B2S Bag of Tricks (More Fun Decor!)

Hi all!  It's Carrie from Table Talk with C and C.  It's that time of year where summer is coming to an end and it is time to head back to school!    You walk back into your classroom and the first thing to do is decide how to set up your room and what theme you are going to use to decorate.  That can be a bit overwhelming!  But hopefully some these "tricks" will help you to keep things organized and give you some new options for decor themes.

I LOVE decorating and organizing my room to start a new school year!  At the end of the year, we have to pack up everything, so my room always looks like this when I walk in to start getting ready for the new school year - AHHHHHHH!!!!

Here are the steps I take to get my room set up - 

1.  Set up the furniture first.  Decide where I want the bookshelves, reading table, etc.  (I usually save the student desks for last.)

2.  Organize the classroom library.  

3.  Set up my "teacher space".  (I don't have a desk.  I use my guided reading table as my workspace also.)

Now I can focus on my favorite part - bulletin boards and classroom decor!!  One of my "tricks" that I can't live without is assigning each student a number on the first day of school.  They use this number for everything - check in, turning in homework, finding a clipboard to use, getting mail, lining up, etc.  It makes things soooooo much easier!  

Last year I added washi tape to our mailboxes and homework bins to make them look better.  Then I put number stickers on large binder clips and clipped one to each opening.  Last I laminated colored card stock and taped one sheet into each opening.  

For lunch check in, I created magnets with each student's number.  Students check in for either one of the hot lunch choices or for cold lunch.  Then at the end of the day, the "lunch assistant" moves the numbers back for the next day.

I also use numbers for students to know what their job is for the week.  I don't have a lot of space, so I use the side of my file cabinets to display the students jobs.  And since they are magnetic, it's super easy to switch jobs each week!

Now you can probably tell that our theme is "superheroes".  My students love it and so do I!  So now is your chance to win your own classroom decor bundle.  You have your choice between my superhero bundle or my ladybug bundle.  All you need to do is complete the rafflecopter below.  So simple!!

Click HERE for more info.

Click HERE for more info.

This is Caitlin here now!  Carrie and I co-teach together during half the school day.  Carrie and I have been co-teaching for 2 years and are anxious to start our 3rd year together!  We have it pretty good as she is the classroom teacher and I am the special education teacher that comes into the classroom everyday to support literacy {guided reading} and math. Carrie always does an awesome job of setting up her room, making it very kid friendly, functional, and fun to look at!  This summer I decided to take on some classroom decor making myself.  I am hoping to use some of my decor in our resource pull out room to help make it an inviting work space for the kiddos!  I decided to try a jungle safari theme.  Come step into my jungle and explore the wild! 

Click here to get your very own "wild" pack! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Be sure to stop back tomorrow for another Back to School Trick and a fun giveaway!!

Book Bag Fun

Happy Summer!!  I was soooooo ready for this much needed break!!  So far this summer I have done some summer cleaning, lots and lots of yard work, dog sat our friend Shadow, attended a fun blogger meet-up with my co-teacher/blogging partner,  some retail therapy (a girl always needs new shoes), worked on our 2nd grade math common core units for next year, finally started some creating for TPT, hung out with friends and done a lot of sleeping relaxing!  What have you been up to so far this summer?

 

During the summer I am always thinking about what I want to do next school year - what should I change, keep the same, start new, not do again, etc.   One thing I started two years ago was using "book bags" with my students and they love it!  This gives students a variety of books to have available at home to read independently or with someone else.  I have several students every year that do not have access at home to a variety of books to read and this makes that happen for them.

So here is how it works.  I have created a class set of book bags.  Each bag contains 5 books with a variety of levels.  I usually put at least one picture book, one chapter book, and one informational book in each bag.  Be sure to label the books with either the teacher name or book bag number too.

At the beginning of the year, I send home an informational letter to the parents.  It lays out what book bags are and what the expectations are for using the book bags.  There is a part for the parents to sign  acknowledging the expectations and stating that they understand that if a book or book bag is lost or damaged it needs to be replaced with another book (any children's book in good condition - it doesn't have to be brand new).

