Later in the year my students do the attendance -this means they actually write down the names of the absent students on the slip that goes outside our door. I check it and make any additions/corrections.
Use a windchime for my attention signal.
I thought of this when I read about the ants. We had termites invade our classroom one year (!!!). Literally hundreds of them were swarming on the floor in the corner behind my desk. The custodian couldn't spray until after school. I found that the blue Windex kills them. Since the termites were on the floor and not in the air, the principal was fine with this. I kept the students away from that corner and sprayed the floor with it. An exterminator told me it was the ammonia, so I guess it might depend on your school rules whether you could use it. Hopefully you won't have to!
Put a tiny garbage pail or sand pail at each table for scraps (not food!). The litter patrols emtpy them into the main trash at the end of the day. My floor looks GREAT each afternoon!
We put on the Freeze Dance to clean our tables or clean the room.
When I pass out papers, I try to always do it during our academic group rotation. When we are just about finished with a table activity, either my aide or myself will give each child their papers to put away. Meanwhile, I ring the bell and sing a song or two with all the rest of the kids, while those six kids put their things away. As soon as they are done, they join us. I never lose instructional time in between groups while kids are finishing or cleaning up, because we are always reviewing concepts through music at this time. Plus, the kids get their wiggles out while they sing and dance along, and are more ready to focus for the next group rotation.
*To get permanent (Sharpie) ink off of laminated posters, etc.- Use fingernail polish remover (the kind with acetone) or scribble over the sharpie with a dry erase marker and then just wipe it off with a dry cloth
Use a Mr. Clean Eraser for removing Sharpie/ permanent marker from a laminated surface...not very messy at all!
Daily folders!! I think this was an idea I got here and just tweaked it to fit my needs. But I love my daily folders!! These are just simple pocket folders (with no brads)that I laminate. I teach the kids (and parents!) that if they want me to see something from home, it better be in that daily folder. If I want parents to see something from me, it goes home in the daily folder. No going through 20 backpacks that have a million pockets each morning! Also, all of their papers (which really isn't that many...) go home everyday in the daily folder. I hated having stacks of papers that had to be filed for "Tuesday Folders". So now, I check their papers, help them fix, stamp it or whatever and it goes in the daily folder! The folders are kept at their tables in a caddy that holds the supply cups, so no need to EVER go to their cubby or backpack!! This saved so much time and chit chat going on over at the cubbies. (not to mention cut down on the kids going through others backpacks...)
Daily folders!! I think this was an idea I got here and just tweaked it to fit my needs. But I love my daily folders!! These are just simple pocket folders (with no brads)that I laminate. I teach the kids (and parents!) that if they want me to see something from home, it better be in that daily folder. If I want parents to see something from me, it goes home in the daily folder. No going through 20 backpacks that have a million pockets each morning! Also, all of their papers (which really isn't that many...) go home everyday in the daily folder. I hated having stacks of papers that had to be filed for "Tuesday Folders". So now, I check their papers, help them fix, stamp it or whatever and it goes in the daily folder! The folders are kept at their tables in a caddy that holds the supply cups, so no need to EVER go to their cubby or backpack!! This saved so much time and chit chat going on over at the cubbies. (not to mention cut down on the kids going through others backpacks...)
We do daily communication folders at my school too. We got our principal to order these communication folders for us. They are plastic and have pockets inside, and you can get them already labeled Return To School/Keep At Home (costs a little extra). We also add an adhesive CD envelope on the inside for parents to put lunch money or field trip money in. They have that clear pocket on the front, so each teacher designs a cover sheet to slide in so you can tell at a glance whose class the child is in. (One teacher has a frog theme, one has a monkey theme, etc. Nicky's folders
I have a box with hanging file folders with the kids names on them. Whenever something has to go home, I have a volunteer or my aide file it first. Then, when I am ready to pass out things, I only have to call each child's name one time, rather than 3 or 4! I actually use organizational binders to put the children's things into each day. Yes, I buy them myself, but it saves me headaches, so it is worth it. The binders have: - a page protector with the child's Read Aloud chart for the month in it (no lost charts anymore!) - a special pocket marked "Overnight Express: Please sign and return tomorrow!" - a special pocket marked "Homework." They are supposed to keep all homework papers for the week in this pocket and return them on Friday. - a three ring punched folder, marked "Keep these things at home."
