Market Mondays: Top Ten Dollar Deals

I don't think there is a teacher alive that doesn't love a great deal.....and of course their local Dollar Store.  I was happy ridiculously elated when a Dollar Tree opened up right down the street from me. It's so close, I could walk there. And I love it.  I should work there. But I don't. But I do buy tons of things there for my classroom and my own kids.  Here are my top ten favorites:

Dollar Tree Mugs

1. White Mugs: These plain white mugs are perfect for decorating.  This past Father's Day, I bought 20 of them and had my students go to town creating a one of a kind mug for their Dads.  Using our array of Sharpies, the students wrote and colored them up.  Prior to wrapping them up, I popped a little slip of paper that encouraged the Dads to handwash only and to bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees prior to using.  The outcome = adorable!  And the price - $1 each. Bam! You can't beat that.
2. Picture Frames: So speaking of gifts, every year for Mother's Day I do my annual poem in a frame.  I pick up a simple frame for each of my students, they write an amazing poem, and I snap a cute picture of them. Again, only a buck each for a gift they will remember. 



Picture Frames

3. Baskets, baskets, and more baskets:  Teachers are addicted to baskets. It's a known fact. We love to use them for all sorts of things, including our classroom library, to store supplies, etc.  I have NEVER paid more than a buck for my fabulous baskets that I use in my classroom. 

   

   Baskets from Dollar Tree

4. Art Supplies: Pipe cleaners, puff balls, stickers, gems and more can all be found in your local dollar store.  For only $3, I was able to fill up my PuffBall Machine.  I use pipe cleaners in my daughter's hair on crazy hair day. Stickers go on my students' awesome work. 
   
5. Basic Tools: I love to keep my own hammer, screw driver, pliers, and broom/dustpan in my classroom for those odds and end jobs that pop up.  I even store the stuff in one of my colorful baskets!
6. Tissue Paper: I buy all my tissue paper at the Dollar Tree. Seriously! This stuff is great for wrapping all the gifts my students give to their parents.  Not to mention, all the birthday parties my own kids have to go to. (Which brings me to their gift bags - NEVER EVER PAY MORE THAN A BUCK FOR A GIFT BAG OR GREETING CARD!)

   

   Tissue Paper

7. Fun Pencils:  I hand out fun pencils to my students for every single holiday that happens throughout the school year.  They love using them.  State testing coming up?  We crush it with a brand new pencil in our hands.  Partner up a pencil with a free homework pass and you got yourself a very happy student.  :-)
8. Nail Polish: Everyone should buy nail polish here. It's cheap and perfect for some fun art projects in the classroom.  (Plus nail polish remover is great to have in your drawer at work as well.)
9. Teacher Supplies: The Dollar Tree has a great little teacher supply section just for us.  They have borders, cut-outs, resource posters, stickers, etc.  Seeing this section just makes my heart happy.  
10. Holiday Decor: I try to decorate my classroom accordingly for each holiday (and since I'm at a private school that includes Christmas and Easter).  I love that for $10 I can get a ton of decorations to make my room festive. And not feel bad if I throw it out and buy new again the following year.

These are just some of my favorite things from the dollar store.  My daughter's favorite was this adorable apron we picked up for her and the makings for Cloud Dough.  Provided quite a bit of fun!

What do you get from your local dollar store?

Katie

Market Monday: Shameless Self-Promotion

I typically don't promote the products I create and sell on my blog.  I try to keep my posts about ideas that you can take back to your classroom and occasionally will mention you can accomplish the idea with a product I created (or not).  :-)

However, today I'm going to do a bit of shameless self-promotion coupled with my very first giveaway EVER!!!!  I'd like to invite you to check out my TpT store and see what I have there. Perhaps you'll find something useful for your class.  And to help you out, I'm giving away a $10 TpT gift certificate.  Just enter the giveaway below.  Of course it's not mandatory for you to spend your winnings at my store - there are so many amazing products listed on TpT from other teachers that I encourage you to browse away.

