Pick 3 August: Classroom Management Ideas

I am joining the Pinterest Pick 3 Linky hosted by Lisa over at PAWSitively Teaching and Marissa over at Inspired Owl's Corner! Every month on the 3rd, bloggers can link up their top 3 Pinterest picks of the month.

This month I am pinning three ideas that I would like to incorporate into my classroom this upcoming year. I tried to keep things simple, I;m not trying to recreate my entire classroom but I'm open to trying some new things. Hopefully these ideas give you a little inspirations as well.

If you're interested, check out my entire Kindergarten Classroom Set Up Pinterest board!

Flexible seating is all the rage right now and I try not to jump on educational bandwagons for no reason (i.e. I'm kinda over the whole light box in the classroom deal). But flexible seating is something I have used in my classroom from day one, I just never gave it a name. Theses DIY stability ball chairs are going to be a perfect addition to try out without spending loads of money, Check back for the results later!

The more I read about Kagan Structures, the more I am so eager to use them in my classroom! I have loved reading posts over on the Primary Press about how she uses them in her classroom.

Confession, I am the WORST at birthdays. I always prep cute little gifts, I have a big birthday hat and crown, and an adorable chair decoration. And then,,,, I forget. I am the queen of forgetting birthdays; not a title I am proud of. Add in the fact that I often have kids moving in and out of my classroom over the year and it's game over trying to remember. Hopefully this cute display will help and I can easily update with new student photos when needed.

An InLinkz Link-up

Pick 3 July: Sensory Table Ideas

I am joining the Pinterest Pick 3 Linky hosted by Lisa over at PAWSitively Teaching and Marissa over at Inspired Owl's Corner! Every month on the 3rd, bloggers can link up their top 3 Pinterest picks of the month.

For me, July is the month I start thinking about what I want to change or add to my classroom next year that I didn't get to during the past year. Next year one thing I want to be more creative with is our classroom sensory bin. So today I am sharing 3 pick for sensory bin ideas!

If you're interested, check out my entire Kindergarten Sensory Table Pinterest board!

Sensory bins do not always have to be the fluffy soft stuff. I actually saw this idea at our local children's museum and knew instantly that I had to give it a try in my classroom! What an awesome fine motor activity!

Water beads just seem fascinating to me! I found some on Amazon for a decent price and I can't wait to give them a try. 

 

If you were like me and jumped on kinetic sand when it first came out, then you probably learned that after a while it starts to stiffen. Then you just have sandy-dough-ish-stuff. This is a the perfect solution! I tested this on my own old and well-loved kinetic sand and it works great.

Contents of a Teacher's Pocket

This little project was inspired by the work of San Francisco photographer Melissa Kaseman who documented the content of her preschool son’s pockets. If you haven’t seen the photo series, I highly recommend you check it out. I may not be four-years-old but as a kindergarten teacher I could relate to the random pocketful of treasures at the end of the school day and decided to give this a teacher spin over the past 10 days.

 How do these little goodies end up in my pockets? No, I promise I’m not stealing my student’s possessions. A majority of these find their way home with me when one of my little ones randomly drops it in my lap mid-lesson or frantically brings attention to an item left out from another lesson.

Occasionally, it’s an item that’s been distracting a little friend at carpet as they experiment with biting and chewing. These are the items I am less excited to receive. Palm out, signaling to the student to handover the trinket, silently hoping it’s not something disgusting.

My most prized items though are the small gifts given to me by my kindergarteners, the little ornaments plucked from the ground, the flowers carried in from recess, and their tiny creations presented to me with a gleeful and sweet, “This is for you!”