Christmas Freebies!

Hello out there Cafe' friends!!

Anyone there?!?!

Oh. My. Goodness!
 

It's been SO long, I had to clean the cobwebs from my little blog! I sincerely apologize!

Starting a new grade this year has zapped every ounce of my time since the start of school. I moved to 3rd, but I'll continue to share ideas useful for my K-2 friends. :-)

 

Well, since it's almost CHRISTMAS, I need to make up for lost time------and fast! Whew!
So, I'm scheduling some FREEBIES for ya' throughout the month of December. Be sure to check back in at the Café over the next several Mondays to pick up some FREE resources:
Monday, December 7th
Monday, December 14th
Monday, December 21st
Monday, December 28th

 

We all know after Thanksgiving break the kids can start to get a *little* excited about the next vacation.

3 weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas to teach, assess, and maintain some kind of sanity can make for some long days. And let's just hope there's not another full moon on the calendar.

 

 I'm sharing Freebie #1 with ya' in hopes that it will be helpful for your students {and kids at home, for that matter--I'm thinking about using it with my own kids!} Click on the link below to pick up this Christmas freebie! It's sort of like bingo, and can be used different ways. The first page shares some ideas for using this to help encourage and reward positive behavior.

 CLICK HERE FOR YOUR CHRISTMAS FREEBIE #1

I hope you can find lots of fun ways to use this with your class {or kids at home}.
If you're interested in more positive behavior incentives for the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas, check out my Santa's Little Bag of Tricks pack {Freebie #1-Run, Run, Reindeer, is from this pack.}

Thanks for stopping by! I'd love to hear how you plan to use Freebie #1 with your kids {home or school} :-) Please feel free to share in the comments below!

Class Dojo Reward Tubs

Happy Summer! Welcome back to the Crazy Critter Café!

So I've been thinking about how I'd like to use my Class Dojo reward system and here's the latest...Numbered Tubs to match the Class Dojo "point clubs". I used this idea toward the end of the school year and it seemed to work well.

Students gave input on what they'd like to have in the tubs (thus, the 2 levels of sweet treats!)

My goal was to have a daily Dojo time, but due to our hectic afternoon schedule, that couldn't always be done, so I'd find time during the week for our class Dojo time (or every 2 weeks if I felt more time was needed for students to reach certain Dojo Point Clubs).

 

I had a checklist and whenever we had Dojo time, I would write the point club for each student so I would know which reward tubs they've picked from during that particular Dojo time. At a designated date, all Class Dojo points would reset and students would start over.

 

 

 

 

I bought 2 plastic organizers to help keep the rewards separate. All I have to do when we have Dojo time is snap apart the 5-15 trays and pull out the 20-30 point drawers for easy distribution of rewards!

 

 

 

 I'm sure there are tons of ways to use Class Dojo in the classroom. I found that starting simple was more effective. I didn't get overwhelmed with keeping up with rewards and trying to grab my iPad to give Dojo points every second of the day. I used it mostly during transition, independent work, and center times.

Make it work for you and your class!

 I'll switch out rewards periodically so students don't get bored with these.

I'd love to hear how you use Class Dojo in your class. Please add a comment below! :-)

 

Thanks for stopping by the café!



10 Helpful Tips & Ideas to Get You Ready for Back to School

Welcome back to the Crazy Critter Café! Things are getting ready to get really CrAzY in the next few weeks!

Many of you have been back in school for a week or so. We start next week! {Just think, those of you who already started back will get out for summer earlier! ;-)}

I've been going out to my class a few days to try and get things *organized*. I don't think there's a true meaning for that word, because I've never seemed to be able to figure it out! However, I did clean out a closet and filled up a huge trash bag. {Yay me for actually wanting to get rid of something!} And now I feel much more *organized* in that area, at least.

 

Then I started to think about things I plan to do {or things I've done in the past} to get myself ready for back to school. I'd like to share some of the ideas I've used in my class that helped me over the years to make back to school a little easier:

 

(1) Paint your bulletin boards~

 If it's too late this year, plan to do it for next year! Go to the local home improvement store and buy a small amount of paint (I used latex and it worked just fine). I also bought 2 sample jars at Lowes and that covered a small board. It may take 2 or 3 coats, depending on the color and how it absorbs into the cork.

