Here is the gist:

Collect all those student love notes, poems, drawings, and more and keep them in a binder to display all year long.  Love it! 

It makes it so much easier than trying to hang all the extra scraps of paper all over the classroom. 

It gets tough sometimes to find a new space to display the materials.  The binder will be your catch all, and will still be on display!

How to set your own binder up for your students:

1.  Grab a large 3-ring binder.

2.  Place either hole punched plain paper or some clear sheet protectors in the rings.

3.  When students share something with you that they made just for you, make sure they write their name on it (you need to make sure you always remember who created it), and then have them add it to the binder by sliding it in a sheet protector, or use a glue stick to add it to the plain paper.

Yay!  How fun to collect the binders from year to year as an awesome memento from your years of service! 

And the students will also love to add their imprint on the memories as well.

You can call your binder “warm fuzzies,” “love letters,” or even “buddy notes.” 

Whatever you like the best will be perfect for your students, no matter what grade level you teach!

Ready to take your Classroom Organization to the next level?  I have a proven system that will show you how and allow you to take back your nights and weekends at home!

OC Workshops:  Classroom Organization Bundle

I created a fun little freebie cover to snazz up your very own “Big Book of Heart!” 

Just download the page and make sure to open it up in the either Microsoft Powerpoint or Google Slides to customize your binder with your name or year – or both! 

Enjoy!

~Charity

The post Create Your Own Big Book of Heart! appeared first on Organized Classroom.

Students would then start to bring in their own funny jokes for kids and tell them to their teacher and other friends.

Many teachers took advantage of this event by encouraging their kids to write down the clean jokes to be shared on a big list in the classroom. Then, if the class was having a particular rough day, the list could be brought out and a few would be read to put some smiles back on their faces.

Hilarious Jokes to Crack Kids Up

As I was lying wide awake in bed at 2 am, I decided it wasn’t the most productive way to spend my time and since I was awake anyhow, might as well create something fun for you!  Is it just me, or do you get random spurts of creativity in the middle of the night as well?  Oh yeah!

That is how Joke-tober was developed. I am super excited!

Here is an example! {The joke answer is upside down in the lower right hand corner of the card.}

Best Jokes in the Pumpkin Patch

I created a document with smaller versions of the jokes, which you could print on card stock, laminate, and pop on a 3-ring binder to have every October and share with the students orally.  That document is below.

You might want to check out:

Need some new ideas for hosting successful classroom celebrations?  This 416 page digital book has you covered! Includes 61 ad-free articles from Organized Classroom, including holidays such as:

• Groundhog Day
• Winter
• Black History
• Valentines Day
• St. Patricks Day
• Earth Day
• Spring
• Mothers Day
• Memorial Day
• Summer
• Independence Day
• Fall
• Halloween
• Thanksgiving
• Christmas

…and even more!

Now available in our Shop!  And the second copy to share with a friend is half price!

See it HERE.

Of course, I want to give credit for all the jokes {I am not that funny y’all}.  

All the jokes came from Laugh-Out-Loud Spooky Jokes for Kids by Rob Elliott.  We happened to come upon the book in the local bookstore and my third grader was literally LOL-ing in the middle of the store, so I knew we had to have it.  

In addition to a sampling of these 31 jokes, he has TONS more in the book, and even a bunch of cute knock knock jokes I know your students would love.

What age range?  Honestly probably 2nd up to 5th grade.  You CAN use the jokes with smaller students, but you may have to explain them a bit more so they understand the humor.  Of course, some will be easier to understand than others by the students.  And some students may just laugh out loud regardless because they are silly. {Didn’t the skeleton…Ha!}

You can find Mr. Elliott’s book HERE.

Click here to email your freebie

What are some of your favorite go-to jokes for kids? We would love to hear them in the comments below too as everyone can use a laugh! Happy Haunting!

~Charity

The post Spooktacular Jokes for Kids! appeared first on Organized Classroom.

A modified U shape can encourage students to work only on their task.  This type of seating arrangement does not work well for collaboration or discussion, as the desks are all facing one certain direction.

How else could you use this seating arrangement in your classroom?  Feel free to share in the comments below!

You might want to check out:

Want an AD-FREE resource book of all seating charts in one easy-to-print format?  188 pages in total!  Now available in our Bookstore!  And the second copy to share with a friend is half price!  

See it HERE.

