1 tsp sugar
¼ tsp vanilla or a ½ tsp chocolate syrup
crushed ice
rock salt
zipper top baggies, small and large
newspaper

Here’s what you do: Put the milk or cream, along with the sugar and vanilla into the small baggie and seal. Place this one inside the larger baggie and fill it about half full with crushed ice. Then add about a half a cup of rock salt per large bag and seal. Wrap each in newspaper and shake. If there are several small portions in the large baggie, you can have them take turns. Or you can go with individual sets and let them each have fun. You should have ice cream in about 5-10 minutes. Fun!

Coconut Candy

The Chamoru teachers on Guam always used to do this. After tasting it, I quickly learned how!
Once you have husked the larger outer shell off the coconut and cut the smaller inner nut in half (draining the milk out first). Take each half and scrape the inside completely using a coconut grating blade with a bowl underneath.
Then, using a square electric frying pan and a wooden spoon, turn the heat to a fairly high degree and add a pound or two of plain white sugar, stirring until it caramelizes to a golden color but is not scorched. Add enough grated coconut so the caramelized sugar coats it completely and has lots of extra “gooeyness” to it. Continue to stir in the pan until the coconut has become soft. Let cool to a safe temperature and let students taste some on a spoon. You can keep repeating this for as large a batch as you desire. Children and adults alike will love it.

Apple Sauce

This is a simple idea that does not require a lot of extra equipment and mess in the classroom. It also fits in great with a primary grade level apple theme, or for a simple harvest treat. Core a number of apples and place them in a slow cooker in your classroom set to low. Add a bit of water to the bottom and sprinkle in some cinnamon. Let it cook for most of the day. Towards the end while there is still time to enjoy a treat with the children, place a food mill in a large bowl and dump the contents of the slow cooker into the food mill. Use the mill to squeeze the sauce out and leave the peelings inside. Remove the food mill and stir the applesauce, adding more spice if desired. Serve to students in small paper cups with plastic spoons after the mixture has cooled to a safe temperature. Wash preparatory items in the classroom sink, or under the outdoor faucet, whichever is available.

There you have it, fellow educators. Three simple recipes to try out in the classroom. Have another one to share?Feel free to contributein the comment section below.

Flickr Photo Credit: Pink Hats, Red Shoes

This post was submitted to the August 26, 2009 edition of Wanderfood Wednesday, in honor of those international teachers who need to keep things interesting without shipping boatloads of resource materials from one country to the next.

Fund Raising Ideas for High Schools

Let’s tell it like it is. High school professionals tend to get the short end of the stick when it comes to cool idea resources. In fact, I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve heard the complaint. So secondary teachers, this one’s for you! Read on for a list of unexpected and high income generating ideas to raise money with your high school students.

Candy Vending.

No, I’m not talking about adding another junk food dispenser to your school. (Although if your facility is already loaded with them, chances are one fancy red jar of quarter accessed gumballs isn’t going to make that much difference.) What I am talking about is having your PTA support you by approaching businesses around town to let you place candy vending machines at strategic places. Chances are they’ll be thrilled with not being hit up for cash. Again. Assign rotating responsible students to restock the candy machines and collect the cash. The reason candy vending is so profitable and popular among many regular professional vendors is because the candy is dirt cheap to buy and lasts quite a long time in the machines before needing to be restocked. Bonus? The machines are smaller and less expensive as well.

Auctions.

Already having a fund raising dinner? Work in a silent auction that same night.

Art Gallery.

Got some talented students and an oh- so- fabulous art specialist or industrial art teacher? Open up a small gallery for student produced furniture, welded scrap metal art, paintings, pottery, etc. Don’t forget to include consumable art items based on the student art work like notepads for the desk and fridge, blank greeting cards, candles, stationery and calendars. I’ve seen this done with street children at a beach gallery in Cambodia to fund their school tuition and supplies, as well as in the Monte Verde Cloud Forest of Costa Rica where all the craft and art items for sale at a particular shop were produced by children. It definitely takes someone to ensure there’s a system for providing only top notch work for the inventory, but the results as I’ve seen are well worth it!

Salvage Yard / Flea Market.

Got an extra space and some folks willing to help put up even a basic Quonset hut style structure? Consider having a regular (not just once a year) place for people to drop off left over or recycled building supplies, yard sale items, etc. Then, once a month have a Saturday where parents and students volunteer and the community can show up for a chance to get some great affordable second hand items. There was a small community in Arizona that did this only it wasn’t for a school. It was to benefit programs throughout the entire town. Retired volunteers staffed it, and they were open every morning except Sunday. Every single item in their inventory was donated. Their average annual haul? Over one point three million. What could your school do with even half that amount of money?