 

I've had many of my boards painted for at least 3 years and they still look vibrant and new!

 

 

(2) Laminate file folders to use for keeping track of all of those orientation papers~
This used to be a paper nightmare for me! Emergency forms, lunch forms, handbook forms, classroom discipline acknowledgement form, etc., etc.....some regular-sized, some 1/2 sheets, some extra long sheets.....whew!

I've had my folders for years and they still look neat if they're out on the table during orientation. Put labels on the front so you'll know what papers go where. {lunch forms to cafeteria, copy of emergency forms to school nurse, office, and bus drivers, etc.} If I still have papers in the folders, then I know I haven't turned them in yet! And it ensures they didn't get lost in the mix of the first week madness!

 

 I also have a master checklist of the papers that need to be returned and I check off when that student has turned in forms and paid fees. It's easy for me to see who's turned in what.

I keep all of these folders in a little book bin.

 

 

(3) If you use tables consider having crayon table tubs for kindergarten or first grade~

After many years of trying to solve the dilemma of missing / stolen / broken crayons, I decided to create a table tub for crayons that members of the table would share. I've used this for many years and it's worked like a charm!

NO MORE ARGUING OVER CRAYONS!! Because it doesn't matter how many times you remind the little ones to please take out only 1 crayon at a time and be sure to put it back so it doesn't get lost.....they DON'T DO IT! {most of them, anyway} They're so focused on their work, they're not worried about putting the crayon back. And what if a friend needs to borrow one? Oh no! That crayon might not find it's way back home!

 

I ask students to bring in 4 boxes of crayons {a box of 16 regular crayons - no twistables or fancy ones}; one box for each 9 weeks. I put 4 boxes in each table tub. This usually lasts throughout the 9 weeks.

 If students need a crayon I have 2 tubs of extras {leftovers that were donated by students at the end of years past}.

No more arguing over crayons!! I love it!

I also purchase crayons at the back to school sales and contribute to the tubs if students aren't able to purchase supplies. We'll check the good crayons at the end of each nine weeks, weed out the broken ones, and add more boxes to refresh.

Students have chair pockets, so they keep their pencils in a pencil pouch and store it in their chair pocket.

 

 

(4) Eliminate distraction and mess with table tubs for scissors, glue, colored pencils~

 I can't tell you how many times I've had kids cutting papers or gluing during class when they had scissors and glue on-hand.

Kids will be kids, I understand. But I wanted to keep this distraction away from them so they could focus more and the room would be a lot neater {no more paper snow on the floor}.

 

I created table tubs, labeled with their table's name. I store these on top of our cubbies. When it's time to get scissors, glue, etc. I'll call a member from the table {I use cooperative groups, so I may say "I need my number 3's to get their table's tub}. I only have 4 or 5 students up walking at a time to get their tubs.

They keep trash balled up in the lid unless it's a lot, then I'll get my trash helpers to walk around and collect. It's a really simple, effective way to manage scissors, glue and colored pencils. Plus, I can reward tables for keeping their tubs neat! When it's time to clean up, the same helpers put the tubs back on top of the cubbies.

 

 

(5) Get your orientation treats ready~ 

For the past few years I've used this cute little idea I created. I've collected so many smiley face stickers free from Highlights magazine, I decided to use them in my back to school orientation treats.

 

 I purchased 4"x6" bags from Hobby Lobby for under $5.00. They came in a pack of 150, so I'll have plenty for years to come.

I add a few pieces of candy and a smiley face sticker for this quick treat. The tag says "Looking forward to a sweet year with lots of smiles and laughs"

{You can DOWNLOAD A COPY OF THE BAG LABELS HERE!}
 

I put these out on the desks of students to pick up at orientation.

 

 

(6) Go ahead and write upcoming dates in your calendar - or GET A CALENDAR~

I feel like this is a no-brainer for a teacher, but I wanted to share anyway since it's a very important part of my back to school routine.