This binder helps enormously, since things rarely get lost. The kids bring the binders to school every day, and they go home every night. They turn them in first thing in the morning, no matter what. Then I pass them out during our group rotation. (See below.) My aide or a volunteer stuffs the binders each day, or whenever necessary. Otherwise, they just get passed back. It is easier for me to collect them each day. The only trouble I have had is that sometimes the kids turn in their homework early, not realizing it is not Friday yet, etc. I watch out for that. I also print out cute little seasonal papers with their names and pictures on them for the kids to decorate. It goes in the clear front plastic part of the binder.
My folders are just the decorative 2-pocket folders the kids bring in (with cats, sports, or whatever on them). About mid-year, if one is looking 'tired' I send a note home to get a new one. The ones they bring in are pretty thick, though. They don't have prongs. I like the other poster who said they use the CD pocket for money. I'm going to check out her pictures.
We use these same folders at our school. Every grade level has a different color folder....5th grade is blue, 4th grade is yellow, etc. I put the child's picture, as well as their name and my name, in the front clear pocket. These are very nice and durable folders.
I buy the pocket folder with no brads--they are cheap when school supplies come out. (and since I am buying them myself---cheap is KEY!) Open them up and lamintate flat. I just slit the pockets open after laminating. These usually last all year, but I do make a couple of extras just in case some get worn out. Before laminating them, I glue down one of those cute notepad sheets on the front and a computer generated label that says "Daily Folder-Return to school everyday!" On the inside there is another label that says: "remove all papers every day" and one of my business cards that has my contact information on it. Cheap and works great for me!
*I use daily folders as well. I ask for them at the beginning of the year and just ask for plastic or heavy cardboard folders. The kids love getting the kinds with the characters and stuff and then each child's folder is easy to find as it is unique to the others. If they get too worn I just send a note asking for a new one. The parents love these folders so they almost always replace
The glue containers are just small, plastic, rectangular shaped containers that are probably meant for storing very small amounts of food. They do have lids. I have 4 at the cut-and-paste table (large table that seats 8 kids), and we just put 2 popsicle sticks in each one. End of the day, while they're tidying, someone takes the popsicle sticks out (puts them into a little yogurt container to store overnight), and puts the lids back on the glue containers. Any small containers with lids would work.
*I swab the inside of the tip of a glue bottle with vaseline. Glue does not get crusty over the tip. Works great!
*Classroom helpers- I have a job for each student each week. The kids keep their job all week long. This is really easy to do and after the first month or so the children know exactly how to do each job so they are pretty self sufficient with it. I have a posterboard with library card pockets each with the job on the front of the pocket. The kids names are on the top of index cards. I just rotate the cards each Monday. I have a "clean up crew" helper for each of my tables. They get out and empty the table trash buckets when we are doing a cut and paste type activity. It works wonderfully
I hate wasted time so when the children are in line for anything we use the time wisely- *we review sign language *I name two numbers and they name the number between (before or after too) *we count the last 20 seconds down to recess ...20..19..18..etc. *we sing a song *we review something we have been studying We often have to wait in the hall for the gym teacher so we use these ideas often. We also have to wait in line for recess sometime until everyone else is ready.
I typed up a smaller version of my student and the line order at the beginning of the year and taped in just inside my door.
When lining up to get drinks from the fountain: "5, 4, 3, 2, 1, you're done!"
I got these from a workshop I went to. Thank you Stephanie Noland...:) In the hallway line have a mystery walker. Pick one boy and girl walker. Say "I am watching my "mystery friend." When you get back to the classroom, if the mystery friend was doing a good job the whole time then some type of reward..smelly, treat, etc. or you can say 'Oh I wish my mystery friend would have walked quietly then they would have got a smelly or whatever.' My kids were always asking who was the mystery friend. I never mentioned names if they didn't do a good job. I didn't do this everytime either. Sometimes I would just say. Oops I didn't choose one this time.