Good luck to all who enter!  The giveaway will go on until Monday next week.  And thank you for taking the time to read my blog.  It's because of you, the readers, that I continue to share.  :-)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Market Monday: Quietest (and most amazing) Pencil Sharpener Ever

 

Every single teacher knows how important it is to have a good pencil sharpener in their classroom.  It is as necessary as having students to teach.  I, for one, have gone through many an electric sharpeners in my day.  I've spent anywhere from $20-$60 on these sharpeners.  And I can say eight years into my career not a single one has lasted.  I all about gave up and added a "personal hand held sharpener" to my students' supply list.  However, when I heard about the Quietest Classroom Pencil Sharpener and read the reviews, I'll admit I was intrigued.   

So, when I was given a chance to review this product, I figured what the heck - why not?  I received my green sharpener in the mail and let the box sit for a few weeks.  What was the rush, right?  It would probably end up failing like every other sharpener I've ever bought or received for my classroom.  But one day when a student asked if he could borrow someone's sharpener because his handheld one broke, I remembered my box.  Immediately I opened it up and the classroom was abuzz with excitement.  I heard comments like, "Mrs. Lyon you got one of those?!?" and "I LOVE that sharpener!"  Turned out the previous year teacher had one.  

Needless to say the students knew exactly how to work it and those who didn't quickly learned.  Soon I was a believer too! This was by far the BEST PENCIL SHARPENER in the world - and it wasn't even electric.  I highly recommend that if you don't already own one that you place your order immediately.  Trust me - you won't regret it. 

Let's break it down:

PROS:

• It really is quiet.
• Sharpens to an awesome point - just the way I like my pencils.
• Doesn't need to be mounted like other non-electric sharpeners.
• The cost - for only $25 it really is a steal 
• Doesn't require an outlet to plug it in. 

CONS:

• Color choices - I wish it came in more colors. For some reason I would love a fushia pink one!

 Overall Rating: 5 stars  

Head on over to Friendly Classroom Supplies and get yours today. 

Market Mondays: Reflector App

Since my class has been piloting the 1:1 iPad program at my school for the past 4 months, I have come across a lot of cool (and not so cool) apps.  One of the best "tools" apps I have found is Reflector.  Many of us have heard of Apple TV.....and even own one. (I do at home).  They are great little gizmos.  And the thought of being able to wireless connect your iPad to your Apple TV at school is a wonderful thing.  Easily allowing you to stream movies, show your iPad screen, and more to your class.  What's not so cool?  The price!  At $99, the Apple TV is an expensive technology gadget. And when you are working on a teacher's budget (gasp - or worse a district's!!!) that is a lot of money to pay.  Especially when you need to factor in the cords and other accessories you need to make it work.  This is where Reflector enters.

For the low cost of $14.99 (single user license) or $49.99 (5 person multi-license) you can download this fabulous app and have it do the same EXACT thing that Apple TV would do.  It allows you to wirelessly mirror your iPhone or iPad to your Mac or PC.  Unlike other apps, you download it to your actual laptop or desktop instead of your device.  Then by simply hitting the home button on your iPad (or iPhone) and swishing to the left, you activate AirPlay.  Instantly, mirroring your device!  Display it through your LCD projector and your entire class can see what you are doing.

I use this app DAILY in my classroom.  It allows me to walk students through what they should be doing, or quickly show them something cool.  Better yet, I can have my students become the teachers and mirror their iPad by simply activating AirPlay on their device.

So let's break it down....

PROS:

• Simply put - COST! At $14.99 you are saving almost $85 compared to the Apple TV. 
• Ease of installation and use.  You can purchase, install and implement all without ever leaving  your desk and within 10 minutes.  Try to make it in and out of an Apple Store in that time!
• Features - did I mention you can record what your doing to save for later?  Imagine the possibilities!  Allow students to access a lesson even after it's done.
• You can download it on either a Mac or PC.