Event Concessions.

When I was in high school, the French club sold hot dogs and snacks every day at lunch to fellow students, as well as hot dogs and popcorn at all the basketball games. If you haven’t already thought of this, give it a whirl. If you have, consider taking it to the next level and letting the senior class each year have a stand at one or two large fairs and community events. One successful week at the state fair could bring in enough to fund most of that year’s projects. Think about it.

Coffee Shop / Bakery.

This is probably most effective if your school already has a food service program for vocational students. But if you have a place that can be set aside with tables and wireless access that is close to the school supply store, this could turn into a decent money maker. Students, teachers, parents and community members could hang out, munch and get some work done. We met a really interesting gentleman on a trip to Cambodia once who was working with a girls’ orphanage and school in Poi Pet. They had started a bakery at their school which was right next to either a bus or train station. At night after everything stopped running, this place turned into the night bazaar, which is where they sold their baked goods. It raised necessary funds for the facility’s operation and taught them a vocational skill as well. Fabulous!

That’s all for now. As always additional creative ideas are welcome below. Looking forward to hearing from you.

Flickr Photo Credit: Vagawi

Year Long Bulletin Board Ideas

Staying late on a Friday night to cut out thirty-eight individual paper apples when you could be on a date? Looking to regain a life while still feeling like you’re going the distance for your job? I hear you. This list includes some of the ideas I found most helpful during my years in the trenches.

Wall of Fame.

For a super simple bulletin board that the students always get excited about, I found it hard to beat this one. All you need are a colored background, simple border, and letters for the “Wall of Fame” title. As students turn in fabulous work, it goes up on the board. One idea that works well is to incorporate an excellent piece of work from each student. They don’t all have to go up at once, which is part of the motivation for students to continue to do their best job. Once everyone has earned a spot on the Wall of Fame via a spelling test, book project, math quiz or whatever, it is time to take down the items for portfolio filing and start again. If you skip the scotch tape and opt for push pins or staples, this board should easily last you through an entire school year. I especially like this idea because it allows you to honor the strengths of all your students, not just the ones who do well on the more traditional types of assignments.

Re-invent the traditional flannel board.

Instead of an old fashioned portable flannel board, consider using flannel instead of paper to cover a regular sized bulletin board. Then just trim and title with cut out letters as usual. This way, you’ve always got a spot for flannel board story retellings, year-to year vocabulary activities, and more.

In the News.

Using solid black paper for the first set of letters, cut out a second of “shadow” letters from a sturdy black and white news print source. I’ve found magazine pages are a bit sturdier than newspaper, and have a brighter contrast between the black and white. You’ll also want to make sure that you cut the shadow letters from a portion of the print source that has consistent text only, not captions and images. Next, attach the shadow letters behind the solid black letters with the shadow letters peeking out from the left hand side. Then, select your background paper color for the bulletin board. Personally, I think red looks really dramatic with the black and white shadow letters. Now, center the “In the News” caption towards the top of the bulletin board. Voila! Now you have a functional, year-round bulletin board where you can post students’ completed rotating current event assignments, or the current batch of never ending bulletins, calendars and announcements from your school’s office or PTA. You know the ones . . .

Daily Math Board.

I’ve seen and used ideas for this that came in kits, but there are many ways to put up an interactive daily math skills boards that keeps your kids interested all year long. Personally, I think it’s helpful if they are the longer horizontal kind, but that’s just me. I think this orientation allows for a table or long book shelf underneath where you can store on-the-fly supplies such as push pins, erasable markers, post its, calendar pieces, chart replacements, etc. Basically, think of any skills you will need to be repeating throughout the year and work in a repeating activity that will drive the skill home. I use this for those first few minutes after roll call when there may still be a straggler or two. Some things to include? Calendar, doing a comparison graph of temperatures between your class location and that of a class pen pal, converting the temperature from Fahrenheit to Celsius, counting the tally school days on a roll out adding machine tape and circling every fifth or tenth day (younger grades), a daily math calculation or word problem appropriate to your grade level, etc. I liked doing this because it puts all of those incidental math toolsin one location, providing predictable and organized math support for the entire year. Since math topics rarely make the “bulletin board cut” so to speak, this is a great way to set an extra academic tone in your classroom.

Food for Thought.

