Let's Get Organized Linky Party!

Hello, friends! This week we have been discussing how to get organized for a new year. I shared tips on creating a teacher binder, cleaning out your space and arranging your room! Today, I would love to hear your ideas! Simply create a new post or grab an old one with your great organizational ideas and link it up here. You can even share your must have organization product for a new year.  Next, grab the button to share on your post. All there will be left to do is grab a pen and paper to write down all of the fabulous ideas that you can use! All of the links will be pinned to the Learning 4 Keeps Pinterest board to save for the future! Let's link up!

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Tips to Cleaning Out Your Classroom {Let's Get Organized: Part Two}

Hello, friends! Today, we will continue our series on getting organized for a new school year. Recently, I was helping a friend clean out their space to get ready for a brand new and exciting year. As we worked, I was reminded of how we as educators like to keep EVERYTHING because we "may use it later." I remember keeping a shelf of resources  stuff  junk (there is really no other way to say it) that I never touched but couldn't seem to bring myself to do anything about it! I thought I would share a few tips on how to reorganize the clutter for a brand new year!

1.  Be brutally honest! 

This may seem a bit strange but sometimes we just need to be brutally honest with ourselves. It is step number one in cleaning out your space. Are we really going to use that box of copy paper? Now, before you answer in the affirmative, let me explain that this kind of paper is the type to be threaded into the old printer machines. You know the type: wide pages and strips of holes down each side. Yep! That box... the one that has taken up space in the bottom corner of the bottom shelf because we just KNEW we would use it... like 6 years ago. That box...

In this situation, I would explain the value of space. Space, especially storage space, is a hot commodity in a classroom. There seems to never be enough of it, especially when we fill the room with little bodies and their mountains of supplies. See each shelf and cabinet as valuable! Seek to maximize each area with something that will benefit you or your kiddos. If that paper is something you truly want to use (it can come in handy for art activities!) take the paper OUT of the BOX and place it on the art shelf. This will ensure that you see it and use it. It then becomes valuable.

2.  Create a few piles! 

When going through a cabinet, closet or shelf, create a few piles to organize what you have. I begin by placing my must haves in a stack. These are my current teacher manuals and curriculum resources. As I begin to sort the rest of my things, I place anything I find of most importance into this stack.

Next, I create a want to use stack. This might be items like project ideas (say from TPT lol) that I would like to use that year! This would be filed in binders or placed in hanging files. Personally, I would organize these resources by month of use. For instance, my Valentine projects or printables would be placed in a February folder or binder. 

This leads me to another tip, go through the paperwork! Those files in the cabinet are of no use to you if you don't know it is there! Do yourself a favor and take an afternoon to go through it. It is a mundane task that easily becomes exciting when you stumble on a project that you haven't thought about for two years! While going through paper work, here is a neat trick: keep one of those portable hanging files and a box of manila folders next to you.  Label the manila folders by month, holiday, or subject; whatever is logical for you. As you clean out the cabinet, store one copy of any finds in this bin and place the remaining copies in a corresponding file in your filing cabinet. This bin could then be kept on or near your desk and would give you a quick reference as to what you have filed away in that huge cabinet.

Now, back to our piles! Next, create a cool but not practical pile. You know, the old teacher manuals or blackline masters that teach skills in a very different way. At one time, I had old blackline master books fill an entire shelf that I never had the time to use. They were my personal books that I had picked up through the years. These just took up space, which again is valuable! Take a moment to follow tip #1 and then take the next step: donate them to someone who CAN use them. Give them to parents of a child who is struggling with a skill. Let them work together through the book at home. See if the specialists in your school could use them or perhaps other teachers. Give them to homeschool co-ops or groups in your area. Tutoring programs could even use them! Make your goal a simple one: place resources into hands that will use them, even if they are not your own.

3.  Don't be afraid to use the big round can that we affectionately call the trash can!

Lastly, create that junk pile; better yet, just keep the garbage can handy. Purge yourself of stuff that nobody can use. That bin of markers that you have had on the art supply shelf all year. Yeah, the one that students have to go through five markers before finding one that even remotely writes! Dump it and move on! That stack of construction paper that has faded, changed colors, been ripped down the side... dump it and move on! Again, space is valuable! 