Each week students take home one book bag.  I have a checklist to keep track of what book bags each student have taken.  I love hearing them get excited when they come up to get their bag - "I got book bag #2!" or "I got the one with the Magic School Bus book!"  Each book bag is labeled with a numbered tag as well.  (I have added a sticker on the back with my name so if it's left in the building or on the bus the finder knows where to return it!)  

I found these super cute Dr. Seuss reusable bags at the dollar spot at Target last year (love me some Target!). 

If you would like your own set of book bag tags, parent information letter, and tracking sheet, I have two different files for you!  Click HERE (or on the picture below) to download the free black and white version.

If you would like the colorful version, click HERE (or on the picture below) to purchase that file.  The "colorful book bag tags" file contains 4 different sets of 40 book bag tags each, parent information letter, and tracking sheet.

Hope your students love this as much as mine do!  Enjoy!!

 

Saturdays in Spring - Week 4

Our "Saturdays in Spring" is coming to a close, but we have some surprises in store! Last week, our lucky commenters received the full product from the freebies that they downloaded. This week, we have a giveaway going on to win a $25 Teachers Pay Teachers gift card! Check it out below:

Andrew from Mr. First Grade is sharing 20 Floral Papers - beautiful digital paper to use in any creation.

Alyssa from Just A Primary Girl is sharing Monthly Calendar Journals - it includes skills such as money, fact families, time, place value, and weather.

Carrie from Table Talk with C and C is sharing Animals QR Code Cards - an interactive activity for students to use with any animal unit.

Crystal from Once Upon a Classroom: Tale of Two Teachers is sharing Party Planning Math Practice - a fantastic way to practice addition and subtraction money problems.

Serena from Magic Mistakes and Mayhem is sharing Flower Power Clip Art - a fun set of bright flowers that are perfect for any spring product.

Be sure to enter the amazing giveaway!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

All the teachers at Collaboration Connection are working hard to bring you the best posts, ideas, products, etc. As a teaching community, it is important for us to collaborate and share! We really hope you have enjoyed the freebies that have been presented throughout the last four weeks. Please be sure to us individually too, to see what else we have going on! Enjoy these freebies, and good luck!!

Saturdays in Spring - Week 3

Can you believe we are already in week 3 of our "Saturdays in Spring" series? We can't thank you all enough for stopping by, reading our blog, and grabbing our freebies. Please remember to share this with other friends!

Because we appreciate each of our followers, we wanted to add a little something more to this week and next week's post. Check it out:

At the end of this post, leave a comment about what kinds of posts you would like to see as we enter the summer months. Are there certain topics that would interest you for end of the school year activities, or maybe getting ready for a new school year? Leave us your thoughts and we will choose someone for yet another free product! Be sure to include your email address so we can send the winner some surprises!

Here are this week's freebies:

Carrie from Table Talk with C and C is sharing End of the Year QR Code Activities - a fun way to keep your students motivated and working hard at the end of the year.

Crystal from Once Upon a Classroom: The Tale of Two Teachers is sharing Scoopin Up Singular and Plural Possessives - a fantastic way to teach students about possessive nouns.

Alyssa from Just A Primary Girl is sharing 1st Grade Dolch Sight Word and Sentence Practice - Insectigating - a fun way for students to use context clues to pick out sight words.

Caitlin from Table Talk with C and C is sharing Money Flipbook - a great way to learn/review students' knowledge of coins.

Ashley from Schroeder Shenanigans in 2nd is sharing Sandy Synonyms and Antonyms - a wonderful way to practice synonyms and antonyms.

Emily from I Love My Classroom is sharing Organizing Chaos - the perfect way for any teacher to get organized at the end of the school year.

Amanda from For His Glory is sharing Kindergarten Prep Handout - a great handout that provides parents with a list of early developmental skills their children need for success as they enter school.

Be sure to leave a comment about what kinds of posts you would like to see as we enter the summer months. Don't forget to include your email address so we can send the winner some surprises!