Do you know what made me become a frequent Dollar Tree shopper? It was when I became a classroom teacher! I needed to get my room ready for my first year of full time teaching and I didn't have much to go on for a budget. Stocking up on book bins, office supplies, and classroom decor all for $1 was my golden ticket. 

MEMORY BOOKS:
What happens when you've been sucked into buying ALL the blank books in Target's Dollar Spot and you discover them stashed in a drawer at the end of the year. Well.... use them with my End of Year Memory Books of course!

If a book  I think EVERY elementary school teacher should own, it would have to be "The Giving Tree" by Shel Silverstein. The way this book unfolds and the messages it holds makes it timeless and ageless. If you've never read it (is that even possible?!) this book tells the story of a boy who finds comfort and shade from a special apple tree. As the boys grows older, his needs become greater and the tree offers her apples for selling, her branches for lumber, and her stump for a boat. At the end the tree is merely a stump. There are so many ways to interpret this story and it lends well to class discussions about taking & giving, contentment, and cause & effect to name a few. It's also a GREAT discussion for Earth Day! You can grab your own copy of The Giving Tree from Amazon HERE.

Today I'm sharing a simple and budget friendly tip with you! Classroom Rewards that don't cost the teacher any money!! I mean, we already pour our limited teacher salary into school supplies, pretty classroom decor, and fabulous teaching resources from TpT! Why not save a few bucks AND reward positive student behaviors at the same time? ​

Having my students build leprechaun traps must be in my TOP 5 LESSONS ever!!! This unit is filled with so much learning and fun!! When we take time to reflect at the end of the year, this one goes in the memory books. It even garnered attention from the Kinders that were heading my way the following year. Yeah. It's THAT good. 

Do your students go crazy over the popular Elephant & Piggie series by Mo Willems?! I've been wanting to create some useful resources for a LONG time, because when kids love it, you KNOW you need to capitalize on that in the classroom! And it doesn't hurt that I love the series just as much!! So I've put together an entire WEEK of Elephant and Piggie NO PREP/LOW PREP resources and activities that you can use in the K-2 classroom! Let's take a closer look at what's included...

I'm so excited to share this collection of pictures with you today! When I created my Tropical Classroom Decor Bundle, I never dreamed how so many teachers would bring it to life in such a beautiful and inspiring way! I mean can we just stop and appreciate how Allie from @thirdgradeparade used my set in her welcome area below. It's truly breathtaking!!!

Does anyone else get giddy over making Valentine's Day boxes at school?!?! It has to be one of my favorite things to do during February. One year, we were short on time and so I had the students make their boxes at home and bring them into school. There were so many creative boxes showing up, like the one shown above!

Do you ever spend an immense amount of time searching for resources to use in your classroom for an upcoming topic or theme only to find they aren't exactly what you need? Or am I the only one??? Don't get me wrong, I've purchased products on TPT that were perfect! There have even been a few times I've purchased something that went above and beyond. But there have also been many times I've settled on a product or resource and then spent even more time trying to MAKE it work for my classroom. This, right here, is exactly why I created a blank template series for teachers... EDITABLE TEACHER RESOURCES.