Pocket Chart tips and tricks on organizing a classroom

 

Not only are Pocket Charts helpful for teaching …they are amazing at keeping the classroom organized. Here are a few ways teachers have used our pocket charts to organize their Classrooms!

 

These Teachers use their Pocket Charts to help represent who is in which Station/center and the station/centers task are. The Teacher on the right keeps the task/items for that station in the corresponding bins below.

 

 

 

Do you have a student that missed a day? What a better to keep track of what all they might have missed and have to make up. You already have that days assignments printed off for the students to grab and take home and work on.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Using a larger Pocket Chart You can create a mail center for your students. Where they can feel comfortable asking/telling you something they are nervous about discussing in front of others. They can ask you a question about something that was discussed in the class prior, that they would like you to go over more. Your students can turn things into you through the mail center and you can leave them stickers or a new pencil for class. The mail center is great for so many reasons!

 

 

 

Bulletin Boards are not just to display artwork or to add a bit of color. They are a perfect place to add small pocket charts. These teachers used theirs to help display vocabulary words of the week, paperwork for their kids to get while reading their books during quite time and so much more.

 

 

These Job Responsibility Chart are a different type of pocket chart for teachers to make. Using Terrific Pockets you can create a chart just like these. There are many different Terrific pocket designs to choose from to fit your classroom needs and classroom themes. You can use popsicle sticks with the child’s name on it to represent what their job/Responsibility of the week is.

 

 

Helpful Tools to use with Pocket Charts:

 

Sight Words Card Set  $11.42ea

You can use these inexpensive pocket chart card sets even without a pocket chart. Take the Alphabet-Letter set, for example. You get 126 double-sided cards 3" square laminated stock. Cards have uppercase letters on one side and lowercase on the other. Consonants are in blue, vowels in red. Some of the vowels are even marked with a line or breve to indicate whether they should be long or short sounds. You can use these for flashcards, matching, memory games, word-building, making word families. The Children are going to love these activities. 

 

 

Story Sequencing Wall Pocket Chart $11.42 / EA

This set challenges children in a fun and colorful manner by providing real-life sequences to tell a story. Younger children can work with the picture sequences, while older ones can learn to recognize objects in the picture and match them to words in a story sentence. With this set, children will improve their vocabulary and verbal communication skills as well as learn how to order events and sort with logical thinking.

 

 

 

Math Flash Cards $3.93 / EA

2 in. x 2 in. White Cards
Numbered 1-100
Great for Pocket Charts

 

Fun Pocket Chart Math Games for Students

With the right tools, even math can turn into an exciting learning experience for your kids.

Go on a number hunt with young children.
Hide number flash cards around the classroom, and have the class search them out.
When all the numbers are found, see if they can put them in the correct numerical order.

Older kids will enjoy games such as What Comes Next, in which they have to complete a number sequence, or relay race problem solving.

 

Got your Pocket Chart yet??

Click the link below to fulfill all of your Pocket Chart Needs: 

Pocket Charts & Accessories

Spruce up the classroom in the new year!

 

The perfect carpet becomes a focal point for the classroom and a comfy place for kids to gather for instruction. Classroom carpets are not just for little ones, either. 5th graders love to spread out on the carpet for independent reading or learning games. Carpets are a great way to transform any classroom! They add color and comfort instantly. Perfect for keeping current carpets in mint condition. Carpets come in multiple sizes to fit your needs. 

In the words of one teacher "Comfy, colorful, carpets create a classroom community, a place where children can sit, listen, talk and build connections. In kindergarten, the carpets are learning areas where children learn alone or with friends. A classroom without a carpet is like a bed without a pillow, not quite comfy enough."

Calming Circles Carpet: $127.46 EA*

 

These Alphabet rugs are perfectly designed for any classroom setting. Their colorful and simple theme helps students learn the lowercase & uppercase alphabet during Circle time, Story time or other group activities.