This is another one of those ones that can fit in with multiple grade levels. Various things can be included such as a grab pocket of inspirational learning and self esteem quotes, a problem solving chart for what to do if they finish work early, a supply of story starter ideas, daily brain teaser . . . you get the idea. This is basically a resource for them to go to instead of interrupting work you may be doing with a small group or individual.

These are my titles and ideas for bulletin boards that can take you from start to finish each school year and leave you with lots of time and energy for parent communication, lesson planning, and . . . oh, I don’t know . . . a life? Don’t forget to sound off if you’ve got another fabulous suggestion for saving bulletin board stress. I’m sure we could all benefit from additional ideas and strategies.

Flickr Photo Credit: Fred Hsu

DIY Whiteboard and Homemade Cleaner

Need a whiteboard, but suffering from budget overload? Help is here. Read on for ideas on how to create a DIY version for yourself.

Starting up a new school and need a bunch of them? Homeschooling and need to squeeze out every extra penny? Or perhaps you are starting your own home office to pursue extra income. Whatever your reasons, saving money on an otherwise expensive whiteboard is a good thing.

Basically, you go to your handy dandy giant neighborhood hardware store and pick up some shiny smooth finish shower board (otherwise known as smooth tile board). This is the stuff that white boards are made of. You can pick up a large piece of it for usually under twenty bucks. Frame it or not, it’s your choice and affix it to the wall as you see fit. Most people recommend making sure it’s flat to avoid warping, and to make for a more stable writing surface. Some folks have even used glass against a colored wall. The principle is the same, and the cost is similarly cheap. You could easily do a whole wall as a whiteboard for a giant team brainstorming area or a place for children and teens to feel creative.

Some construction ideas from around the web?

• This guy has a very short list of materials and a simple design. I’d personally cap off the ends and do more of a direct attachment to the wall instead of a hanging fixture, but definitely a simple idea.

• This gentleman has a similar suggestions, but shows some alternative layouts, gives some additional rationale for the large versions, and also has some suggestions for a slightly different (although more expensive) version which also accepts magnets.

How do you keep them clean?

Other than looking for a bargain deal on the traditional Expo cleaner for whiteboards, there are apparently several homemade versions posted around the internet. One of the simplest was a simple solution of water and rubbing alcohol. I’ve also heard that certain types of dryer sheets can work, although I’m not sure that’s the greenest option. Here are a few posts I found on the subject:

• This person tested various suggestions she’d heard of in a controlled manner and rated the results in a spreadsheet with notes for your review. Score!

• This individual uses baking soda to remove tougher long term stains.

• Loads of DIY whiteboard cleaning solution ideas here. Bonus? They are dirt cheap.

I wish I had known about this years ago. My husband’s been asking to have a large white board at home for some time. I think we may finally carve out a space this spring after a trip to the nearest Lowe’s. Do you have a DIY success story with your own whiteboard? Let us know.

Flickr Photo Credit: Cyrenaic

Going Green in the Classroom: Affordable Ways to Make it Happen

As with life on the home front, finding ways to go green in the classroom without breaking your annual consumables budget can require a fair amount of ingenuity. Following are a few ideas to make it happen without breaking the bank.

Laminated reinforcement charts.

Teachers from pre-school through high school use these little beauties and they cost money every year. However, they don’t have to cost nearly as much if you can find a way to get by with one. Simply attach one to the inside of your classroom door or on the wall section of your choice. Laminate directly to the surface with smooth – surface clear contact paper. Use a grease pencil or erasable marker to check off the boxes by each student’s name when necessary. When the chart is full, erase and start over. Cheap and simple. Wa. Hoo. No stickers, no quarterly replacement cost, and the last time I checked, literally cheaper than dirt. High school teachers and educators of intermediate level grades with more than one class of students each year will find this an even bigger money saver. Picture one to two rows of wall laminated charts to keep you streamlined and on top of things all year long.

Egg carton scissor stand.

For an inexpensive and eco-friendly place to store your class set of student scissors, consider a pair of recycled cardboard egg cartons. Simply push each pair of children’s scissors (tips down) through an individual section of a carton. The individual sizes of safety scissors for the smaller grades will be easily supported by the depth of the cartons. I tried this when all of my metal scissor holders kept rusting during a multi-year teaching stint in Micronesia. It worked like a charm!

The tried and true construction paper scrap box.

It may be an age old classic, but the value of this classroom classic bears repeating. If you like to do puppet shows, collages, paper mosaics, file folder book jackets for student stories, or any other type of classroom project requiring small pieces of colored paper, these scrap collections come in super handy. A real teacher budget saver that helps save the environment as well.

