As the summer winds down, my kids are out of town, and I have no access to school yet, I have been having a good time checking out a ton of blogs. They are giving me a plethora o' ideas to help start the school year off right. Now, if I can just remember whose blog I saw what on.
Speaking of blogs, the other day my real-life friend, Jaime, over at
Bloom, stumbled across a fun Linky-Party being hosted by
Teacher Idea Factory and suggested I join. When I realized it was a list of my top 5 must haves for school, I was all over it!
There are no two ways about it, my number 1 is my number 1, but the rest of my must haves are in no specific order. I wonder if any of you out there can relate....
1. My super amazing, incredibly handy husband.
I have found that many husbands act like a classroom is their wife's domain and it is not to be messed with. They have no interest in coming within yards of the school, nonetheless into the classroom. I am learning that my husband is a hot commodity in the world of teaching. He builds things for me, he hangs things for me, he schleps to school to barbeque for my class, he even (bless his heart) brought a power washer to school one Saturday to help me clean up some grease I had spilled on a concrete pad. Don't get me wrong, he's not perfect and he sometimes goes to school kicking and screaming, but he still goes. I am grateful everyday to have a husband who is willing to help me out on this wild ride.
2. The Internet
O.K., I guess I lied earlier when I said my list was not in any special order. My husband is still number 1, but the internet is a super close number 2. I don't even want to begin trying to guess how many hours I spend online each night looking at blogs or shopping TPT/TN, as I figure out what on Earth I am going to be teaching my kiddos in the near future. I also can't imagine being a teacher back before the internet and teacher blogs. I knew there was a reason I had my kids first and a career later.
3. Vinyl wall decals
Last year, as I was getting ready to set up my room I came across some super cute vinyl wall decals. I had no idea how they would work in my room or if they would actually stick to the walls. They worked like a charm and have held up better than I could have asked. I love how customized and inviting they make my room look. The kids really enjoy the little extra something they add too.
4. Target/Michaels/Amazon
Need I say more???? Living in Alaska we do not have a Lake Shore, Hobby Lobby, Dollar Tree, etc., so we have to take what we can get. I LOVE these three stores.
5. Mod Podge
Oh, my word, Mod Podge has changed my life. I can't begin to list the countless items I have made for my classroom thanks to the power of Mod Podge. It seems like whenever I have a question about how to adhere something, the answer always seems to be Mod Podge.
What items do you swear by in your classroom?