 

I print our district's calendar and mark all of the dates, such as report card days, progress report days, workdays (whether they're required or optional), holidays, early dismissals, end of the nine week marking periods, and any other personal dates that I might need to know of when planning. 

 

When I get our school's Dates At A Glance I'll go ahead and pencil those dates in - sometimes they'll change so I don't mark those in ink. {picture days, fundraisers, testing days, staff meetings, committee meetings, etc.}

 

I also write down the stories / units from our reading series we'll be working on each week over in the Sunday column. I write the spelling test # we're on that week. This is a quick reference when planning, although I also keep a more detailed weekly planning calendar just for planning.

 

If you don't have a calendar, you may want to get one. This is my lifesaver during the year. It's nothing fancy, but for @$10.00 it'll work just fine!
 I added the cute little sticker.
The pages look empty now, but will certainly fill up fast once school starts!

 

 

(7) Make some quick center activities from old file folders and extra copies of worksheets~

Have old file folders you don't use anymore? Have extra copies of worksheets?

 

Glue the worksheets inside the file folders, put a title on the outside, laminate, and ...Ta Da...you have instant quick center / time-filler activities!

 

Use dry-erase crayons or markers and fun socks as erasers {from the Dollar Tree}. Kids can do this at table groups, then switch with their group members once they've finished.

 

 

(8) Get organized with drawers~

I purchased one of these carts for under $30. I went back and got 2 more at that price!

These little drawers are perfect for storing materials for reading groups, Class Dojo treats, copies of worksheets, supplies, etc.

 

If you don't use rolling carts, you can use any drawers, or think about reorganizing ones you already have.

 

Finding places to store my math and literacy center activities was so simple when I bought these carts! I put little games in Ziploc bags and store in the drawers.

We use Reading Street and there are 6 weekly stories in one unit. I copy the spelling, comprehension, and other papers related to each weekly story and file them in 6 drawers - one drawer for each story. It keeps pre-copied papers from piling up on shelves!

 

 

 (9) Don't securely tape down student name tags until after the first week of school~

Many times I've wanted to go ahead and make my seating arrangements and mark that off my list. I securely taped down student name tags to only have to switch them within the first few weeks of school {Special needs, behaviors, parent concerns, etc.}

 

I learned, then, that using masking tape on the backs to temporarily assign seats was a better idea.

 Or, rather than putting down my new name tags I'd use some leftover tags from past years {if I had enough for the class}.

Once the first week or so is over and most of the roster changes are made, I'd put down my new ones.

I place clear, packaging tape over the tags to keep them down and in place.

 

(10) Make Back to School Survival Kits for fellow teachers~
We're always asking, "Who has chocolate!?" after a stressful day, so I created these First Week Survival candy tubs full of chocolate and lots of stress-relief for getting through that first week.

This is a great way to start the year. I made these for other teachers on my grade level, but they would be great for interns or, if you're a parent, give a candy tub to your child's teacher to start the year. Depending on the size of your container, you can crumple up a piece of tissue paper in the bottom and fill it with candy!

{You can DOWNLOAD both labels below}
FIRST WEEK SURVIVAL LABEL

HERE'S TO A SWEET YEAR LABEL

I hope you'll find some of these tips and ideas helpful when getting ready for back to school.
Please feel free to share ideas you use for back to school.

Have a great year and thanks for stopping by the Café!

 

  

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Happy Monday friends!

I'm sure we're all getting our minds in back-to-SCHOOL mode. (I know, shouldn't have said the "s" word when it's still summer vacation!)

For this upcoming year I want to get kids even more excited about using technology in the classroom for both educational and "fun" things. I thought a great idea would be to incorporate the use of technology with positive behavior rewards. Students scan QR codes and earn their reward. Simple & fun! Kids love scanning QR codes! {It must be the anticipation of what the QR code will reveal.}

Whether you have one iPad, iPhone, etc. or if your whole class has them, you can still use this idea to promote positive behavior. I currently only have one iPad, but hopefully each child will be getting them this year in our district. That will be so exciting!!

