Bulletin Boards

Bulletin Boards can be a great way to incorporate classroom themes or educational topics! I really like to make bulletin boards interactive so students can really use and learn from bulletin boards! Bulletins do not need to be a basic rectangle! Use your creativity to really make interesting boards out of all sorts of items! 

These two bulletin boards help the weekly book theme of ancient Egypt.The mummy bulletin is fun way for students to get an idea of what a mummy looked like wrapped in the traditional bandages. The second set has a pyramid with folds to look like bricks and three small pages with pictures of ancient Egyptian artifacts. The students later put a sticky note of something they learned on the pyramid. This allows the student to look at pictures and the mummy and write on the pyramid!

This theme was art! There was a picture frame where the students took a poll of their favorite way to make art and also  to put a sticky note of how art makes them feel. Examples of art from the story were also displayed on in the picture frame.The "Works of Art" gallery allowed students to display their own art and share it with the class. 

This week's story was about a sandwich shop. The bulletin board uses plates with the title of the book on it. The students were learning character so the students wrote something about the main character "Irma" on the post it notes. There were also pictures of Irma on the bulletin. Finally the students were able to vote on their favorite sandwich. 

Hallway Rules/Song

This was a project that I made for one of my college courses. You always want to state rules as something that the kids can do and not something that they shouldn't do. Also, there should be specific rules or expectations for each area or activity in the school. By having picture cues students who have difficulty reading or younger grades can quickly understand what they are supposed to be doing.This example is specifically for the hallway! There is also a repeat after me song that reinforces the rules in a fun way. It is best to mount the posters on or near the door because that is where the students will be right before they go into the hallway. I did with my second graders when I was student teaching and they loved it! 


The Hallway Song: 
-From the front to the back we all know how to act! 
(repeat after the teacher and point from the front of the line to the back of the line then nod their heads) 
-Safe Hands!
(repeat after the teacher and pat your hands on your sides twice) 
-Check your Feet! 
(repeat after the teacher and stomp each foot)
 -Zip your lips!
(repeat after the teacher and zip your lips)
 -And follow Me!
(students mumble the tune since their lips are zipped, the students should be silent after the song and prepared to go out in the hallway) 

Notebook Covers

To help make kids get a little more excited about learning, journaling, and taking notes decorate their notebook like their favorite book. I made this notebook for my cousin who is a big fan of the "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" series. I tried to make it look like the book, but customize it to his personality. I added his name, an image with football (one of his favorite sports, and a (Not So) because he is not a wimpy kid! :) I used my Cricut to make the letters and the football player, but if you don't have one you could easily print off pictures from the computer and use stickers! This can be done with any book, movie, or anything that the kids love! 

Colorful Endings

I am sad to say that my first part of student teaching is over on Tuesday. I wanted to give the class and students something special and fun. Since Dr. Suess's birthday is coming up I bought the class two new Dr. Suess books that are not super common. The first is called: Oh, the Thinks You Can Think! The second book is called: I can read with my eyes shut! For each of the kids I decided to make crayons from older, broken crayons. I peeled the crayons, then placed them in a silicon mold. The crayons bake at 250 degrees for about ten minutes. Place the silicon mold on a cookie sheet with foil on top! Let the crayons sit in the mold until they have cooled. I made enough crayons for my students to each have six. I tried to give each bag a variety of colors. The crayons can have a variety of colors in each one or be a solid color block. I put them in a sandwich baggie with a little note. It would also be great to add large coloring pages without much detail. This is because there are typically not fine points on the silicon mold, so more basic shapes are easier to color! To make this a more educational gift, you could have the students pick one crayon and color with it for a few minutes. Then have to student name the crayon. They can then write a journal entry about why they named it that, how they discovered the color, where they discovered the color, what it colors, etc. This is a fun journal because the students can make it their own and really use their imaginations! 

Old Crayons 

Broken and fit into the silicon mold

The crayons after they have cooled in their molds

Birthday Treats

My 22nd birthday is on Monday. All the students bring in cupcakes or cookies to pass out during lunch. I'm typically not a big fan of giving kids candy or cakes during school. Also, since our country is obsessed with food on sticks: cake pops, pie pops, marshmallow pops, suckers, etc. (I know you have been tempted to have some of these tasty treats!)  I decided to make chocolate dipped pretzels to balance the sweet with some salty and make it easy for the kids to hold onto. I topped the pretzels with colored sugars, milk chocolate, and sprinkles. Even though it is not a super healthy treat, I figured it could be worse. ;) For a healthier option chop up raisins and nuts! I decided to give each student two different kinds. I wrapped the pretzels in saran wrap and tied with a ribbon of my favorite color: pink! I also made my own birthday "madlib." This is a fun way for the students to celebrate a birthday and since my second graders just learned about subject pronouns I snuck in some educational practice! 

White chocolate pretzels with colored sugar and sprinkles

White chocolate pretzels with chopped up milk chocolate. 

The finished product! 

Front Side

Back Side

Valentine's Part 2

So, I'm stealing an idea from my friend Taylor! She made these super cute valentines that would be really easy to make and give out to the kids. Just make a printout on the computer, two would fit per page! Print out on red or pink paper then tape on a Kool-aid mix and crazy straw! They also make Kool-aid packets for water bottles which would be good for little kids! I'm really loving the non-candy ideas that are coming out for kids! Super cute! Thanks for the idea Taylor! 

Valentine's Day

My first blog is dedicated to Valentine's Day and what I did with my class while I was student teaching. Below is a printout that I gave each of my kiddos. Since I am at a Christian school it is encouraged, but this would also be good in a Sunday school class too! We also did a craft with hands that open up that say "I love you THIS MUCH!" This is a craft that the kids get to give someone else. Since they are tracing their hands, they wrote their name and the date so that whoever they gave it to can save it and have a fun memory of when they were in the second grade. I try not to give out candy to the kids, so this year I gave each of the students a Valentine's pencil that had their name labeled on it and sharpened! (The pencil sharpener does not work very well in our classroom!) I tied a heart that said "You're just write for me!"  No matter what you decide to do for Valentine's Day, so your students lots of love!