CONS: 

• Sometimes the connection is dropped. But for the amount of times I use this product and the number of times this has actually happened it really doesn't matter. Plus, from what I hear, the Apple TV has the same issue. 
• You can only connect either an iPhone or iPad - no other devices.  For me, not that big of a deal since my school is an Apple product school.  But for others who are not, this app would not work for you.  

So, overall I truly give this product a 5 out of 5 stars.  Check it out today - for $15 what do you have to lose?

Any other fabulous apps that you have found that work the same way? Share below!


 

Market Monday: Carry-All Caddy

I like my classroom neat and organized. Even parents of my students and future students know this about me.  So any product that can help me achieve this along with maximum color power (I'm a huge fan of bold colors!) included deserves a shout-out in my opinion.

The Carry-All Caddy from Lakeshore Learning fits my needs and wants and is by far one of the best organizational caddies for the classroom ever!  I love it so much that I have three of them. Yep...three.  Two of them organize all the crayons that I collect at the end of the year from my students. I can't bear to see crayons that are practically new (minus the sharp point) get thrown away, so if students aren't going to keep them I ask for them.  Any crayon that is broken goes into my scrap crayon bin for future crayon melt art projects.  The third caddy holds my colored pencils.  I organize all of these items by color within the eight jars.  I can easily stack the crayon caddies and the colored pencil one is placed right next to them. This way if a student is missing a particular color from their stash of colored pencils and crayons at their desk, they can simply come look to see if I have it.

So if you are perfectly anal retentive like myself, and absolutely need organization that is color coded you need to get yourself one (or three) of these!

What is your favorite organizational product in your classroom?  Post below.

Come back tomorrow for a fabulously smART Recycled Project how to.

Market Mondays: Organizer

If you are like any teacher, you collect supplies. Markers, paperclips, erasers, push-pins.....Vista Print items. You name it, we love it.  But what do you do with all those items once you have acquired them?  Enter my all time favorite organizer!!  I bought this nifty little organizer one day while walking with my husband through Home Depot. I had seen it before at the Container Store for triple the cost and even though I loved it, I couldn't reason out paying that much for it.  So when I saw it for $20, I simply couldn't pass it up.

Why do I love this?  Well, I'm a bit obsessed with organization and Vista Print (don't know what VP is???? - Click here) and needed a place to put all my cards.  This one was perfect because it had enough drawers to fit all the cards I created (I now need a larger one, which this one from Amazon is PERFECT and will soon be mine!).



Anyway, I took one card and taped it to the front of the drawer so I could clearly see what was in it and put the rest behind it.  The other drawers were perfect for all those little odds and end supplies I need to keep readily at my desk.  The best part about these organizers is that they come with the screws to hang them on the wall. Initially I did have it hanging on the wall and LOVED it as it cleared off much needed desk space.  However, I have since then moved my desk and had no wall space to put it on where I currently am at.

Regardless, I rate this product a 5! Love it for the possibilities it provides....you could use it for math manipulatives or other centers.  Or just use it to organized your Vista Print obsession.

What are some ways you organize all your stuff? Share below or better yet....give a link to a picture!

Market Mondays: Paper Trays (And an organization tip too)

Until I can completely go paperless in my classroom, I find that every week it is very easy to get buried in papers that my students turn in.  I'm sure we have all been there - you go and grab the papers from the homework tray and sit there separating them into organized piles as you flip and turn them so they all face the same way (is that a paper with no name? Sigh.) and you do this until all the papers are finally in neat stacks.  Before you know it, 20 minutes have gone by and you still haven't even begun grading yet!  Been here?  Yep - me too!

Enter my Market Monday product - paper trays!!!!  I know, I know.  You already have paper trays.  And heck you may have some sort of system.  But I can assure you that the system I have in place for my 5th graders is almost foolproof to help knock that 20 minutes you spend sorting and switch it to grading time instead.

