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Teaching

Teacher Amazon Favorites – Back to School Edition

July 22, 2022

Peanut butter and jelly, milk and cookies, macaroni and cheese, teachers and…..AMAZON! There are some things that just go together.

The back to school season is rapidly approaching, and if you’re anything like me, that means you’re filling your Amazon cart (and wish list) with all the things for your classroom.

Teachers’ plates are already full with plenty of items on their back to school checklist, so I wanted to make things a little easier for you and share my absolute favorite Amazon must-haves for the back to school season!

This post contains Amazon affiliate links which means that at no extra cost to you I will earn a small commission from affiliate link sales to help offset the cost of running this site. You can read my full disclosure HERE.

1. Fadeless Bulletin Board Paper

One of the things I most enjoy about putting together a classroom, especially when moving into a new room, is making it feel like home – both for myself and the students. So, creating bulletin boards that are inviting is important to me as we head back to school. This fadeless bulletin board paper is easy to use and lasts ALL YEAR!! I love how it instantly changes the look of your room right away! I’ve used the white shiplap (but it was out of stock while I was writing this) as well as the weathered wood and I love them both! Find it HERE.

2. Magnetic Bulletin Board Borders

As more classrooms are adding magnetic whiteboards to their rooms (more than half of the wall space in my room is magnetic whiteboards), it’s nice to have something to add a little extra to that space. Whether you’re putting it on the whiteboard itself or using it as a border around paper, these magnetic strips are super easy to use – AND they can be used year after year, which is a big win! Linked HERE

3. Magnetic Clips

Speaking of magnetic white boards, if you’ve got them in your classroom, you’re definitely going to need plenty of these clips! I use these all of the time to display student work, anchor charts, newsletters, and more! The clip makes is super easy to change out work, and the magnet piece makes is easy to move from place to place. Find them on Amazon HERE.

4. X-ACTO Pencil Sharpener

Now, when it comes to pencil sharpeners, not all are created equal! My first year of teaching I tried to save money and went with the cheaper pencil sharpeners, and boy, did I regret that decision! Your pencil sharpeners are going to be used all day, every day, so be sure to get one that really does the job well. This X-ACTO pencil sharpener does just that! It’s my favorite sharpener and I won’t be going back to the cheaper ones (I don’t really need to because this one holds up great as well 😊). Grab it HERE.

5. Chart Paper

As much as I love incorporating technology into the classroom, sometimes you just need paper. This is especially true when you’re building anchor charts, setting classroom expectations, brainstorming ideas with your class, or creating anything that you want to display on your wall. I love these charts because they are ruled, which means I don’t end up writing diagonally across the page. These charts are the perfect size and tear away easily from the pad. Find the set HERE

6. Mr. Sketch Markers

Well, now that we have the chart paper, we’ve got to have something to use to write. I absolutely loooove these markers for writing on chart paper or checking student work. The thicker tip makes my writing bold and easy to see on the chart paper. And who doesn’t love a marker that smells great?? My students just love trying to guess the scent when I use these for quick checks. Linked HERE.

7. Flair Pens

While I use my Mr. Sketch for chart paper and quick checks, when I’m giving more specific feedback, my flair pens are my go-to. These write incredibly smooth, are easy for students to read, and I love the variety of colors! Find them HERE.

8. Paper Cutter

I know most schools have a nice paper cutter in the office, but there’s nothing like waiting in line to get things cut or trimmed when you’re trying to get everything ready for Back to School. I love that this paper cutter is compact enough to lock away in my cupboards (got to keep those little hands safe), and yet effective enough to get through all of my cutting jobs! This was a little bit of a splurge when I bought it, but I’m so thankful I did! I end up using it all of the time. Check it out HERE.

9. Back to School Book

I always love reading a picture book on the first day of school (no matter what grade I’m teaching). My top pick, especially for upper elementary, is Thank You, Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco. This heart-warming and inspiring story tells about a teacher who simply would not give up on one student, and my students are always surprised when they find out who that character is. Almost every year it leaves me in tears, but my hope is that it also shows my students that I want to be that teacher for them. It’s a must-read in my opinion. Grab it HERE.

10. Lunch Pail

Since we’re on the topic of teachers, I want to be sure to include a couple of must-have items just for you. Lunch breaks always seem to fly by, so it’s important to have your lunch ready to go. I love this insulated lunch bag because it has plenty of space inside, zips closed, and has extra pockets for storing little items. Plus, it’s super cute! Linked HERE.

11. Stanley Tumbler

One thing that I’m absolutely horrible at during the school year is drinking water! I know, it’s a horrible habit, but there have been days when I’ve dismissed the students for the day and realized I never touched my water. However, one thing that has seriously helped is this tumbler! I love that it has the straw option, is dishwasher safe, and actually keeps my water COLD!! Maybe I’m an “ice snob,” but I have an even harder time drinking water if it’s lukewarm. The fact that this tumbler keeps my water ice cold makes it a must-have for me! Find it HERE.

12. Backpack

I absolutely LOVE this backpack for taking things to and from school. I can easily fit my laptop in it, and it has so many pockets, I don’t end up losing things at the bottom. BONUS: It makes the perfect travel backpack in the summer! Grab it HERE.

