Classroom Shopping List for the After Christmas Sales

Teachers are savvy shoppers.  We wait for sales, use coupons and scour dollar stores for classroom necessities.  The sales right after Christmas are the perfect time to stock up on goodies for your classroom.  Here are a few ideas for things to toss in your shopping cart.

Wrapping Paper

As the self-proclaimed Bulletin Board Lady, I am always on the look out for fabulous rolls of wrapping paper that will look great on bulletin boards.  During the after Christmas sales I look for patterns that will work at other times of the year.  Snowflake patterns look great in January.  Red stripes and patterns work well for Valentine's Day in February.  Think outside the season!

Paper Plates

I love using plates for movement activities all year round.  I've used the to illustrate form, as percussion instruments and even for costumes.  I purchase discounted plates during the after Christmas sales to use as bulletin board borders.

Tablecloths

I'm always on the look out for tablecloths that may work on the tables that I lay my programs on at winter concerts.  They also look great on a bulletin board.  During busy Decembers they have been the only thing I've had time to get up on a bulletin board.

3 Instruments To Keep Close This Year!

It never gets old to see surprise and delight in the eyes of students when they pick up and play an instrument.  Include an instrument, any instrument, into your lesson and it immediately becomes a class favorite that students talk about and ask for over and over.  What's even more exciting is when I discover or rediscover an instrument that I, the teacher, can use for my own purposes.  I love finding new and interesting ways to integrate instruments into my instruction and am always on the lookout for ways to include a click, shake, scrape, ring, or thwak into my lessons.

I wanted to share three of my favorite instruments to use in the classroom and a few different ways to utilize these little gems in day-to-day instruction.  Whether you have a room that looks like the inside of the West Music warehouse or are teaching from a cart with barely room for a CD player, you can easily incorporate these instruments into your daily routine.

#1 - The Shekere

This is an instrument that has been sitting on my shelf unused for years.  Of course students would get it down for certain projects or songs but the shekere never found a place in the daily life of my classroom.  Then last Spring I went to an amazing workshop with Chris Judah-Lauder, a  brilliant, Orff trained teacher from Texas.  I learned a lot that morning but one of the things that Chris kept doing was walking over and picking up the shekere.  She would use it to keep the beat during exercises or group songs.  It wasn't too loud but the timbre was easy to pick out from the group.  When we would do large group works she would often play the steady beat as she walked around and kept the song going.

Planning for Teacher TLC

It's that time of year again.  Teachers are getting ready to head back to school by decorating their rooms, attending professional meetings and lesson planning for the first week of school.  During this busy time, don't forget to plan a little time to take care of yourself too!

Eat Well

What will you take for lunch?  Is there a way to plan a crock pot meal or freezer meal that provides lots of flavor and needed nutrients without stealing time away from your busy day?  I know that when I eat well, I feel well!  A pop tart for breakfast, microwave popcorn for lunch and take out for dinner doesn't provide the fuel that you need.  Plan some meals to ease yourself back into the school routine.

Sleep

No, really.  Your mom was right.  A good night of sleep can make a world of difference. I know that you are busy and that there are many things on your to do list.  Sleep is your body's way of rebooting and preparing for a busy day of meetings, lesson plans and smiling children.  Don't stay up to finish that plan.  Whatever you are doing can probably wait.  Get some sleep.