I love my job! And I love you! And, I can’t wait to share new ideas with you. Some of you may be lucky enough this summer to go to a conference or workshop to fill you with new ideas and rejuvenate you for the new school year. No worries if you don’t have the time or funds to travel because I’m going to do a little “PD – Professional Development” just for you every day in July. You’ll learn how to make some simple tools that you can use in a variety of ways in your classroom. You’ll have a whole new bag of “happies” to pull out when that school bell rings again.
Let me explain about the “happies.” Several years ago when I was doing a workshop a teacher walked in with a cup of coffee from my favorite coffee shop. I said, “Don’t you just love it?” She replied, “Yes, it’s my ‘ little happy.’” I asked, “What do you mean, your ‘little happy’?” She said, “Not every day is perfect, but you have to do something little for yourself every day. Something special just for you is a ‘little happy.’”
My sister had a magnet on her refrigerator that said, “If momma ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.” Well, we need one for teachers that says, “If the teacher isn’t happy, then the children aren’t going to be happy.” My job this month on my blog is to give you a “happy” each day to make you a little more excited about starting school. All the activities are simple, inexpensive, and easy peasy! Most of the materials can be purchased at a dollar store of big box store and they can be completed in less than an hour.
Hint! If you don’t want to make these yourself, you can save the ideas to give to parent volunteers when the school year begins.
Day Clip It
Why? letters, sight words, names
What? jumbo craft sticks, clothes pins, markers (Sharpies work best.)
How? Write the letters of the alphabet on the clothespins. Write words on the craft sticks. Children match letters and clip them on the stick to make the words.
*Use these at the beginning of the year with children’s names.
*Place in a center for children to practice sight words or spelling words. As a follow up ask students to write the words.
Hint! Store these in pencil boxes.
If you’re going shopping this weekend here are some supplies you might want to get for the projects I'll be demonstrating the rest of the month:
Spring clothes pins
Shower curtain liner (opaque)
Fly swatter
3 pairs of white cotton garden gloves
Jumbo craft sticks
Magnetic letters and numbers
E6000 glue (I LOVE this stuff! It’s the best craft glue ever!)
Sharpie markers
File folders
Clear sheet protectors
Visor
Toy cars
Swing trashcan
Bathroom cups
Thanks K.J.! You're the BEST!!!!