Grab a printable handout of this seating chart!

~Charity

See ALL the Seating Chart options HERE.

The post Classroom Seating Chart: U 2 appeared first on Organized Classroom.

Whether you’re looking for activities to do with your students or just want to try some art projects on your own, there are plenty of options to choose from.

One of the best things about autumn is the beautiful colors that come with it.

Why not incorporate those colors into your crafts?

Easy Nature Crafts

One awesome project is making leaf rubbings. All you need is paper, crayons, and leaves from outside. Simply place the leaf under the paper and use the side of a crayon to rub over it. The result is a beautiful, textured image of the leaf that’s perfect for decorating your classroom.

Another fun project is making pumpkin decorations.

You can use construction paper or foam sheets to cut out pumpkin shapes, then let the kids decorate them with markers, stickers, or other materials. These make great decorations for Halloween or Thanksgiving.

If you’re looking for something a little more challenging, try making a fall wreath.

You can use real leaves and twigs from outside or buy artificial ones from a craft store. Simply glue them onto a wreath form (which you can also buy at a craft store) and add any other decorations you like.

This project takes a bit more time and effort, but the result is a beautiful decoration that will last all season long.

Of course, not all fall crafts have to be complicated. Sometimes the cutest projects are also the easiest.

For example, you can make paper plate scarecrows by cutting out shapes for the head, hat, and clothes and gluing them onto a paper plate.

Or you can make handprint turkeys by tracing your hand onto construction paper and adding feathers and a beak.

Making Colored Glue for Classroom Crafts

So, I ran across this super cute idea for creating colored glue for painting glue pictures and I HAD to try it for myself! 

It turns out it was as easy as it looked – for real!  I can see it being used in so many ways in the classroom from an art center to vocabulary work with painting to crafts for holidays!

The video below shows you how it’s done and how easy it was using materials you probably already have at home!

Prefer to read the transcript?

“Hi, everyone. Charity Preston here.

How are you today? Hopefully everything is going well. All right.

So today’s video is actually brought to you from an idea that I saw on a blog called Almost Unschoolers. It was really cool. I will include the link in my blog post.

And if you want to find my blog post, if you’re watching this on YouTube, straight down below in the description, the very first link will be my blog post link so that you can find it.

And the templates that I’m going to show you today as well.

This is a fun little craft activity that was so simple. I’m sure other people have thought of it. Elmer’s also has made something similar to it, but last time I checked, they don’t sell it any longer.

Basically all you’re going to do is take basic Elmer’s white glue and you are going to add food coloring.

And this is what you get.

You get colored glue! It’s colored glue that goes on like white glue, but that dries in colors.

You might want to check out:

Need some new ideas for classroom decor and instructional materials in the classroom you can make yourself?  This 219 page digital book has you covered!

Includes 25 articles from Organized Classroom, including topics such as:

• Simple Chair Pockets
• DIY Classroom Mailboxes
• Cute Student Birthday Snacks
• Page Protector Solutions
• Easy Center Sign Holders
• Pocket Chart Makeovers

…and even more!

Now available in our Shop!  And the second copy to share with a friend is half price!  

See it HERE.

It’s so, so simple guys. You seriously have no idea.

You just open up your white glue, pop the top open, and mix in whatever colors that you want.

That would be a great lesson in itself, just color mixing. And then you put the cap back on.

I shake it up just a little to blend a little better.

One other quick note: You probably want to make sure your bottle is at least half full or mine was about three quarters full.

You don’t want a brand new bottle because it’s not going to have a lot of movement in there and you want it to be able to move around.

Ok, once your color is added, shake it up just a tad, and put it into a cup just like this upside down for an hour or so.

Turn it around back to right side up for another hour or so again.

I would say give it a day. That way you know that it’s very well mixed up.

In fact, my red came out more pink at first than red, so I had to keep adding red. I actually ended up adding whole lot.

The yellow did not take very much at all in the orange blend. I definitely had to have more yellow than red in there. So you might have to play around with the colors to create what you want.

But anyway, now the glue is basically paint. It’s fantastic.

Instead of using it just like regular glue, you’re going to use it in the classroom as paint.

Here’s my example of how to use it. I have a paper with a fall poem. And then at the bottom I put a tree and made little glue dots of the different fall colors to represent the leaves.

Now I will tell you that when I first did it, they were very bright, vibrant, bright colors.