The other idea she gave us was a line leader and a line sweeper. The line sweeper checks the line before we proceed to see if the line was straight, quite, hall hands, etc. Sometimes I had trouble of people not wanting to be the caboose, but they always wanted to be the line sweeper.
We line up in order. Each child has their number. There is never any argument over who is first, etc. I choose 2 helpers each day and they are the line leaders. Years ago I thought kinders were too young to have an order. But they learn it quickly--by the 3rd day, they almost all know their spot. Makes things so much easier when we leave the room! I usually just do it alphabetically
I also play music a lot. We sing a couple of songs every morning and I make up songs during transitional times. But every day during writing workshop, I play music (soft classical, Enya, or a meditation CD which is basically beach sounds).
Put a little squirt of hand soap into a cup of tempera paint before you put it out for the kids. It makes clean up faster and it helps the paint to wash out of clothing better.
I do something very, very similar only I teach them to say "Oh well, tomorrow's another day". It's a hoot when we have visitors and all the kids say it at once, they always crack up at that. I guess it's kind of a substitute for the loud whiney "But I didn't get at turn" phrase- it works like a charm!
Our whole school does the Give me 5. Even the principal uses it on us in faculty meetings. She doesn't go through the whole meaning, she just raises her hand and says give me 5. We have an end of the year lunch given by one of our business partners and the guy in charge of the lunch every year has even caught on to Give Me 5. It is amazing how it works.
I have a saying that I use in my classroom as well. One of my Kgs. brought it to my classroom last year from prek so it isn't my original idea. But when passing items out in which are there different styles, colors, etc. we say, "You get what you get and you don't throw a fit!" It has worked wonders for me in the classroom. Thanks for all the great ideas.
We also use "You get what you get and you don't get upset". Here are some other sayings I use in my room:
When they come up and report a boo-boo or malady that isn't really serious (you know the minuscule specks of blood): "Thanks for telling me." When they come up to tattle: "Go tell Mrs. Tattles" (Mrs. Tattles is just a clip art woman printed out on a sign hung on the wall. This way they can get it out of their system and I don't have to listen. After a while they realize that I don't want to hear about tattles, only big problems.)
And sometimes when they are complaining I will commiserate with: "Too bad, so sad."
I believe it is important for each child to have their personal space. Boundaries are hard for Kgs. So my classroom carpet is divided into squares. The nametags on their tables serve as the spot for their school supplies. Where we line up there is a smiley face (one for each child) for where they stand so that they are aware of where their line up spot is.
*I have my students "find a square" when they are lining up. The "squares" are the tiles on the floor. They stand on ONE square. Their feet cannot be in anyone else's square. If they try to cut in between friends, they are told, "sorry, this square is already taken/occupied."
I LOVE having a laser pointer, I have the kind with a hook that attaches to my clip with a pull string. I just clip it to my pants. It truly is the lazy teacher's pointer, it saves time and keeps you physically near the children helping to maintain the flow of what you're doing. When a child asks what a letter, number, or word (that's on the word wall) looks like and I'm not near it, I just use my laser pointer and wah-lah there it is. It's great anytime I want to point to something that is across the room. I also use it when we do the alphabet drill, the pictuere/key cards are above my chalkboard. For safety reasons, I never let the kids use it.
Then, I wrote a note to all of the parents who will come to orientation today. I have asked them to bring a picture of their Little Star school with them for the outside bulletin board on Monday for display, and a note with their wish for them.
If for some reason a parent is unable to participate, I will take the child's picture and write a wish for the child.
So the bulletin board will have each child's picture, with their paren't wish, along with the lyrics to the song Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.
I've done M&M in a dish before and they like it. We pass around a bowl of M&M's and sing "M&M, M&M in a dish, tell me your name and make a wish." Each child takes an M&M and says his/her name and a wish. THey enjoy this and want to do it for the first few days which I do. We use the bigger M&Ms to make it fun.
We sit in a circle with paper plates with names on. One is thrown into circle. We sing (To the tune of If your happy and you know it) "If your name is on the plate pick it up, If your name is on the plate pick it up, If your name is on the plate then you're really doing great, if your name is on the plate pick it up. That student picks up the plate and another is put in the center of the circle.