4. Don't forget the little things.

Many times we focus on the big things that aren't organized, closets for example. However, many times our stress is induced from the little things! Cluttered desk drawers have made me want to beat my head against a wall more times that I can count! Whether it means using a silverware drawer for your pens, pencils and markers or even placing small bins inside your drawers, find ways to organize the little things. Pinterest is a fabulous resource for this as so many wonderful professionals have found great ways to get their personal space organized. Don't forget about all of those important forms! This is where a Teacher Binder comes in handy. I wrote about the all important Teacher Binder yesterday in Let's Get Organized: Part One. 

5.  Don't keep too many personal items in your room.

When I began teaching, I wanted to make my classroom my home away from home. My desk had three framed pictures with a cutesy lamp and decorations. It was about day three that I realized, this will not work! You see, I quickly found out that my job was just that... a job! Paperwork, books, parent contacts, student folders, lunch money... these are just a few things that floated across my desk. Pictures got lost in the shuffle and my desk felt crowded! It was then I decided to find other ways to remember my kiddos and their handsome daddy. I created a slideshow to play across my screen during inactivity. I had a small board that I placed magnetic frames for cute sayings that I loved. Decoration can be added with colorful cloth around the table or desk but I didn't need to use the top shelf of my room like I would a decorative ledge in my home! Again, space is valuable! 

I also found that I needed help with all of those precious pictures and gifts from my kiddos. Here are a few ideas on what to do with them and cut down on clutter. 

• Snap a picture with the gift and gift giver! Scrapbook it and keep the memory. 
• Use push pins to attach a few page protectors to a bulletin board behind your desk. Then simply choose a different student's artwork (perhaps the student of the week?) to place in that page protector. You could then file the old pages away as you replace them. This honors the students for their kindness and helps to eliminate the wall of pictures that are taped across the wall in no apparent order.
• Do you have tip? We would love to hear them!

I want to leave you with this thought: clutter causes stress, stress causes anxiety, and anxiety makes for a cluttered teaching mind which leads to... you guessed it! More clutter! A cluttered room becomes a time stealer and a space snatcher. So let's take the time now to declutter and prepare for a smooth new year! Tomorrow, I will be continuing this series on Let's Get Organized by explaining how to organize your room into stations!

{NEW} Teacher Binder Resources (Let's Get Organized: Part One)

Hello, friends! This week I am kicking off a new series on Let's Get Organized! You will find resources, ideas, tips, and techniques to get your classroom ready for a new adventure. Make sure to come back each day this week and then join up with a fun organizational linky party on Friday to share your tips!

Today is all about getting the teacher organized utilizing a teacher binder. This binder can be one large one or even a group of smaller binders. You can use cute dividers to break up your sections of forms, grades, lesson plans, and more. The great thing about binders instead of those little books from the teacher store is that you can add to or take away! You make it what you need it to be. Place them on your shelf or across your desk for quick reference. There is no better feeling than knowing exactly where a form is when a parent or principal is waiting on you to deliver it.

A teacher binder has been my project today and all I have to say is: somebody stop me! It has been on my to-do list for about a month and and I am happy to say that I have finally finished! I have created it so far in three different themes and oh..my..goodness... They are so much fun! They have anywhere from 100-125 pages. They include cover pages, forms, charts, grade sheets, attendance records, lesson plan forms, calendars... the list goes on! Take a peek and just click the link for a better look!

Last, but not least:

Tomorrow, we will continue our theme on organization by discussing how to CLEAN OUT what you already have. Have you ever just looked around your room and thought about striking a match? Too much paper, too much clutter, just TOO MUCH! Check back in tomorrow for some tips and tricks for taking charge of the clutter. See you then!

Integrating Home Economics into the Homeschool!

Home Ec... Home Economics... what do you think of when you hear the name?  I think of a classroom full of ovens with girls in aprons burning their cakes. :) Hmmm... would that be circa 1960? You sure don't find those classrooms in our neck of the woods. Sadly, taking care of a home and food preparation are areas often overlooked for young people. But, think about it! We must all live and we must all eat!


Now, lest you think I am Martha Stewart, let me just say that I have often been found lacking myself in the cooking and cleaning department. You might say that I was a bit challenged in both areas when I first married; my husband just simply called me spoiled. I had a fantastic mother who prepared fabulous meals and would allow me to wake up whenever I wanted to on Saturdays. I fondly remember walking out of my room hearing the sound of a vacuum cleaner and sensing the smell of Pine-sol.