They definitely dulled overnight after it dried. Now, they’re almost pearlized, I guess that’s probably the word I’m looking for.

Some of the colors actually ran together, but I think it was because it was on this dark construction paper.

So if you want them to stay bright like this, I would suggest using white construction paper or a brighter color.

It’s really a lot of fun. And you have a bonus! If it gets on clothes, it should just wash out.

I don’t THINK the food coloring would stain, but don’t quote me on that. Maybe it will.

So be careful with it, but keep in mind, it’s just glue.

What if you have glue eaters? Not that you want them to eat it, but of course, if they do, it’s non-toxic so that’s a good thing.

Students can customize their poems too. There are three blanks on this template. “So the leaves are perfect for blank, blank, and blank.”

They can do the writing and then design a picture with the glue after that.

This could also be fun for a Christmas project. Or just for an activity day/center.

Set it out there and let see what they come up with. Maybe birthday cards? Really anything that you have coming up.

I hope you’ve enjoyed today’s fun tip.”

In the video, I also mention two free poem templates, which you can grab below.  Have fun!

No matter what kind of fall crafts you choose to do in your classroom, they’re sure to be fun and engaging for kids of all ages.

So why not get creative this autumn and try some new projects? You might just discover a new favorite activity!

What will you use colored glue for in your classroom?  I would love to hear a comment below.

~Charity

The post Colored Glue – Who Knew? appeared first on Organized Classroom.

It gives the students a way to all face the front if you don’t have a lot of room in your classroom.

How else could you use this seating arrangement in your classroom?  Feel free to share in the comments below!

You might want to check out:

Want an AD-FREE resource book of all seating charts in one easy-to-print format?  188 pages in total!  Now available in our Bookstore!  And the second copy to share with a friend is half price!  

See it HERE.

Grab a printable handout of this seating chart!

~Charity

See ALL the Seating Chart options HERE.

The post Classroom Seating Chart: Stadium appeared first on Organized Classroom.

As a child myself, I LOVED doing “MadLibs.” They were a blast and always so funny.

Randomly choosing different words in specific parts of speech always turned into a hoot in the end when the story ended up so silly.

While I didn’t realize it then, I was definitely working on knowing my parts of speech while just having fun.

WHAT?!

I had to know the difference between a noun, an adjective, a verb, a counting number, and so on. Having that informal practice in the disguise of a game really helped solidify those concepts.

Using Simple Games to Reinforce Concepts

Along with basic fill-in-the-blank stories, lots of other basic games are perfect for review concepts in the classroom:

Around the World: I love this for math flashcards. One student starts next to another student in the room and you pull math flashcard from the back. Whoever wins moves to the next person and the one who does not sits in that chair. he goal is to get all the way back to your own seat.

Sparkle: Students love this game mainly because they get to sit on top of their desks until they lose. The teacher starts on one side of the room and gives the first student a spelling word. If he or she gets it correct, they get to stay on top of their desk. If they get it wrong, they sit in their seat and you give the same word to the next student. If they get it correct, they get to stay on top of their desk and you give the next word to the next student. Play continues until either only one student is still on top of their desk.

You might want to check out:

Need some new ideas for hosting successful classroom celebrations?  This 416 page digital book has you covered! Includes 61 ad-free articles from Organized Classroom, including holidays such as:

• Groundhog Day
• Winter
• Black History
• Valentines Day
• St. Patricks Day
• Earth Day
• Spring
• Mothers Day
• Memorial Day
• Summer
• Independence Day
• Fall
• Halloween
• Thanksgiving
• Christmas

…and even more!

Now available in our Shop!  And the second copy to share with a friend is half price!

See it HERE.

Flashlight Vocabulary: Write several current vocabulary words on the board and have student form 2 team lines. The front student in each line gets a flashlight (I like to color the lenses with dry erase markers so it is easier to see who has what) and you say the definition. The first team to get their flashlight on the word gets a point and that student goes to the back of the line. Keep continuing until one team gets to X amount of points.

Higher or Lower: One of my all time faves! It works perfectly in the hallway or as a quick time filler. You begin with saying aloud: “I am thinking of a number between 0 and 100.” The first student farthest away from you in the room gets to guess and you say “(the number they chose) is (higher or lower) than my number.” Then I usually let that student pick the next – with the requirement that boys pick a girl and girls pick a boy. Play continues until someone correctly guesses the mystery number. This game can also be modified depending on your students’ abilities. Make the number 0-10 if needed or even 0-1,000,000. I’ve done both.

