Positive-Notes-for-Students

I don't know about you, but I LOVE giving out positive notes for students. I am realizing that this year (while teaching at a first year school that is starting from the ground up) I have not been as intentional on this as I was last year. I would LOVE to get back on the 
bandwagon.This cute little clipart pack that I picked up a while back was my inspiration to get back in the swing of things and start appreciating the beauty I am seeing in my 
classroom each day. It helps me stay positive to actually look for things to celebrate instead of focusing on the difficult parts of the day.  

I usually do not send out a note to everyone all at once, but when I announce that I have some positive notes for students, the excitement and anticipation builds. Students know that if today is not their turn, they will be getting one at some point coming up. 

Here's a look at these little notes that are bringing a smile to my face. End the year strong. Help encourage your kiddos with positive feedback in the scramble toward the finish line at the end of this year. 

Get-Your-Teach-On-Review

I have been to a lot of teacher PD over the past 20 years, but the Get Your Teach on Conference is in a class of its own. This is seriously the most fun I have ever had at a PD and that's saying a lot because there are very few conferences that I have not enjoyed.

Of course, the moment you walk in, you get to sign this huge apple. It feels real once your name is up there with hundreds of other educators. My dreams of attending this conference were becoming a reality and I could not have been more excited!

This is the room I was in for the conference. It was so fun, because last year, when I went to the two-day training at the Ron Clark Academy, I saw some of this decor up in Hope King's room while she was doing her Toy Story STEAM transformation! It was amazing! You can check out my posts about the Ron Clark Experience over here and here.

I needed a picture in from of the giant cards from the Wild Card book party.

Everywhere, throughout the entire space for the conference, there was amazing, inspiring decor. Here I am with my daughter, who went to the registration with me. I am about 99.9% sure that she's going to be a teacher...based on everything she does when she plays and talks. If she does continue on this path, she will be the 4th generation of teachers in my family. I come from a long line!

More of the fun decor in my room.

Of course there were a few freebies waiting for us when we came in the first day, including this super cute Get Your Teach On bag. I love the colors!

This was the table set up for the first day of learning fun. We each got one of these binders, which were so cute too!

 One of my favorite things about this conference was that several of the sessions revolve around a theme and that made it super fun. I mean, I love having a theme in my class and I have done so for years. It just automatically builds excitement. You can see some of my themes and transformations over here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here. The first session was a super hero themed reading one with the fabulous Amy Lemons. I have used some of her math units in the past, so I knew this would be really, really good. Everything she does in her math curriculum revolves around a theme and this was no different. There were all sorts of engaging activities to help the babes learn all they need to in reading. 

Next up, was none other than Wade King. He brought the music and taught us about how he incorporates it in the classroom. 

Next up was an ELA class. I cannot remember the name of the presenter, but she was full of energy and ideas and spoke superfast. She was great! I loved this book that she used for teaching voice. My take back was to use more poetry in my fluency teaching. I loved one of the poems that she presented. It was so much fun!

One of my teaching passions is social studies. It is often a forgotten subject or one that children find boring. But there are so many ways to bring it to life. Over the years I have tried to spruce up my social studies with activities that make it real. Lanesha Tabb (@education_apron) was a great presenter and reignited my passion for social studies. She gave me lots to think about. It motivated me to work on completing my economics unit for TPT...coming soon. I am currently working through that unit with my class and it has been amazing!

One of the sessions had a mystery theme, which if we're honest, we even like as adults....more instant buy-in and engagement. The thing with engagement is that when students are actually engaged in the learning, they are giving 110% and you can take them even farther than you could using the "normal" curriculum. That is why engagement is so important. For this math session, there were a lot of different clues to solve. It was so fun! And the costumes just added to the fun.

Hope King (@heyhopeking) is one of my all-time favorite educators to follow. She inspires me in everything that she does in the classroom and I seriously don't know how she does all that she does. This was my first session of day 2 and the bad part was that even though I gave myself an extra hour to arrive on time, there was a bad wreck...the kind where a helicopter comes to airlift people and so I was 15 minutes late. So sad to have missed some of her inspiring talk.

So much truth in this slide.

Wade King (@heywadeking) and Chris Pombonyo (@chrispombonyo) brought it with their game session! This Double Dare theme was loads of fun! One of my favorite parts was when Chris talked about his Candyland Transformation. I had seen this one on Instagram and had been curious about it ever sense. 

Never before had I done any of the escape room or unlock challenges that are so popular right now. This session was all about that. The presenters gave so many different ideas for different challenges to do with this. It was great to try this out, especially since I had never done it before. I think I may be investing in some locks in the near future.

 If I had to choose one of the sessions as a favorite, this one would rank pretty high. It was all about STEM. The activities were the ones that Hope King used for her Toy Story Transformation and of course they were amazing.

One of my table mates trying out our Lego marble maze.

Chris Pombonyo and Amy Lemons (@stepintosecondgrade) dressed up as workers at the Pizza Planet from Toy Story while presenting...lots to love about this session.

Team STEM challenges that help build the four C's of 21st century education (creativity, collaboration, communication, and critical thinking). These were both fun and challenging. 