Here's what I do. I have six paper trays that I stack together and turn them backwards.  On each tray, I put a subject label.  And right above it, I have a sign that tells students HOW to put their paper in the tray.  This is key!!!  The sign has a a diagram showing the paper and the way it should go in along with some reminders such as is their name on the paper with the complete heading, etc.  All papers go into the proper trays facing up with their name to the left.  Students simply slide their paper in through the slot.  (Another benefit to have the trays backwards is that they cannot easily take their papers out - I frown upon that once they have turned something in).

Seriously - it's amazing.  I spend the first couple of days of the school year drilling this into their head and we are set for the rest of the school year.  No more messy stacks of unorganized papers - just neat piles with all your paperwork facing the same way.

Do you have a system that works for you? Share it below!

Market Mondays: Mountain Language and Math

It's MONDAY! Typically, I'm not a big fan of Mondays but hey - it was President's Day so I had a much needed mini-break that enabled me to spend some time with my daughter.  Who is GROWING so fast - it's insane!!!  But anyway, back to Monday. Just because it's a holiday doesn't mean I'm going to skip my Market Monday post.  Today, we are going to talk about Mountain Language and Mountain Math - bulletin board editions.   (I specify that because they do have online editions now but I've never used them.) I was able to bring Mountain Language to my school late last year with the help of our 4th grade teacher. Both of us have had success using this product and convinced our principal to purchase the Language kit for grades 3-5, as we are trying to improve our language test scores on our ITBS testing.  We are hoping to add K-2 grade this year. 

Mountain Math in the right corner

Let me explain a little bit about these two products.  They are grade specific bulletin board sets that you use throughout the school year.  They are great supplemental resources to help support your math and language curriculum already being used in the classroom.  These kits help keep concepts that you are teaching in both subjects fresh by asking students 20 questions (which can be broken down to only a few a day or you can do them all at one time).  One of the best parts about these kits is that you can use them as a whole group activity, station work or for individual student use depending on your need and teaching style.

Picture from the website of Mtn Language

The questions depend on the grade level you teach. However, for example in 5th grade for Language, the students are given a word and then asked if it's plural or singular. Then they are told to put it in the opposite form.  There are also questions on subjects, predicates, antonyms, synonyms, abbreviations, punctuation, etc.  And for 5th grade math, students work out quick math questions that include fractions, decimals, place value, patterns and number lines to name just a few.  I have used both of these products in my 5th grade classroom. I currently use Mountain Language but also used Mountain Math back a few years ago at my old school district. I don't have Mountain Math right now simply because I was only able to pick one since my school was purchasing the kit.  However, I would like to get the math one again as it is a great review for students!  Plus - I like having bulletin boards that are actually useful.  :-)  I will take a picture of my Language Board and post it tomorrow.  I have a pretty sad pic of my Math Board but posted it anyway.  Forgive the quality of it please.

Okay - here are some quick pros and cons of the kits.

Pros:

• Price - for what you get I think these are realistically priced at $76.
• Great for skill review and keeping concepts fresh.
• Flexibility on how they are used in your classroom.
• Even though I've never used the online component, I'm going to have to list that as a pro as I think it would be great to incorporate technology with this program.
• Printed on thick card stock.

Cons:

• You have to cut them out as they come a large sheets of cardstock - as a teacher with limited time already this is sort of a pain.  
• They are not laminated, so if you like to have things laminated you will need to do it yourself.
• Size - if you have limited bulletin board space, they do take up quite a bit of room.  Which is why the online version would probably be the way to go.  However, they do have another option that you purchase which is smaller - it's the Center version. (So honestly with both the online version and center version you shouldn't have a problem but thought I should still be honest about the bulletin board size).  
• On the question sheet they provide for your students to use, they don't use proper vocabulary that is taught in class.  For example, on the language sheet, they ask students to list the word that means the opposite of the underlined word......  Um - you mean the antonym?  Why not just use that word? I work hard at making sure my students understand vocabulary especially since when it comes to testing, the proper vocabulary is used.  However, I fixed it by simply typing up my own question sheet and changed the wording of any that I deemed necessary.  (If you want a copy just send me a message with your email.) 