 

Owl-phabet Tree Carpet $127.46 EA*

Sequential seating $127.46 EA*

 

Carpet Square Kits are great for any classroom. They come in Alphabet, Numbers and Shapes.  These carpet kits are easy to use and easy to store. When you are not using them for educational purposes, use them as individual seats on the floor for each child.

 

Toddler Alphabet Blocks kit nature $144.46 EA Set*

(set of 26 squares)

Alphabet blocks primary $144.46 ea set*

(set of 26 squares)

 

Teachers Love carpets just as much as the kids do!! see how they used these carpets in their classrooms:

Alyssa Gagnier shared, “I do ALL my teaching from my carpet and cannot imagine teaching in a classroom without one. I find students are more attentive when sitting at the carpet because of their close proximity to the teacher. I like sitting around my carpet with my students to share ideas and talk about our day. A carpet is an essential in any classroom!” 

Shellie Leveratt wrote, “Community gathering place! Comfy reading place!! Students sit in pairs, not assigned spots, but partner arrangement helps with management. I love that I can see each student’s face!”

Jolene Maynard explained, “I teach grades 2-5 in a Christian School and I use the rug for centers, independent quiet reading or work, listening to tapes or cd's, cooperative buddy work, and we even do calendar and Bible devotionals on the rug, as well as reviewing group concepts or doing a read aloud.  It also helps students to get a chance to change locations throughout the day instead of sitting at their seats or a table for the whole day.”

To find more carpet designs follow this link: http://www.purefunsupply.com/Daycare-Floor-Carpets-s/420.htm

 

*All prices are subject to change.

Storage Cabinets Galore

 

It’s Never too late or too early to organize the classroom! We have plenty of  storage cabinets to help organize your classroom and keep a tidy room for all to enjoy!

• Our sturdy Birch laminate Gratnell storage cabinets come complete with 9,12 or 15 clear storage trays.
• The trays make it easy for kids to pull them out and put them back; the rigid plastic stands up to years of hard use.
• The trays are stackable during playtime and then store easily in our beautiful storage cabinets - fitted with castors so they easily and conveniently go anywhere.

9 Tray Storage Cabinet- 17.5in. x 40.5 in. x 24.5 in.

Our Price: $459.99 / EA*

Truck from NH.
GreenGuard certified.
Made in USA.
Lifetime Warranty.

12 Tray Storage Cabinet- 17.5 in. x 40.5in. x 31.5 in.

Our Price: 499.99/ EA*

Truck from NH.
GreenGuard certified.
Made in USA.
Lifetime Warranty.

15 Tray Storage Cabinet – 17.5 in. x 40.5 in. x 39 in.

Our Price: $559.99/EA*

Truck from NH.
GreenGuard certified.
Made in USA.
Lifetime Warranty

 

For those needing only trays not storage cabinets:

Gratnell clear shallow tray- 17 in. x 12.5 in. x 3in.

our price : $6.26/ EA*

Gratnell Clear plastic tray- 13 in. x 10.5 in. x 5in.

our price: $9.59/ EA*

Medium Gratnell Tray- 17in. x 12.5 in. x 6 in.

our price: $12.33/ EA *

*All Prices are subject to change.

Nice and tidy rooms help mold creative minds!!

Follow this link to find more storage options to fit your classrooms needs: http://www.purefunsupply.com/Daycare-Toy-Storage-s/438.htm

Sickness Prevention

It can be challenging to keep your little ones from catching the illnesses that spread easily in classroom settings. This is especially true in the cold weather months! We want to help you avoid those sick days at home with a few of our favorite tips and tricks that will help keep you and your students germ free and healthy!

1. Wash your hands. This is a simple step but often a missed one. Washing your hands thoroughly and often will help you to decrease the amount of germs that you will encounter during the day. It is important that you remind your students to wash their hands more often and show them how to do it correctly. You can even provide a hand sanitizer for quick germ prevention throughout the day.