There are 69 rewards included in this pack, so I can pick and choose which rewards I want to use. My class this year might not be so excited to get the "broom master" {sweep the floor}, but last year they were using my hot pink broom and dust pan to sweep every afternoon!

 At the beginning of the year I will introduce the rewards, scan some QR codes like a magic show and get students pumped up about what they can earn. I use the clip chart and Class Dojo app as a part of my classroom management plan, so this will be a perfect time to introduce some Scan & Earn reward coupons. {This can also be used without incorporating technology if you choose.}

I'll start simple with just a handful of cards--some for individual rewards and some for whole class rewards. I'll use individual rewards with Class Dojo and my clip chart. When students earn a certain number of points in Class Dojo they can choose a Scan & Earn reward and get a coupon to redeem that reward. For my clip chart, when students get to the top {outstanding} they'll get a chance to scan and earn an individual reward. View the complete list of rewards here.

Whole class rewards {such as "Butter me up!" popcorn party, "Let your light shine"-turn off the lights and wear glow bracelets during work time, "Dance Party! - 10 minutes of Just Dance or Kidz Bop music, etc....} will be used when students meet goals as a class. If you use Accelerated Reader, the whole class (and individual) rewards can be given when all students take a certain number of AR tests per week. Keep a simple class chart to display when students take AR tests {I count 80's and 100's --60's if a student has modifications}. Students want checks on their chart and this helps motivate them to read. Also, we set goals each nine weeks for students passing a certain number of AR tests that nine weeks and maintaining an overall average of 80% or higher. Students meeting their 9 weeks goal will pick from the rewards.

Class Dojo whole group rewards can be given when the whole class maintains a certain % of positive behavior for the month. Our goal was 85% positive. The app shows you the % of positive behavior points your class has earned. At the end of each week I record the % of positive points we've earned. {I reset my points each week.}

There are tons of ways to incorporate these coupons into existing classroom management plans.

Here's how to use QR code Scan & Earn Sweet Rewards:

You can also use these positive behavior incentive cards/coupons without technology:





Add caption

Thanks for stopping by the café today! If you've used QR codes in your classroom I'd love to hear how you've used them! 

Bucket Filling Craftivity End of the Year

Hello again from the Crazy Critter Café!

Where has May gone?! Between having 2 boys playing baseball, end of year assessments and activities at school, this month has been a total blur. Only 9 more days and it's sweet SUMMERTIME! {minus workdays and professional development.... but who's counting?}

In the midst of all the assessing, schedule changes, and end of year activities over the past several weeks, the kids have been a *little* out of sorts {well, maybe more than just a *little*}. I decided we needed to come together and have a little heart-to-heart, come to Jesus meeting.

Some are having such a hard time getting along so I decided we needed to have another lesson on bucket filling. I read the book Bucket Filling from A to Z, by Carol McCloud and Caryn Butzke. ·  We talked about all the ways we've filled buckets this year and how we felt when we filled someone else's bucket, when our bucket was filled, etc. AND THEY ALL SAT AND LISTENED...and PARTICIPATED...AND COOPERATED!!!

After reading the book I wanted to extend this little spur of the moment meeting, so I let them create their own bucket and write ways they have either filled someone's bucket this year or ways their bucket has been filled. This was a very simple craftivity, nothing fancy at all, but it had their attention! And they loved talking with their table teams as they shared bucket filling ideas. They were HELPING each other, filling buckets during this activity ........and they didn't even realize it.

I started by giving each child a plain sheet of white paper. They were to follow my directions on how to draw a bucket. As you can see, they turned out in different sizes and shapes. This was a great teachable moment to demonstrate how we all are different and our "buckets" inside {our feelings} are also different.

Then we brainstormed all the ways we've seen bucket filling in action this year and they wrote some ideas on their buckets that applied to them.

We then glued wiggly eyes and I drew a smiley face with a Sharpie. To make the handles I hole punched edges of the bucket after it was glued on construction paper, laced yarn through each hole and taped it on the back to stay in place.

They loved sharing ideas on their buckets! This little lesson encouraged them to get back on track finding the "good" in people ~ being bucket fillers again.

