Erase, Don't Replace!

One of my pet peeves is when students simply write over their mistakes, instead of taking the time to erase first.  So I came up with the saying: Erase, Don't Replace.  To help reinforce it, I created this poster on VistaPrint.  Feel free to use it as well!

Erase, Don't Replace Full-Sized Poster

My New Favorite Project

This is my new favorite project!  I spruced up my old bookshelf with this great Dr. Seuss quote. The bookshelf was an old brown laminate that had definitely seen better days.  I primed the bookshelf (two coats) and then painted it dark blue. Then I applied the wall quote sticker (I bought mine at Ebay) and painted over it with a lighter blue (two coats). After about an hour or two, I removed the stickers.  The next day, I put two coats of clear Polycrylic over the top to protect it.  It was definitely time consuming to wait for the layers to dry (a day or so between each coat) but definitely worth it!

Volunteer Baskets

Volunteer Baskets

Throughout the year, I have various volunteers come work with the kids 1:1. These include parents, middle school students, and high school students. I take volunteers whenever I can get them because I find the 1:1 practice so valuable. To maximize their time, I have baskets prepared by the door so they can grab their student, something from the basket, and get to work.  Inside the baskets are partner reading books and various flashcards. However, as you can see, by the end of the year my basket was a mess. So I got a couple of index card portfolios to organize the flashcards. Look how much neater this made the baskets!

Dollar Tree Finds!

Dollar Tree Finds!

Who doesn't love great finds for a dollar?! Here are some of my great finds from Dollar Tree today:

Math Games, Pencil Boxes, and Check Out Envelopes

I am taking these math games out of their boxes, putting them into pencil boxes, and putting a check out envelope with them.  These are going to be take home math games that the kids will be able to check out.

Microfiber Facial Scrubbers

These great little facial scrubbers are going to be individual whiteboard erasers. My hope is that when they get dirty, the students will be able to just rinse them off in the sink. We will probably all wash them on Fridays so they can dry over the weekend.

Foam Hair Rollers

An even cheaper alternative for whiteboard erasers: foam hair rollers. They come 10 for $1.  They aren't quite as effective, but will erase with a couple passes.

Gallon Castle

One of the most popular items on my website is this great gallon castle poster I created on VistaPrint a few years ago.  My students love using this great trick for gallons, quarts, pints, and cups!  I usually utilize this poster along with Gallon Man from theteacherwebsite.com/

My students can then decide which method is easier for them to remember.  I quiz them at the end of the chapter and almost all of the students can easily reproduce one of the two drawings to show their knowledge of the measurements.

Here is a full sized version. Enjoy!

Gallon Castle Poster

Positive Praise!

I think positive praise is SO important in any classroom.  This isn't news to any good teacher, but I think it is also important to remember to share that praise with the parents as well.  I created these notepads on VistaPrint, but you could really do this with anything.  Whenever my students do something great like do well on a quiz, help out a friend, or improve on something than I write out a quick note to share with them.  Not only does this make them feel great, but they can take it home to share with their parents.  

All too often we share only negative things with parents and that can foster a negative working relationship with them.  If we make more of an effort to also share positive things, they will be more likely to work with us on difficult situations in the future.  This is something I am really trying to work on and my goal for this year is to do more of sharing my students' praises!

I Love Disney!

I Love Disney!

So I tend to do a new theme in my classroom every year.  It is a really bad habit that always ends with me buying a bunch of new stuff for my room.  Anyone else have this problem?

Anyway, I was looking at books the other day and came across a Disney quote book.  Then I had a great idea!  I could do a Disney theme this year!  So I bought a bunch of Disney wallpaper stickers and created a couple of posters.   I still have more to do, but I wanted to share some of these with you! The Cars one is obviously not a Disney quote, but it is a great quote for my "racers".

VistaPrint

For those of you new to my website, you may not know that I am ADDICTED to VistaPrint.  If you haven't head of VistaPrint yet, than you are missing out.  It is a printing company that allows you to create all sorts of fun stuff: posters, t-shirts, stamps, postcards, and more!

Up until this year, they offered a bunch of free stuff.  In fact you could get most anything free.  Unfortunately, now the only "free" things you can get are basic business cards. :( Boo. I talked to VistaPrint and they said they have no plans to reintroduce the free items at this time.  You can get up to 50% off with links or you can buy deals through Groupon and LivingSocial.  I would recommend the Groupon deal.  I will be posting some of my creations and you can find more on my website as well: Miss Hunt's Classroom

To welcome everyone to my new blog, here is a free poster!  I created it for VistaPrint, but you could print it yourself instead.  There are black and white versions.  Enjoy!

Large Black Poster

Large White Poster 

Printable White Poster

Welcome!

Welcome to my new blog addition to my website: Miss Hunt's Classroom. I decided blogging about my ideas and resources would be a more efficient way to share with everyone!  I hope you enjoy this new addition!