Overall rating for this product......4.5. I'm not a fan of cutting, laminating and needing to type up my own question sheet due to time which is what knocked it off .5 points but the general product is pretty awesome.

Do you have Mountain Language or Math in your classroom? How do you use it? Do you like it?

Market Mondays: Gumball Machine - Without the Gum!

Unexpectedly, this year I found a way to supplement my classroom economy to promote good behavior from my students.  My class earns classroom cash (affectionately called Kenzie Kash named after my daughter) for a number of things including doing their classroom jobs, scoring well on certain assignments and earning medals in MangaHigh (don't know what that website is? Check back on Wednesday, when I'll talk about it in Website Wednesdays!).  While searching the Proteacher.net forum boards this summer, I was reading all about these neat little capsule activities that teachers were creating.  Intrigued, I thought about creating them myself and was looking for a unique way to store them.  While walking through the grocery story one day, I noticed the capsule machine by the doorway.  That got me thinking! Going home, I started to search for vending machine dispensers and was shocked at how much they actually are.  However, during my search (I searched on Craigslist and on Ebay, which is where I eventually bought from) I came across this fabulous gumball machine for $50.   The price was right, the size of the machine was right but unfortunately, after doing some more research, I found out it would not hold the capsules but only small gumballs. 

I was so taken with this machine that I vowed to find an idea so I could buy one (and reason it out to my husband).  I knew the kids would just love the idea of having a gumball machine in the classroom.  BUT – I knew I did not want it to be filled with gum (not allowed at our school anyway) or candy of any sort.  After thinking about it for a few days, I thought about using it as a way to reward students who didn’t earn any behavior points for the week. 

After ordering the machine on eBay for only $50 (which included shipping – hey I’ve spent more on things that I barely ever use in my classroom), I started to brainstorm what I could put in it.  When the machine arrived, I tried a couple different ideas.  My first idea was multi-colored marbles.  They worked but when you turned the handle A LOT of marbles would come out.  I wanted only one to.  So I tried bouncy balls but they were too big. I almost gave up and purchased candy to go in it, but while I was walking through the Dollar Tree, I came across the little puff balls for crafts.  THEY WERE PERFECT! Different colors, the right size, and mimicked the look of gumballs without actually being them.  Plus, these could be recycled and put back into the machine which made my pocketbook (and husband) very happy!

So, my classroom is now the proud owner of our very own Puff Ball Machine.  If students are good and don’t receive any points for the week, they get to take a turn of the handle. Depending on which color puff ball that comes out, they get a set amount of class cash.  The students get pretty excited when they know they get to take a turn on the machine.

Here’s the breakdown:

PROS:

* Price – seriously $50 not that much for such an awesome idea!

* Size – it does not take up a lot of room but is big enough to be noticed

* You can use any size coins or you can turn the handle to the left without any coins

* Easily refillable

* Light enough to be shaked when needed (see con below)

* FUN FUN FUN

CONS:

* Easily jammed – if you aren’t careful the coins can get jammed which is why I no longer use coins

*  The puff balls sometimes aren’t heavy enough to come out with every turn which means I have to shake the machine.

Based upon all of this, I award this particular machine 5 stars! I love it and so do my students!!

 

  

Market Mondays: Store More Chair Pocket Deluxe

It's another Market Monday product review.  This week we are focusing on Really Good Stuff's Store More Chair Pockets.  Prior to having these chair pockets, I had handmade pockets that consisted of two hunter green table mats sewn together with think string coming from the sides to attach to the side of the desk or chairs.  They weren't anything spectacular but the did the job.....kind of.  However, with the amount of books that our students have at our school and the fact that I make an organizational binder for each of my students (iPod Binders), I knew I had to get something that held more.  So, this year I chalked up the money and got real chair pockets.