We displayed our buckets in the hall for everyone to see how we've worked to be a bucket filling class. Now let's hope we can continue this excitement for the next 9 days! :-)

Thanks for stopping by the Crazy Critter Cafe! I'd love to hear how you encourage bucket filling in your class! Have a great last few weeks if you're still in school. If you're out, enjoy your summer!



Let's Get Organized! Binder Covers and Spines {My summer project}

Welcome back to the Café!

My spring break is quickly coming to an end {sniff, sniff} and my week has been semi-productive {considering the NC pollen has had me down a few days}. I was in the mood to get some things organized here around the house and I also finished my project Binder Covers and Spines for Many Reasons and Seasons.  This is my newest summer project! Like I said in an earlier post, I feel like my life is one big project. :-)

This binder and spine pack contains 129 {It started as 120, then I found myself adding a few more here and there. Looks like I could've made one more to round it to an even 130. :-)}

When I made these binder covers I was thinking about common themes and topics I {and other elementary teachers} use often. Within each binder you can also create sub-categories with page dividers if necessary.

 As you can see from the picture above, many of my files are still in file folders. Talk about UNORGANIZED! Whew! It's time for me to get busy getting these files in order.

Below are some examples of the binders and spines found in this pack.

A complete list of the binder covers in this pack can be found here.

I didn't put borders on the spines because, although some binders are said to be 1 inch, 2 inches, etc., the spines are sometimes hard to fit. I've had to trim many spines with cute borders to fit certain binders, which caused the cute border to not be so cute anymore. :-(

So, to make it easier, I made these spines that could be trimmed to fit {without having to cut a border}. 

One trick I use to help keep my materials organized is to use a yellow highlighter and write a big "M" across my master copies before I hole punch them and file them in their binder. Using the neon yellow highlighter doesn't show up when photocopied! It MUST be a neon yellow highlighter, though. I've tried yellow markers before and they sometimes show up with a light gray mark. This is also good for creating keys for tests.

I hope this post has been helpful and has you motivated to get organized!

One more thing...as I'm cleaning out the duplicate papers from my file folders I put them in a plastic container. I use them as a "work for fun" basket and students can choose what they want to work on if they need something to do. I also put extra papers that I've photocopied throughout the year in this container. If my pile is big, at the end of the year I'll let the kids choose papers to take home for the summer.

Thanks for stopping by the Crazy Critter Café. Feel free to share your favorite classroom organization tips in the comments below!

Ideas to Motivate Your Readers ~ Inexpensive Accelerated Reader Prizes

Welcome back to the Café!

Stay with me a minute, I do have some good prize incentive ideas for AR I want to share, but first please let me tell you a little about my week.

I'm so glad Friday is finally here. Anybody with me? What a busy week, and just let me say it's been really CrAzY! What should've been a 3 1/2 day week for students was turned into a whole week because of the snow days in January. And I really missed my teacher workday today. :-(

 I can barely find the bottom of my desk right now! Is it just me, or is everybody else super-organized during this time of the school year?

We took an exciting field trip this week 1 1/2 hours away, and on the way back home one of our activity buses decided to break down. Parents were picking up their kids at 4:30 and we didn't roll back on campus until 5:45! Hanging out in a gas station parking lot for an hour {waiting for a local bus garage worker to fix the bus} with a busload of first graders wasn't how I planned to spend the afternoon--AFTER touring the museum that day. Whew! 

The kids were champs, though, and they ended up earning 2 cupcakes for our Cupcake Compliment incentive {1 from a parent's compliment at the museum and the other from me for being such troopers on the l-o-n-g ride home.} Lunch time was @11:15 and the last bathroom break was.....well....too long ago to remember for a first grader. But surprisingly, nobody had to "go" {except me, but I wasn't going to dare start that chain of events} and no complaints of being hungry. It will definitely be remembered as a {fun} memorable trip. :-)

 Now...moving along to the REAL REASON for this post! Thanks for hanging with me as I shared about our exciting trip. Usually after the first semester or so I notice the kids really start to slack off with their AR reading. They don't seem to be as motivated and the AR point clubs with little incentives aren't doing the trick as much.

