Hanging Anchor Charts {A Bright Idea!}

Hey yall! Happy Saturday!

 

I'm actually in Fayetteville for a regional Jamberry conference, but I couldn't miss the opportunity to bring you another bright idea!

 

 

This month, I wanted to share how we are hanging our anchor charts this year.

If you're like me, anchor charts are happening....multiple times a week!

 

Where in the world are you supposed to put all those lovely charts???

 

Last year, I hung them up with hangers on a rolling cart.

It worked okay, but they were really in the way...like, big time.

 

So this year I wanted to designate a specific spot to hang our charts, so I decided to dedicate a whole bulletin board just for our charts. But they needed to be able to be removed or added to, so I decided to use clothespins to hang them up.

 

However, gluing clothespins to a bulletin board?

Not an option for me.

 

Instead, I did this!

 

 

I hot-glued some pushpins to the back of my clothespins.

 

 

 

Then I just pushed them into the bulletin board and hung up my charts!

 

Done!



 

 

Please note:

1) I went back and added the "or" after I took this picture

2) The chart on the right was NOT drawn by me! I asked the para to make a chart about irregular plural verbs and this is what I got...the kiddos didn't seem to mind, though :)

 

Check out the link-up below for even MORE bright ideas!

 



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Spicing Up Your Bookshelves {a bright idea}

Hey yall!

 

Are you ready for another round of Bright Ideas???

 

 

 

Today I wanted to share a fun way to update some of those old bookshelves.

You'll need a few things for this project:

-an old bookshelf

-some pretty fabric in your favorite color/pattern

-a staple gun

-a hammer

 

As I was setting up my classroom this year, I went shopping for some fabric that matched my peacock theme. I ended up finding a great sale of just some solid color fabric, so I bought a ton of it.

Then I didn't know what to do with all the pretty fabric!

 

I had seen a couple other teachers use fabric on their bookshelves, so I decided to give it a go.

 

First, I enlisted the hubby's help :)

He started by taking off the back panel of the bookshelf.

 

 

 

We cut the fabric to match the size of the back panel. Holding the fabric against the back of the shelf, we stapled it on the top and sides.

 

 

 

Then we put the back panel back on.

 

 

Voila! Instant pop of color to an otherwise blah bookshelf.

 

 

 

Now, I chose to just use solid color fabric because I had so much of it. But these look really great with some pretty patterned fabric! It stands out much better.

 

Be sure to follow me on Facebook or Instagram to see other fun teaching ideas!

 

Check out these other fabulous bright ideas, friends!

An InLinkz Link-up

52 card pickup? Not in this classroom!

Hey yall!

 

It's time for another round of Bright Ideas. My favorite time of the month!

 

 

Now, I know that we're all blissfully enjoying summer break.

But.....school is right around the corner! At least, it is for me.

 

So even though you might not quite be ready for all the back-to-school yet, its coming your way...ready or not!

 

When I was organizing my classroom for summer and packing up all my belongings, I ran across the decks of cards that we used this year. Cards can be such great learning tools, but can also be a pest to keep organized.

 

This year, I tried something a little different and it worked like a charm!

This is one of those oh-so-simple, why-didn't-I-think-of-this-years-ago ideas.

 

 

For each deck of cards, I used a different color Sharpie and made a little dot on the cards. Then I used the same color Sharpie to dot the bag they came in. Anytime the cards got mixed up, my kiddos could easily sort them out and put them in the right bag.

 

I think this year, I'll try to find some soap containers from the dollar store to store them in. I hear these little guys hold a deck of cards perfectly! And I could easily match the color of the Sharpie to the color of the container :)

 

 

To see more of my teaching ideas, please check out my FB page or follow me on IG @teacherytidbits.

 

Check out these links below for some more bright ideas!

An InLinkz Link-up



The Quiet Game {A Bright Idea}

Hey yall!

 

By now we're all enjoying summer full force and school seems a million days away.

But somewhere in the back of your mind, you're secretly already planning for next year.

 

It's a sickness, I tell ya.

 

Luckily for you, the sickness is widespread.

So even though its the middle of June, another round of Bright Ideas is coming your way!

 

 

 

Today I'm going to tell you about a little game we sometimes play called The Quiet Game.

We play it when we're standing in the hallway for an extended amount of time (like a bathroom break), waiting in line (like in a lunch line), or any other time of the day when my kiddos are expected to be quiet for any length of time (like waiting for busses at the end of the day).

 

It's a very simple game, but it seriously works like a charm.

every. single. time.

 

You start by finding a student that is doing exactly as they should: standing quietly, eyes forward, hands behind their back-whatever your rules are, they should be following them.

 

You tell that student that they get to start The Quiet Game. Then that student stands off to the side and gets to choose who else is following all the rules.