Tic-Tac-Words: On the board make a large tic-tac-toe board and place random letters – one in each of the 9 spaces. Make sure to use popular letters and at least 2 different vowels. Then, have students grab a piece of paper and give them 5 minutes to write as many words as they can come up with from the letters in the grid. I like to award a winner for the most words (non-repeating) and another who comes up with the longest word.

And of course if you loved doing MadLibs as a child like me, you will love this set of two fall themed silly story worksheets to use with your own students!

Directions to Use:

1. Pair up students.  Give each pair 2 different stories.
2. Partner A verbally asks Partner B for words to fill in each of the blanks – without reading the rest of the story.
3. Repeat with the opposite story and partners switch roles.
4. Students take turns reading their completed stories aloud to one another.

Hope this gets a fun laugh from your students and brightens up your day as well!

Click here to email your freebie

What are some of your favorite basic review games that “trick” students into learning without a fuss? We would love to hear in the comments below!

Enjoy!

~Charity

The post Silly Stories Fall Freebie! appeared first on Organized Classroom.

The best part?  You can even customize your solution to match your classroom theme and colors! 

The only items you will need will be wrapping paper cardboard tubes, duct tape, and some small binder clips.  Let’s have some fun!

If you haven’t heard about the awesome new duct tape sheets, you are missing out! 

You could use regular old duct tape rolls for this project, but honestly, the sheets are super easy and you will have far fewer creases in the finished project. 

Either one will work though!  I was able to find mine at my local big box stores (I actually went to 2 because the selection in one was pretty picked over, so make sure you get yours before they are out of stock!)

You might want to check out:

Need some new ideas for organizing your classroom storage?  This 83 page digital book has you covered!

Includes 13 ad-free articles from Organized Classroom, including topics such as:

• Student Cubbies
• File Folder Game Organization
• What to do with old office furniture to maximize your storage
• Ideas for Student Headphone Storage

…and even more!

Now available in our Shop!  And the second copy to share with a friend is half price!  

See it HERE.

Just take one sheet of the duct tape and only peel enough backing off one of the long sides to get the tape started onto the cardboard tube. 

I learned this the hard way – if you try to take the entire sheet off and then stick it on, it will curl and stick to itself and then it is a huge tape mess. 

So, after getting a small amount on the tube, pull the white backing off in one direction, while turning the tube in the opposite. 

No air bubbles, comes off easily, and it is lined up perfectly!

My tubes took 3 sheets of duct tape a piece, and then there was a smidgen left over at the bottom. 

You could easily use some ribbon or other embellishment – or even cut off the end at that point, but since I am neither crafty nor a straight line scissors whiz, I decided to cut another piece of tape and add it to that bit on the bottom. 

If you flip the duct tape sheets over, there are super handy grid lines for those of us that would normally need a ruler and a pen to cut that line straight!

Viola!  I have 3 completely covered tubes in less than 10 minutes flat!

Last step, use small binder clips to hold the tubes together. 

You can find patterned ones, plain ones, or regular black clips.  Whatever matches your desire and your style! 

I thought about using clear tape to connect them, but decided in the end, that the tape would not look as nice and now I can take them apart for easy moving as well! 

Make sure to clip the top end and the bottom end.

You are done!  You can choose whether you need more or less. 

I decided on at least 3 so that they would stand up easily, but even 5 or 6 would also be great! 

I stored my meter/yardsticks in mine.  Pointers or even small posters would also work.

What would you use yours for?  Share with us below!

Want some handy labels to place on your new tall and narrow holders? Download these below for free!

Click here to email your freebie

~Charity

The post Organize the Straight and Narrow appeared first on Organized Classroom.

This puts students in a set-up where the can see easily, and it allows them to have a different view of the room.

How else could you use this seating arrangement in your classroom?  Feel free to share in the comments below!

You might want to check out:

Want an AD-FREE resource book of all seating charts in one easy-to-print format?  188 pages in total!  Now available in our Bookstore!  And the second copy to share with a friend is half price!  

See it HERE.

Grab a printable handout of this seating chart!

~Charity

See ALL the Seating Chart options HERE.

The post Classroom Seating Chart: The Big X appeared first on Organized Classroom.