So a few weeks ago I introduced my class to the "AR Top Point Earner" prize board that goes up each Monday and the winner is announced on Friday. It's very simple, nothing fancy.{yet} I'll work on sprucing that up for next year. I figure spending less than $3.00 per week until the end of school will be well worth it~ if it means students are motivated to READ!

My prizes are mostly from The Dollar Tree or from the dollar sections at WalMart and Target. I also bought some things in bulk from Oriental Trading Company that I add to the prize board. Below are some of the prizes I've used the past several weeks.

I have been AMAZED at the response of students wanting to win these little prizes. AR testing has definitely increased. I think, too, that having the prizes on display in front of the class helps. {I have a small area of a bulletin board sectioned off for this}.

As I print my report for top point earners each week I notice the names at the bottom are now moving toward the top. And I'm mainly excited to see different students win each week! It shows they're really motivated to win, not just the top readers doing their normal reading routine.

I haven't had an exact tie yet, and hope that doesn't happen. If it does I would probably pull out some more prizes and let them choose or go shopping and try to find identical prizes. But...let's not think about that right now.

Thanks for stopping by the Crazy Critter Café. Hope you're able to use this to help with Accelerated Reader in your class! I'd love to know what you use to help motivate reluctant readers. {AR and reading in general}  Please leave your comments below. :-)

Have a great weekend!



Complimentary Cupcakes & Class Dojo

Happy Monday everybody! The sun is finally shining and it was nearly 75 degrees here in NC today! Can you tell I'm ready for some warm weather? Talk about having spring fever!

I think the kids are feeling the same way. They earned their last brownie for the pan Friday, so I was up early this morning making fresh brownies. Now, why I didn't do it last night, who knows. I'll blame it on the time change this weekend. :-) Setting clocks forward one hour sure did throw me for a loop. Hopefully by the end of the week we'll all be back in the swing of things.

We've been doing brownie points since the beginning of the year and I thought it might be time for a fresh idea. I showed them my Complimentary Cupcakes from my Teacher's Bag of Tricks pack on TPT. We voted to either keep brownies or switch to cupcakes. They voted to switch! {Maybe it was the colorful cupcakes that won them over.} See the pics below of our brownie pan --now converted to our new complimentary cupcakes pan.

The sweet treats are attached to Velcro. The rough side is attached to the pan, so whenever I switch my treats, I'll just need to remember to put the soft side on them. This makes the pan more versatile, without having to create a new pan each time we want a new sweet incentive.

As the temperatures rise, it's usually the same with some misbehavior. The kids have been together for 7 months now and are having less patience with each other. I started using Class Dojo this school year and that helps keep them on track. Friends at school have used it and raved about it. So I thought I would give it a try.

Again, with any kind of technology, I'm moving forward at a snail's pace and I gradually introduced myself to Class Dojo back in September. I wanted to start out very simple, so I began by having one goal for the week in order for students to get a treat / prize. I think it was like 5 points by Friday and the students earned the treat. That worked okay while we all got adjusted to this new, exciting technology.

 By the second nine weeks, I created a chart {see pics below} and began rewarding students each afternoon before dismissal. This was now our "Dojo Time". They loved it! A few weeks ago I bought a plastic container with small drawers to keep some of my little Dojo treats in. Each afternoon I use a class roster to record the number of points students had that day. If they made it to a "reward" level I'll put a check beside their number. It makes it easy for me the next day to notice who's been rewarded. I reset my class points every Friday. Exception: when we were out for the snow days in Jan. / Feb. I would carry the points over until the next week. This allowed some students to earn treats they may not normally earn in one week, which gave them a boost to work hard the next week.

Our points only go to 30 {for now}. Remember, I had to start s-l-o-w. We'll adjust the points as students start earning more {and I make sure I'm giving more}.  I call this our Dojo piloting year. :-)

Good luck with classroom management in the upcoming warmer months. Spring is right around the corner! 

Thanks for stopping by the Crazy Critter Café! :-)