I was the child who would love to tackle a page of algebra problems but don't ask me to cut up a chicken! (Thankfully, I can now do both. *grin*) While I worked as a teacher in the classroom, I was out of my house for a great deal of the day. It was not filled with little children from morning to evening so taking care of the house was much quicker, less painful and usually occurred on Saturdays. But, oh my! How that changes when you homeschool. In my home, everyone is responsible for keeping a clean environment and contributes in their own way. Loading the dishwasher, washing clothes, and dusting are all skills that we begin to teach early. I found out a long time ago that I am not Wonder Woman and I don't have to be. There are ten, count them TEN, very capable hands that can work to keep a nice home. But, if it is not exciting for me, it can be pure drudgery for my girls.

Therefore, I have attempted to create a few games to make home economics a bit more fun.

Beat the Song

First is what I call Beat the Song. I simply choose a room and then turn on Pandora. (You could use a CD or any other method of music.) I turn it up and we have to try to get the room completely clean before the song is over, including vacuuming the floors.

Now, there is only one simple rule: All items that are picked up or moved MUST be put where they go! Otherwise, I would have a bedroom floor filled with items found in the living room. Not helping me much! This game has become a hit with my girls, even my preschooler jumps in. You can hear them giggling once it gets towards the end of the song as they dive to pick up the last scraps of paper from the floor.

What's Your Order?

Another game that we have created is What's Your Order? This game allows my girls to practice preparing food as well as service for others. They will prepare a menu of lunch items (whatever we have that day) and then I will act as the customer. One daughter will work as chef and the other as waitress. My third grader will bring me a menu and take my order. She will then tell my sixth grader in the kitchen what I would like before preparing my drink. My "chef" might make me a quesadilla, grilled cheese, or prepare a pizza. She can also whip up brownie cupcakes like nobody's business! My third grader will bring me the food when it is done and then places her own order with her sister. One perk of this process is the communication and cooperation that takes place. It also builds a servant-hood atmosphere as we all seek to help one another without looking for something in return. (Of course, they have been known to slip me a bill including tip. lol)

These are just a couple of ways that I have been seeking to integrate home economics into my homeschool. Do you have any ideas to share that would get kiddos exciting about the mundane tasks of cleaning and cooking? Comment below! I would love to hear them. :)

How to Create Your Own Flap Books

Hello, friends! Today, I decided to share with you something that I am doing with my girlies to create opportunities of review as well as to give creative ways to learn new material. To do this, all you need is a box of plain manilla file folders! Let me show you an example:

This past week, my girls were learning about five categories of animals (mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and invertebrates.) So I decided to have them create an interactive chart of each group, their characteristics, and examples. Since there were five groups, I simply opened the file folder and cut the top cover into five equal sections. (Be sure to stop cutting at the fold!) That was all of the preparation required for us to get started.

Next, I handed each girl a folder. Now there are many ways you can do your titles (print them on your computer or buy cute packs) but I really wanted my girls to practice the spelling of each category. To do this, I handed them a pack of markers and gave them liberty to decorate their labels as they wanted they just had to ensure that each word was spelled correctly.

Lastly, the girls opened each flap to write the characteristics of each category and draw an example of an animal in that category. Here are a few examples of what my girls came up with: (I love the lizard and frog!)

A couple of notes

• It is easiest to lift one flap at a time to write in the information so you can ensure all of the information stays in its section.
• You might want to use crayons or test your markers before finishing the project.  Sharpies and some markers will bleed through the cover making it impossible to write on the back of the flap. Next time, I will have them use different markers so they can draw their example on the back of the flap to save space.

The best part of foldables is the fact that you can make these for any subject and any topic! If you have something that you want your child to remember, create a foldable that they can use to study to prepare for an exam or review.

So what do you do with the foldables when they are completed? We will be filing each foldable in our Knowledge Bank, a file box that will show what we have learned throughout the year. As they are manila folders, I use the little tab at the top to label the foldable. I can then file these by subject in our Knowledge Bank. They will have times throughout the semester to review what is on our Knowledge Bank and then take a review quiz on the information that is filed there. This will ensure that they are retaining the knowledge rather than learning it for a test before forgetting it.

So, next time you have some information that you want your kiddos to remember, grab a box of manila folders! Who knew that such a phenomenal tool was sitting in your supply closet? :) Have a fantastic weekend everyone!