I absolutely LOVED this session by Babbling Abby (@babblingabby) and Cara Carroll (thefirstgradeparade). It was about team building but what I loved most was the throwback 90's theme. Took me right back to my childhood with the games they made! AMAZING! I have since used some of them with my class and it has been so much fun.

At the end of the day, Hope and Wade came back to talk to us again. It was great to end with them as our send off. They are both, as I have already mentioned, so inspiring and the presentation with the two of them is hilarious at times. 

I am not usually the type to approach people to ask for a picture, but I decided I was going to go for it at this conference and take all the pictures with all the people. I am so glad I did. 

Lanesha Tabb

Amy Lemons

Amy Lemons and Chris Pombonyo

Hope King

Wade King

The whole experience was so incredibly magical. It was hard to leave. I am so very thankful that I had the opportunity to go and hopefully I will get to go again someday.

Classroom Decor Trends

What are the classroom decor trends? What's hot right now? Well for one thing, llamas have been going strong for a few years. Here are two very different, but fun types of llama decor. The first is green, pink and blue themed with a splash of llama. You can find this over here. I sell the whole shabang together or you can purchase smaller sections of the set separately. 

This boho llama set was created due to a request from a customer who wanted more of a boho feel in their classroom and I just love how it turned out. The colors are muted with mustard, teal and other accents as well. The cute boho llamas have fun accessories like pompoms and colorful saddles. You can find it here. 

Another fun trend I am seeing is bringing in the great outdoors in a nature theme. My into the wild set is just that, a little piece of nature to bring a relaxing, natural feel to the class. You can find it here. 

Superheroes are always a classic in classrooms and this one is a fun spin on an old tradition. I love how this turned out! Check it out over here. 

With the widespread use of cell phones, selfies are a definite trend that is not going away anytime soon. With that in mind, I created this selfie decor set featuring a Polaroid photo alphabet display, hashtag phrases, camara decor, and even a trendy set of hexagon-shaped motivational posters. The neon and black name plates are so fun!  I am so excited about this set, it is my latest one! Check it out here.  

I know school is just winding down for the year, but is definitely not over yet. I know that there are a million and one things on your to do list. I know that life at the end of the year is crazy-busy. But I also know that if you are anything like me, you are already thinking about next year. I am putting these sets on sale for the next couple of days. If you are interested, do not miss out. 

10-Tips-for-Planning-a-Room-Transformation

Planning a room transformation can take a lot of work, but also can be a lot of fun. Here are my top tips for creating a transformation in your class. 

1. Start early, seriously DO NOT wait until you want to do the room transformation to begin the planning. These things take time. Give yourself a few weeks (at least) if possible. 

2. I begin with an idea of what I want to turn my room into. Here are some of the previous transformations: 

camping
glamping (glamourous camping...think camper vs. tent)
circus
Greece
a rock mine
a block party
jurassic park
operating room
cafe'
bootcamp

3. Next, and this is the most important part, connect your transformation to your learning. Think about what you want the kiddos to learn or practice. Find ways to tie it in to your theme. 

4. Research: Yes, search the interwebs. There are so many amazing ideas that have already been done that you can use or tweak or gather inspiration from, why reinvent the wheel? Save yourself some time, lady (or gentlemen) and borrow some ideas from someone else. It's totally O.K. 

5. Gather Supplies: This can be done in multiple ways. You really do not have to spend a lot of money to make the room fabulous for your class. Think about what you already have that you can use. Ask other teachers. Teachers usually have tons of stuff and are willing to let you borrow whatever you need. Ask for donations from parents and stores. Many will donate what you are in need of. As a last resort, depending on your budget, you could purchase some of the items as well. Amazon is a great place to look, as is the good 'ole Dollar Tree. 

6. Schedule Some Time: You need time to work on making items for your transformation and setting up. Are you going simple or extravagant? Let that guide you as to how long you will need. I would definitely wait until the night before, or even better, over a weekend, to set things up so that the surprise is not spoiled...and here is a secret tip. Keep it to yourself unless you want the word out ahead of time. I have had teacher friends who have let the students in on my secret more than once, ruining the surprise factor for them. I like to think they were just overly excited themselves, but still...

7. Classroom Management: Some students can get a little crazy when things are out of the norm. Be strict about classroom behavior and participation. If the class cannot handle it, no matter how long it took you, be sure they know (and be serious about it) that a transformation is a privilege and that if that privilege is misused, it will be packed away and the magic will be over. 

8. Start Simple: If you are just getting started, I would suggest starting simple with a mini transformation. Add one or two decorations and throw on a costume. It can be overwhelming when creating a large-scale transformation but once you get your feet wet, you'll be feeling ready.

9. Self Care: On the afternoon after you teach in a transformed room, you will be thoroughly and utterly exhausted...in a good way, but still... Find a way to relax and recover. You will need it. Go home, light the candles, take a bath, each some chocolate, watch your latest guilty pleasure on T.V., just take some time to relax and celebrate your hard work.

10. Get Others Involved: If you can, have another class join you. This is super fun, although you will have to compromise so if you are set on how you want everything, you may want to skip this tip. But...two heads are always better than one. And...many hands make the work lighter. Just sayin'