I love tips that make me say to myself, “Holy cow, I’ve never thought of that before!” That’s why I’m a sucker for those lifehack lists people share on Facebook. Clean your keyboard with a sticky note? Sounds great to me! Transform a pants hanger into two chip clips? I’m on it! Keep your boots upright with pieces of a pool noodle? Awesome!
I’ve found some stellar tips on our Pinterest “Tips and Tricks” board. It’s packed with good ideas to make your life easier! Here are two my current favorites:
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Use inexpensive plastic plates as portable dry-erase boards. Simply give each youngster a plate, a wipe-off marker, and a sock as an eraser. (Idea from kindercraze.com.)
- When you decide it’s important for students to be quiet, pass out quiet critters. Take them away from students who talk. At the end of the activity, anyone who still has a quiet critter gets a prize or point. (Idea from teachingchick.blogspot.com.)
Enjoy!
Kim
I absolutely love these ideas and the others you mentioned in this article. I love hacks too! Do you have a page of your own to read more tips and ideas? I would like to request receiving more tips like these please. 🙂
I use Quiet Critters but don’t offer an extra reward for not losing them. The reward is that they get to keep it on their desk until the activity is over and they can pet it a few times before they put it back in the jar. It works for first graders, at least.
I love the Quiet Critters! I’m new to 1st grade, and I like Cheryl’s strategy: the reward is keeping it on your desk for a while.