Fabulous Finds Friday: Desk Folders

I thought this was a brilliant idea from 2nd Grade Sandcastle.  We use ours for unfinished work, so I can just glance around quickly to see who needs to stay in at recess to finish an assignment.  And when someone is absent, I can just stick the work in their folder for them to finish when they get back.  Yay for paper organization!

Odes and Love Letters

I saw this fun idea from Teaching With A Mountain View about a lesson writing love letters and I loved the sample - a love letter to a sprinkler, from a dog.  So on Valentine's Day, I told the kids they were going to be writing love letters and odes (not-so-silent groan).  After we briefly went over what an ode is, I showed them this Ode To My Second Cupcake, by Stacy Shubitz at Two Writing Teachers.  The kids were cracking up!  By the time I read them the sample from love letter lesson, the ideas were flowing.  Love letters from an airplane to an airport.  Peanut butter to jelly.  A comb to hair.  The left shoe to the right one.  Odes to their bedside table lamp.  To
Here are a few they came up with:

I am definitely doing this every year!

Hall of Presidents

Ever been to Disney World?  I tell you, that place is inspiration heaven for my teaching brain.  I have hundreds of pictures of "It's A Small World" for our 'Around the World' unit, and I snapped away at Great Moments with Lincoln for our wax museum.  And don't even get me started on all the ride queue decorations!  I swear the place just exudes creativity.
    The last time I went, we happened to walk by Disney's Hall of Presidents.  Unfortunately we were headed to a lunch appointment and I never ended up making it back to see what it was all about.  Of course I googled it when I got home and this is what we ended up with...

 

...our own Hall of  Presidents.  Two books about Presidents, 50 Presidential info sheets and one week of research later, my 25 darling students showed up dressed as their President and ready to give a speech about their President's life.
Did you notice Teddy Roosevelt?  Adorable, right?

Fabulous Finds Friday: Reward System

I watched this video over Christmas Break, with headphones on, in my parents' living room as we sat wrapping presents.  My mom had to come over and see why present-wrapping had brought me to tears.  Seriously.

Fabulous Friday Finds: Bookmarks

I saw this idea on Pinterest and chuckled to myself.  The other people at Starbucks looked at me strangely.  I refrained from a full-out laugh but still smiled to myself as I pictured all the fun my kids would have posing for these bookmarks.  Parent gift?  Teacher aide thank you?  Librarian Appreciation Day?  (okay, so maybe I pushed it with that last one)  Point is, the possiblities are...entertaining.

* this idea is courtesy of The Teachers Lane blog, which has apparently been removed.