Get back to the garden.

Consider using the natural world as a break from the traditional learning environment. Sketching buddy portraits outdoors, story time under the tree, exploring soil erosion with an outdoor science activity, etc. Learners of all ages can find inspiration in nature, and if it saves some classroom electricity in the meantime, isn’t that a good thing?

Explore eco friendly consumable products that come with coupons.

Think dish soap for washing up after student art projects, chlorine free tissues and paper towels, and for the older grades emergency tampons and pads for girls caught unaware for their first menstrual cycle.

Consider the incidentals.

By this I mean the things that easily integrate into your current classroom routine. For example, are you planning a field trip that could easily include another class from the same grade level? Why send the bus twice? Other ideas would be printing on both sides of the paper for student handouts, turning off the lights when not in the classroom, and switching from stickers to rubber stamp reinforcement.

This concludes what I hope will be just one of many posts on going green in the classroom. Got a super idea on the subject? I hope you’ll share.

Flickr Photo Credit: Woodley Wonder Works

Classroom Hacks: Binder Clips to the Rescue

 

 

Having previously written about the household uses of these office gems, I thought it might be fun to do a classroom version here. Following is a quick list of suggestions for various grade levels of classroom instruction.

Use them along with pushpins to display artwork creatively.

Out of staples, or just want a more industrial, grown up feel for displaying your students’ work? Clip the tops with binder clips and hang the steel hooks over the pushpins on a wall or covered bulletin board. Bonus? Parents dig the unexpected.

Note card holders.

Flickr Photo Credit: Gideon Strauss

Have a few students who need a tiny bit of modification when it comes to being able to look at the board and then back down at their seatwork? Or maybe you are still having to individualize a bit more even within small instructional groups. Turn a couple of binder clips upside down and use them to hold an index card with directions printed on them. Also great if you want to help out a kiddo with self esteem issues. Put a supportive statement like “you rock” or “keep trying, you can do it” on the card. Then place it on their desk so they can look up for an emotional boost whenever they want.

Edgy, modern oil painting display for high school students.

Flickr Photo Credit: Dano

After the paintings have dried, but before you send them home, display them on a colored background. These are heavier, so they will probably take nails instead of pushpins. Older students will dig this.

Keeping stacks of office communication together.

Particularly useful if you are sending a younger, more accident prone “helper” to the office secretary. This will give those with less coordination but otherwise great responsibility a chance to shine. Besides, you never know when you might bump into someone on the way. So if you use them all the time, nobody has to feel singled out at the one who needs the extra help.

Classroom easel support.

Need to keep those large pads of paper attached for morning language or on the floor brainstorming? A few large binder clips will get the job done.

Using art supplies to their fullest extent.

Similar to the way many people use them to keep their toothpaste tubes neat and completely “squeezed” this could be used for squeezable paint tubes as well.

Got any other pearls of binder clip wisdom? Let us know.

Flickr Photo Credit: Ms. Tea

Bandanas in the Classroom: Three Simple Teaching Hacks

 

 

I wrote a fairly extensive piece a while ago on various ideas and craft project involving colored bandanas. However, the teacher in me just couldn’t leave the topic alone. I had to give this some extra time and document some simple classroom bandana hacks every teacher could use. Following are my top three picks.

Field trip sanity.

Don’t have the time or inclination to deal with an extensive classroom T-shirt tie-dye? No problem. Have everyone vote on a class color (lead them towards something bright and easy to spot) and have them on hand for everyone to wear around their neck cowboy style for easy student spotting. Here’s a link for purchasing them in bulk.

Streamlined recess line up.

Get a bright neon one to tie on the end of your teacher umbrella or walking stick. When the young ones are scattering around trying to find where to line up, they can easily find you and feel successful.

Team identification on the cheap.

For teaching situations where the little mesh vests are out of the question budget wise, having half the class wear the colored bandanas and half go without is a super way to plan a team activity on the fly. Bonus? This takes up very little classroom space, which is great if you are short on it in general and also happen to have to teache PE on your own if the school cannot afford an extra teacher. Even if they can afford it, we all know there are times when the class is cancelled, or you are left with a postponed assembly and no preplanned lesson. Grab the bandanas and head outside for a quick game of kickball.

These really are affordable enough for even the most financially challenged PTA to support you with. If you truly are on less than a shoestring due to an extremely remote and financially challenged international school, consider getting just one or two and cutting them up as wrist ties. In the end, it’ll be better than nothing.

Flickr Photo Credit:Psycho Pink