Fun in PreK-1 & Kinder

Hello teacher friends!  I'm still waiting for the classroom fairy to come bail me out (hence why I haven't linked up for Classroom Digs or Organizing for Instruction)!  BUT I did want to take a moment to talk about classroom management. One thing you won't see in my classroom is a behavior chart. I'm imagining your ominous silence... But bear with me!  I've got some really good reasons.  I'm also going to preface this post and say that I have a pretty small class.  If you've got a big class, I hear you and I understand.  I've had 34 kids packed in a classroom too.  But I want you to read on anyway! It all started when I graduated college and had no management skills except the behavior chart.  Unsurprisingly, I wasn't all that good with classroom management.  As a sub I picked up a lot of great tricks to get kids to behave for a day, but I still didn't know about establishing a community or how to positively reinforce kids withou...

Okay, I'm just going to confess and be done with it.  I AM TERRIBLE AT MAKING DECISIONS.  Seriously.  I am the world's slowest lesson planner and classroom organizer.  All my teacher stuff has sat for months in stacks in the office closet (and the office floor... and the office couch...) because I couldn't decide how I wanted to organize it.  (And let's not even talk about my classroom- I STILL can't figure out how I want it to look.  I've changed my color scheme three times!) But today I'm happy to announce I figured it out, thanks to some great Pinspiration!  :)  Here's the ideas and considerations I hashed out.  Just click on the pictures to find out more! (Warning: This is a long post.  But I promise there are freebies to see you through!) To File or Not to File? This actually was the easiest decision to make.  I hate filing cabinets- always have, always will.  I think they're ugly and heavy!  Plus I am so b...

Welcome back for another Tuesday Teaching Idea!  Are you using Daily 5 in your classroom?  Have you wondered what you should use for your kiddos' book shopping baskets?  Today's Tuesday Teacher Tip is all about your different options and the pros and cons of each (with photos)! Meet the Contenders: Storage Tote (Dollar Tree), Sterilite Ice Cube Bin (Target), Plastic Magazine Holder (Big Lots), FLYT Cardboard Magazine File (IKEA) Not Pictured: Mainstays Ice Cube Bin (Walmart) First, let's do a price point comparison! Yellow Dollar Tree Storage Tote: $1.00 (*Note that you can only exchange at Dollar Tree, not return) Sterilite Ice Cube Bin from Target: $3.99 Big Lots Plastic Magazine Holder: $3.00 IKEA FLYT Cardboard Magazine File: $1.99/5 pack (*Best Value!) Mainstays Ice Cube Bin: $1.88 Now let's do a book weight test! Total Fail Walmart! The Dollar Tree yellow storage tote starts getting off balance at about 8 books.  T...