2. Sanitize your classroom. The more often you can do this, the better. This can mean cleaning your tables, toys, diaper changing stations and more. Sanitizer Wipes or Sprays are perfect for a quick clean up. We suggest making this a weekly event to ensure a clean classroom environment.

3. Build Immunity. It is important to have an overall healthy lifestyle to help fight sicknesses and ultimately prevent them. By eating healthy, exercising regularly and getting enough sleep, you can build your body's immunity. This will help to provide the body with the extra strength it needs to fight the germs that are encountered every day.

Spring Cleaning Around Your School – Get Your Students Involved!

Looking for a helping hand for wrapping up spring cleaning in your classroom? I know of a few little helpers that would love to be of service! The chore of spring cleaning can easily become a game for students when we get a little creative with our classroom cleaning. Here are a few ideas that can get your students involved and help you cross some things off your list.

Have students sort out pencils, crayons and markers. They can go through items like these and take out the ones that have seen better days. Try placing one on each table and having the students take out bad crayons, dried out markers or broken pencils. The first table to complete their box and have it repacked neatly wins!

A favorite of mine from my own elementary days was when our teachers would bring out the shaving cream! It’s a blast for the kids and perfect for cleaning off tables. All you do is spray shaving cream on the desks or tables. Students can then free draw, play games like tic tac toe or connect the dots, or even work on spelling or math problems. Try writing a problem on the board and having students solve it in their shaving cream.

Tip! Want to avoid getting shaving cream on their clothes? A can liner makes the perfect cover. Just flip it upside down and cut three holes for their head and arms. Voila! Now they have their own artist’s smock.

Clean up for this activity is a breeze. Once the shaving cream has dissolved just wipe the remainder off with a paper towel. Now you have clean tables and an activity that your students will be talking about all summer long!

Spring Cleaning Around Your School – Get Reorganized!

 

 

It’s time to get reorganized! We encourage you to take this on one spot at a time. Trying to tackle the entire room at once can become overwhelming. Break it down and get excited over the accomplishments for each day. You can even stick papers in a bin and take them home to organize if needed. Now, lets get started on conquering those piles we made in our last post!

First we need to think about where these piles will go. You may find it helpful to invest in a few bins, shelves or organizers. This way you can make sure everything has a place to stay for the entire year. It will make things easy to find when you need them too! You can even try adding small plastic baskets to drawers for better organization.

Need help remembering where things go? Want to make sure everyone else knows where to find things and where to put them away? We suggest that you label everything! You can go the cutesy route and get some decorative labels or even just take some tape and write on it with a sharpie. Either way it is guaranteed to help keep things neat and organized all year long!

You can take this a step further by color coding materials. For example, all red folders for math will go in the red bin and all blue folders for reading will go in the blue bin. It may take a bit of work now, but it will save you a lot of time in the future!

What are your favorite classroom organizing tips and tricks? Let us know in the comments below!

Spring Cleaning Around Your School – Let it Go!

Spring has finally arrived! That means it’s time for a good Spring Cleaning in your classroom! For the month of April we will be sharing with you all of our favorite spring cleaning tips and tricks. We want to help you enjoy your summer as long as you can. Follow these steps and you will be able to have a stress free end of the school year as well as an easy set up for the beginning of the next school year!

This might be a hard concept for some teachers, but our first tip involves getting rid of some things. Here’s the rule; If you haven’t used it all year, then let it go! These items are only cluttering your cabinets. You can get started by separating items into piles. There will be a pile for things to keep, a pile for trash and one for donations. By making a donation pile you can pass on the stuff you aren’t using, that is still in good condition, to a teacher in need. It makes giving things up a little less painful when you are giving it to a good cause!

Keep in mind that the more you let go of, the more room you have for new material! You can check out www.purefunsupply.com for all of our teacher resources, arts and crafts, classroom furniture and more! Be sure to check back in for more Spring Cleaning tips for the classroom.