 

 

They choose that person and then get back in line. That person then gets to choose who the next one is...and so on.

 

 

Now, usually just being able to stand out of line for a minute is motivation enough for the rest of my students to straighten up. As soon as I choose someone to start The Quiet Game, the rest of my class quickly gets it together.

 

I usually don't offer any type of reward, especially when we're standing in the hall. My students know what to look for and know they can only choose classmates who are following all the rules.

 

However, sometimes I will throw in something small to keep it interesting. Sometimes I might give them an M&M or a sticker for being chosen. But not often.

 

That's it. Seriously. It WORKS!

 

If you're new to my blog, check out some of my past Bright Ideas!

 

Cheap and Easy Bulletin Boards

Save the Trees!

Organizing Teaching Books

Interactive Word Wall

 

For more Bright Ideas from over 100 other bloggers, check out the links below!

 

 

An InLinkz Link-up



Cheap and Easy Bulletin Boards

Hey yall!

 

We are down to the very last week, folks!

Only 5 little days {plus 2 post-planning days} stand between myself and 10 glorious weeks of summer.

 

Although I've never been blessed to stay in the same room for more than one year, I know that some teachers like to prepare their bulletin boards for the next year before they head out for the summer. I would honestly LOVE to be able to do this, but have had no such luck.

 

Four years, four different classrooms.

Jiminy.

 

So for you lucky teachers that get to stick around for awhile, I wanted to share a cheap, easy, and fun bright idea!

 

 

I really love using plastic tablecloths for bulletin boards for a couple different reasons.

 

1. They're cheap. I buy the 99 cent plastic tablecloths from Wal-Mart. The price is right for a poor teacher like me!

 

2. They're durable. The plastic holds up pretty well, as long as you don't put tape on it.

Plastic + tape = major rippage

 

3. They're vibrant! Tablecloths don't fade or lose their color overtime, like butcher paper. The color stays bright all year long.

 

4. Fun patterns! Nowadays, you can get plastic tablecloths in lots of fun patterns. I mostly stick with solid colors, but last year I picked up that fun chevron tablecloth above and it made a HUGE statement for my bulletin board!

Here are some of my boards from this year that I used tablecloths on.

 

 

 

 

 

 

You do have to really make sure that you get all the wrinkles out though!

I obviously didn't do a good job on my genre board up there....yikes!

Those wrinkles are driving me crazy just looking at that picture!

 

But its also an easy fix! Just smooth and staple :)

 

Alright folks, I'm off to check out all the other bright ideas out there!

You should do the same :)

 

 



An InLinkz Link-up

Save the Trees! {a bright idea}

Hey yall!

 

I am currently immensely enjoying my Spring Break.

 

After we get back from our glorious break, we only have 28 days of school left!

Seriously?!?! 28???

The end of the year will be here in a flash.

 

As we get closer to the end of the year, supplies seem to dwindle.

We're down to our last box of pencils, we've been out of lined paper for weeks, and you can forget about glue sticks....not even one in sight.

 

Another thing I'm almost out of? Printer paper.

Each teacher got a ream of paper at the beginning of the year and I'm down to my very last pack.

 

As if running low on paper isn't enough, the copy nazi printer police office has laid down the law.

Only 200 copies can be made for the entire 9 weeks and all copies must first be approved.

 

Yikes.

 

So what's a teacher to do???

 

I had to find a bright idea, yall!

 

 

Hopefully, my bright ideas will be helpful for yall, too!

 

 

 

It seems that center and station activities require a ton of paper. Each one includes a recording sheet for students to record their work. However, there is no way I can print off a recording sheet for every single student for every single center.

Just not gonna happen.

 

So instead of printing off a recording sheet for every student, I only print off 5.
Laminate those suckers and throw a few dry erase markers in and you're done.

My favorite way to say paper is by printing multiple copies of a sheet.
This saves you at least half the amount of paper! Even more, if you print 4 to a sheet.

Here's how you print multiple copies:
1. Choose the page that you want to make smaller copies of. Say I want to make copies of this place value center recording sheet. Go to that page and take note of the page number (in this case, page 12).

2. When you go to print, choose the page number that you want to make smaller. Type in the page number twice, with a comma in between.

3. Click on the button that says "Multiple." Change the amount to whatever you wish-I usually make it 2 pages per sheet. Be sure to click the button at the bottom that says "Auto-rotate pages within each sheet."

 

That's it! Click print and you're done.

 

Note: if you are trying to print off a document that has only 1 page, it won't allow you to type in the page numbers to print. Unfortunately, this prevents you from printing multiple pages :(

 

 

Now, I know these are super simple tips, but for some reason it took me until this year to utilize them! They honestly have saved me a ton of paper, though :)

For more bright ideas, check out these amazing bloggers below!

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