13. Wireless Doorbell

While I didn’t come up with the idea for using this, these wireless doorbells are excellent for classroom management! It is super easy to use, and I’m able to get the students’ attention easily. After just a couple of days of training, the kids have it down. If you haven’t use one before, check it out HERE.

14. Handheld Chimes

I adore my wireless doorbell, but sometimes I want a different sound to cue a different response for my students. This is where the chimes come in! While I use the wireless doorbell to get their attention, when I ring the chimes, I don’t even need to say a word and they know their noise level needs to come down. I often keep it by me during reading groups, so I can signal them when it’s getting too noisy. Simple tool, awesome results! Find it HERE.

15. Student Dry Erase Boards

It’s so important to evaluate student learning throughout the day, and one of my favorite ways to do that is through the use of dry erase boards. I can clearly see students’ thinking, yet we’re not wasting a ton of paper and they’re still getting in the writing fine motor skills. I love that this set comes in a pack of 25 – and they are double sided, which comes in really handy when the math problems start getting long and they need more space. Find the boards HERE.

16. Glue Sticks

No matter what grade you teach, if you’re in elementary school, you WILL be going through glue sticks. I always stock up at the beginning of the year because it’s often when I can find them at the cheapest price. So, even if you think you don’t need them now, go ahead and grab some HERE.

17. Parent Communication Folders

One thing that I find to be critically important in teaching is parent communication – and I think most teachers (and parents) would agree with me!! I love to get this started right away with setting up parent communication folders. These go home every week with returned assignments, information from the office, our weekly class newsletter, and other materials. Since they’re going to and from class every week, they need to be sturdy, and these do the trick. I love that these folders have a front clear pocket so I can customize it for the students, as well as two pockets inside for papers. I find them to be an essential tool in keeping parents informed. Grab them HERE.

18. Cardstock

As you’re prepping all things back to school, you definitely want to have some cardstock on hand. This cardstock is a nice bright white and has a great thickness to it. I love using it for bulletin boards, labels, and items that I plan to use year after year. Even if you’re planning to laminate, if you don’t want your page to be a bit translucent, use cardstock! Find it HERE.

19. Elderberry Syrup

This one probably comes as a surprise to you, but it seems when the back to school season hits, there’s always a little cold or bug of some sort that is making its way around the campus. So, when I head back to the classroom (and pretty much anytime there’s a bunch of yucky stuff going around), I try to give my immune system a bit of a boost with this elderberry syrup. I usually give a dose to my kids (my own, not my students 😉) as well. Especially if you’re a new teacher and building up that teacher immune system, check it out HERE.

20. Cricut

Yes, I know, this is definitely an expensive item, so don’t feel like you have to go out an buy one to get through your teaching year. However, if you’ve collected some gift cards, have saved up some fun spending money, or have a person or group of people that really want to splurge on you, I highly recommend getting a Cricut. I’m not an expert on these machines by any means, but I find myself using mine ALL THE TIME! Whether it’s cutting out circles (I mean, who can do that perfectly?) or creating cute bulletin board letters, or helping me create really awesome craft materials to use with my students, this machine can do so much!! Check out more HERE.

I hope you’ve enjoyed checking out some of my favorite Back to School supplies on Amazon! If you’ve got any questions, feel free to drop them in the comments below or send me an email and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

Wishing you an amazing Back to School Season!!!

If you’re interested in ALL of my Amazon Teacher Favorites, be sure to check them out HERE.

Getting ready to head back to your classroom and set up for the new year? Check out this list of 20 of my favorite Amazon products for this season! Whether you can grab 1 or all 20, these teacher must-haves will help you get everything ready for Back to School! #backtoschool #amazonfaves

Turkey Math Freebies

November 1, 2019

It’s hard to believe Thanksgiving is right around the corner! I always love bringing different holiday themes into our learning activities, and these turkey math freebies do just that!

Get your kids working with numbers - and having some Thanksgiving themed fun - with this FREE set of Turkey Math printables! Practice counting numbers 1-10 as students count the number of feathers on these adorable turkeys. Then, use the turkey counters to practice addition facts up to five. These activities are perfect for preschool or kindergarten classrooms, and they make a perfect math center for November! #thanksgivingfreebies #turkeyfreebies #thanksgivingprintables

Students will love practicing their counting skills with this festive Feather Counting activity.

They’ll start off with some great fine motor practice as they cut out the numbers 1-10.

Then, they’ll count the number of feathers on the turkey and glue the correct number. It’s a perfect math center for preschool or kindergarten!

And since these turkeys are just too adorable to only do one activity, I also have a simple Turkey Addition page as well!

Simply cut out the five turkeys at the bottom of the page, then students use them to practice addition sums to 5.

Both activities come in color as well as black and white versions, so you can choose the one that works best for you!

Grab your freebies by clicking on the pink “Download Here” button at the bottom of this post.

If you’re looking for other activities for November, you might want to check out my set of November activities designed just preschool and kindergarten students!

