Center Rotation Cards Using Paint Card Samples and So Much More!

So Many Uses For Paint Card Samples!

Hello everyone, I'm Fern from Fern Smith's Classroom Ideas. Today I wanted to share some of my favorite uses for paint swatches, paint sample cards, paint chip cards, paint color cards.... Whatever you call them, I ♥love them. I am a "cheapie" by nature and these cards call to me, I can seriously hear them saying "Fern, Fern, Fern..." when the hubby and I go to Home Depot. We enter and he goes one way and I turn into the paint department.
SIDE NOTE: I am a big believer in asking for them and not just opening your purse up and knocking over the entire display. I have never been told no. :)

Paint Card Examples

{Click on any of the pictures to go to my blog post for more details!}

Daily Five Organizational Bookmarks

A Mickey Mouse Spin on Triangular Flash Cards

Somebody Wanted But So Reading Strategy

Whole Class Answer Cards and I Need Help Cards

 St. Valentine's Day Cards

 

 Four to a Card - Fact Family Cards

More FREE Ideas for Disney Paint Sample Flash Cards

Different colors for the different fact families!

  Easy Make and Take Centers

Place two matching stickers on the back of the cards so the children can check their own answers!

Please visit my blog any time, I ♥love my readers!

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Self-Adhesive Labels: Stick to Making Life Easier

Hey everyone!


I'm sure most of you have seen the Target self-adhesive labels. I couldn't get any (boo!), but I found some on Amazon that fit business card size labels or cards. I know it's not the same as Target, not the same price etc, but I am really excited to use them.

This is what the pack looks like. 

Here are some of my labels. These will be labels on the students' book boxes. I'm making a second set to go on their mailboxes. This is the first year I'm using numbers instead of names and I think it'll save me lots of time and frustration on things. 

I wasn't sure of the size and I'm happy to see I can make them even larger if I want. 

I think any that I have left I'll put on my book tubs. 

I love the ease of these pockets!

Do you use adhesive pockets? How do you use yours? Share below!

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Classroom Library and My Kids

Hey everyone!

Last year, I felt my library was thrown together. It was leveled and then there was nonfiction and interest. Once I was hired permanently, I knew my library would be my prized jewel in my class.

For me, my library had to be organized, comfortable, and a place the kids wanted to hang out in. I also wanted them to have ownership over it. There are a few kids who organize it every few days, once a week minimum. We went over how the library is organized into genres, levels, series and/or authors. Each book has  a label to help them know which box/shelf it goes back on.

I also wanted to make adding books to my library fun. Every time a Scholastic order comes in and I've added my name and the label, I make a big deal out of the new books. I think I've turned them into Pavlov's subjects because they see the box and get excited, lol.

There are a few things I do to get them excited. Depending on the books, I may read the blurb on the back. My favorite thing to do is line the books up on the whiteboard easel. Then I pull their name sticks aka The Sticks of Destiny, and they can come grab one of the new books.

It makes my heart happy to see them reading, or curled up in the library reading a book and smiling.

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Math Stations/Centers - Classroom Organization & Management Tip

Classroom organization and management are HUGE for me.  Everything has a place {yes, I'm slightly OCD}.  This structure helps with classroom management as well.

Take a look at my Math stations/centers rotation board:

Do you see the colorful post-its on the right?  They have 

a special meaning.  Each color correlates to a group of desks 

in the room.  When my kiddos start their Math stations/

centers, they know to go to their specific groups.

Here's how they know where to go...

My room is set up in four groups of desks:

Above each group (taped to the ceiling) is a colorful 

piece of paper naming that group:

Side note:  I tried hanging them, but it didn't look right.  You could read the signs from the front of the room, but not from the sides or back.  With them being taped to the ceiling, you can read the signs from anywhere in the room!

Here's a closer look at what the papers say:

Each group of kids knows to take their Math basket and manipulatives/tools to their specific group.  

"M" group sits at the yellow group of desks

"A" group sits at the orange group of desks

"T" group sits at the green group of desks

"H" group sits at the blue group of desks

"★" group completes calendar, then works on laptops

That color-coded piece of OCD heaven makes a 

world of difference with my kids!   It helps with 

management, keeps them from wandering around 

the room, and gives them more structure.

I wasn't sure if other teachers color-code stations/centers.  

If you do something different, feel free to share below!  

Make me feel a little less crazy/OCD!  :)

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Monthly Organization

Hi! It's Jen, from Teacher by the Beach.


I'm just stopping by to show you how I like to organize my monthly activities. If you don't know, I like to thematic teach. I don't use the curriculum, so I use whatever I want and align it with whatever skills I have to teach that week/quarter.

SO, I keep all my monthly activities (minus center packs) in those buckets you see on top of my cabinets up there.

(If you want to see the rest of my room for this year, you can check out {THIS} post)

This was my bucket labels from a few years ago (hence my old name on the picture), but this is a close up of the buckets. I like the ones that have the handles that fold over...for any of those tough-to-close months... you know the months that have SO much to do in them! ha!

And within those buckets, I have all my themes just in ziploc baggies so I can easily see what theme is what, but it keeps them from getting all mixed up with other themes.

You can come see more about my organization {HERE} - I LOVE organizing.

Here is my organization HERE  and HERE for all the posts.

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Hanging Your Anchor Charts for the Year

Hi! Jen from Teacher by the Beach.

One of my favorite things to talk about is organization. I might be a LITTLE obsessed with being neat and organized... some say it's a disease, me? I say it's just common sense. ha!

In my new room this year, I don't have a lot of space... so I've had to get a little creative on some things.  One things I don't have is a place to keep a chart stand, other than my easel. And I really like hanging our poems and anchor charts for the year in one place, so the kids can flip through them every once in a while.  (You can see my post on what I do with our poems HERE)

So, I have a door with a window in my room that goes to my "closet."  So, I've started just hanging my chart paper there! I just use two butterfly clips and some command strips, and voila! I can hang my chart paper up. 

I also use this to hang up my posters for the year... you know the mailbox posters and such? Or the laminated anchor charts you make and reuse each year? I have those hanging on the other side of the door! It makes it really easy to go looking through them really quickly!

Hope this gives you some sort of idea for organzing and using every inch of your space.

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Classroom Management Tip During Read to Someone

  Literacy Block, Love It or Hate It?

One little tip that I hope makes your Daily Five, Read to Someone run a little smoother.

Stop by my blog to get a few tips and tricks to help you during partner reading.

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Organizing Important Parent Forms for Open House

 Back To School Time!

One little tip that I hope makes your Open House run a little smoother.

Stop by my blog to get a few tips and tricks for organizing important parent forms for Open House.

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