I originally opted for the Store More Multi-Pocket Chair Cover with a spot for the water bottle.  They were a bit more costlier but I did it while they were offering a 15% off special.  I was so excited to get these pockets....but disappointment hit when they arrived. They didn't fit my students' chairs. They were way too small.  So, I sent them back. To make matters worse, I had to pay return shipping which was close to $20.  I wasn't happy about it but I still needed chair pockets. So I exchanged them out for the Store More Chair Pockets XL.  My students have been using them for about 5 months.

Here's the quick pro/con breakdown.

Pros:

•  They fit our extremely large chairs
•  Spacious pockets
•  Comes with a pencil case that velcros to the back
•  The primary colors match my room 

Cons:

• Price and shipping cost (However, I will admit I haven't been able to find other chair pockets for much cheaper 
• Colors - even though they work for me, I sort of wished they had other choices
• Only one pocket
• No place for the water bottle 
• Must purchase in sets of 6.....because we all have perfect multiples of six classes, right?

When it comes to an overall rating for these chair pockets, I give them a 4.  Mostly because of cost.  I was lucky, I only had to buy three sets.....I can't imagine being able to purchase these if I had a typical class of 30+.

Do you have chair pockets for your classroom?  What type and what do you think of them? Share down below in the comments section.

Market Mondays: Art Drying Rack

Here is the first feature of Market Mondays, in which I pick a product that I have used in my classroom and offer up a review.  Today's product is geared toward any teacher that teaches art or uses paints or other things that need to be able to dry in their classroom.

This year, I was determined to get a drying rack so I no longer had to have papers strategically placed throughout the classroom to dry after the students used either paint or something other medium that could possibly smudge.  Plus, I can't stand having miscellaneous papers left on a student's desk unless it's being used. I like things to be very neat and organized, so when I got the Sax Stack-a-Rack Drying Rack for my classroom, I knew it would be perfect!  This awesome product can be found on Amazon or at the Learning Outlet for under $100.

In order to better assist you, I broke down the pros and cons of this product for a quick review:

PROS:

• 25 shelves
• stackable so you can buy more than one and stack them on top of each other
• Can be hung on the wall or put on wheels (I have my on wheels so I can move it about the classroom)
• The perfect size for art projects on paper 11x17 or smaller
• Doesn't take up a lot of room which is a huge plus when you have limited space in your classroom
• Only $85.49 on Learning Outlet and you get FREE SHIPPING!
• It came already assembled - all I had to do was throw the wheels on.

CONS:

• The shelves do not lift up. Sometimes it is hard to see what shelf you are using and if there is a smaller piece of paper already there.
• It only comes in red. This worked for me since my classroom I use bold primary colors. However, there are a lot of teachers who use softer pastels.  But upon further inspection, I believe you could easily spray paint this to match your color scheme.  

Despite those cons, I still award this product 4.5 out of 5 stars.  It would have received 5 stars in the shelves were able to flip up. But hey - for $86 this is one awesome product!!  

Next week's product: Really Good Stuff Chair Pockets

Wiki With Us

After taking some time since my beautiful baby, Kenzie, was born in July, I have finally decided to hop back into the world of blogging and sharing teaching ideas. In order to keep this resolution of updating my site regularly, I have created a couple days a week in which I will have themes. This is what I have come up with (and feel free to give me more ideas in the comments below). 

Market Mondays: I will review and post my experience with products for teachers. 

Website Wednesdays: There are SO many great websites out there for me to share and discuss.
That's it for now....as time goes on I may add more and of course I will post ideas or other things as they come up. 

In the meantime, I just wanted to take a moment to share with you my wikipage, which holds many resources that you just may find beneficial.  Some of the popular items are located under the "Classroom Posters" tab.  It is there that you can find posters that I have created for Genre, Literary Elements and Reading Strategies to name just a few. Why pay close to $20 on teacher websites when all you need to do is print and laminate?  I hope you enjoy! All I ask for in payment is that you follow my blog and share it with a friend.  AND - while you're there, be sure to join the wiki and Wiki With Us! 

Be sure to check back tomorrow, Market Monday, when I review an item that any teacher who teaches art should have!