This activity packet provides fun and engaging math and literacy activities for your preschool, prek, or T-K students. These worksheets also work great as review or independent centers for kindergarten. These printables are November themed, so several Thanksgiving pages are included. These activities are perfect for centers, morning work, small group, review, or even homework. #novembercenters #novemberactivities #fallcenters #kindergartencenters

Hope you enjoy these freebies and have a very blessed Thanksgiving!

Back to School Teacher Favorites Survey

September 2, 2019

Know exactly what to get your child’s teacher with this easy to use, editable My Teacher’s Favorite Things Questionnaire!

Know exactly what to get your child's teacher with this easy to use Teacher Favorite Questionnaire. This FREE survey will help you know all about their favorite thing so you know just what to get them for teacher gifts. It especially comes in handy with Back to School, holidays, and Teacher Appreciation week. AND, it's editable, so you can customize it just for your child's teacher! #teacherappreciation #teachergifts #teacherfavorites

For the first time since becoming a parent, both of my kids will be going to school this year! Since I understand how much time, energy, effort, and money go into teaching, I was eager to bless these teachers who were now spending 6 hours of the day with my babies.

While I love all of the mugs that students have lovingly given me over the years, I was eager to get these wonderful teachers something they really wanted. And selfishly, I didn’t want to buy something that was just going to end up going to waste or sitting around never being used.

So, I created this Teacher Favorites Survey.

It asks about their favorite drinks, foods, shops, and general preferences, so I’d know just what to get them if I happened to be running by Starbucks in the morning and wanted to grab one for my kids’ teachers as well.

I created a pre-filled template if you simply want to print and go (just be sure you write your child’s name at the beginning of the paragraph so the teacher knows where to return it.

I also created an editable version so that you can include local restaurants, shops, etc. The editable version also comes in handy if you have a male teacher and want to ask them about things that tend to be more popular with guys.

My boys’ teachers were shocked and absolutely thrilled to receive this wish list. One of them even said she felt like it was Christmas!

I’m eager to use these to know exactly how to bless these amazing teachers, and I hope you grab a copy too!

Just click on the button below to access this freebie!

October Centers

October 5, 2018

It’s October, and that means it’s time for all things Pumpkin!

While I absolutely love summer, by the time October hits, I’m ready for some cooler weather and the beautiful colors of this season. It’s also when I finally get to break out my October Math and Literacy Centers. My kindergarten students just love these activities, and because of that I’m super excited to offer you these Pumpkin Rhyming Cards for FREE. You can grab them at the bottom of this post!

Have fun practicing rhyming skills with these FREE pumpkin rhyming cards. Use them to play a matching game, in a sensory bin, as a fun way to find partners, and more! It's a perfect October literacy center activity for preschool or kindergarten. #pumpkinfreebie #rhymingcards #pumpkinactivities

There are so many fun ways to use these cards. In fact, the FREE download includes a list of fun ideas.

If you’re looking for other fun pumpkin activities, be sure to check out my October Pumpkin Centers.

Here’s a glimpse of the few of the activities you’ll find inside.

Once we’re in October, we’ve spent a good amount of time working with letters and their sounds. While some students have mastered them, others are still working on it, and reviewing capital and lowercase letters is beneficial for all of them! These candy corn letter mats help students match the capital and lowercase letters, as well as pictures that begin with the letter sound. We’ve used it working with just a few letters at a time, as well as working with the whole alphabet. To give you fair warning, if you’re doing the entire alphabet, be sure to give your students plenty of space!

During the past few weeks, we’ve also been working on blending those letter sounds to build CVC words. And my students just love this Pumpkin Vine Word Family Center. The students match the picture on the pumpkin with the vine that has that word family label. While my students love that this is so interactive, I love that I can differentiate it easily. For some students I’ll say the name of the picture, and then they place it (and we only use 2 vines). Other students place all of the pumpkins on the different vines independently, and still others, place them on the vines and record the words on the recording sheet on their own! The students love it, and their learning so much!

We’ve also got some fun math activities.

My students love using these pumpkin counting cards. They count the number of seeds in the pumpkin, then count (and draw) on to reach the total. When you laminate these cards, kids can use them over and over!

And of course, we’ve got to have some puzzles. These pumpkin number puzzles help students match different representations of numbers. And….there’s so many ways to differentiate this activity! For students who are just beginning to recognize numbers, you could just give them 2-piece puzzles. For example, the pumpkin seed ten frames and the number. Other students may be ready for the three-part puzzle pictured below, which also includes base ten blocks. And, if you’ve got students who are really ready for a challenge, there’s also a blank puzzle piece where they can draw their own representation of that number!

And one of our all-time favorite activities this time of year is our candy corn measuring. Students use pieces of candy corn (or the candy corn rulers that are included) to measure different fall pictures. This is definitely a favorite math center activity – especially if I let them eat of couple of pieces of candy corn once they are finished.

There are even more activities included in this October center pack, so be sure to hop over to my Teachers Pay Teachers Store HERE to check it out!

And don’t forget to grab your free Pumpkin Rhyming Cards by clicking on the FREE button below: