Think Outside the Box! Top Teacher Gift Ideas! (2018 Edition)

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As the school year winds down, I am refreshing my Teacher Gift list for 2018. This list is perfect to turn to if you need a gift for a teachers or for graduates of teaching school. Are you ready to nix the normal mug, stationary, key chain list? Well get ready and look into the world of gift boxes… subscription gift boxes that is.

These boxes are so easy! You can simply send them to your house and hand it to the teacher  or surprise the gift by sending it to the address of the school (or their own home if they are willing to give up their privacy!)

Here is my foxy, boxy, top 10 box gift list:
Remember when you were young and loved getting mail? When this comes in mail/ your teacher opens it, they will go NUTS! This box is my absolute favorite gift to give to teachers! A box is $49.99 but with my code (see link above) you will receive $10 off making it $39.99!  The Fab Fit Fun box  has so many awesome goodies that are perfect right in time for the summer. Everything is included from makeup to jewelry and I couldn’t wait to get my box in the mail. Check out what I received in my box:

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Happy Mother’s Day!!!

It is no surprise that Mother’s Day closes out Teacher Appreciation week!

Today we celebrate all of the hardworking mother teachers. Too often teachers are like mothers to their students coupled with raising their own family once they get home. They miss their own children’s mothers day events, parent teacher conferences and plays just to be at work with their students.

“Here’s to strong women – may we know them. May we be them. May we raise them.”

Happy Mothers Day

 

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“I appreciate your teaching SO MUCH oh by the way…

I need a recommendation (for college, my summer internship, my clothing store application…”

This is always the week students ask me for recommendations for the summer and for next year! They think they can butter me up during teacher appreciation week and then come to me for a recommendation… and they are RIGHT! I always give in!!

Does this happen to you too teachers?!!

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Happy New Year!!

Have a happy and healthy new year to all our favorite teachers!! We can’t wait to share more teaching tips with you in 2018!!
It’s time to break out your best teacher moves tonight because we are back to the grind on Tuesday!!

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History Class Can Be Fun!

Here are ten ways to make your history class more engaging and more interactive!

Pop-Up Cards:   Have students create historical greeting cards.  Great for Valentine’s Day!   Pop – Up Cards

Mannequin Challenge:  Need some peace on a Friday afternoon?  Try a Mannequin Challenge. m The Mannequin Challenge – for the Classroom

Flipgrid Discussion:  Have students make a quick video to answer a prompt or give an opinion with this free tool.  ”Back to School with Flipgrid

Play – Doh Pictograms:  Great for a lesson on ancient civilizations.   Play-Doh is Power

Speed Networking:   Modern day networking with historical figures.   Speed Networking in the Classroom

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Play-Doh is Power

Working with teenagers on Friday afternoons can be difficult but I decided to spice things up this week with my lesson on the early river valley civilizations. My students jumped out of their chairs and cheered when I told them they would each receive their own “Play-Doh ” – no longer just for toddlers!  I had them create their own names and pictograms in cuneiform.

Thank you to the Penn Museum for inspiring this activity!  First I had my students go to their website: https://www.penn.museum/games/cuneiform.shtml    They were asked to write their own names down in their notebooks in cuneiform as shared by the website.
Then I gave each student an individual Play-Doh (see below) and a popstick (since reed stylus pens were not available like they were in Sumer 🙂 ).
I found an entire 33 pack of Play-Doh at my local Amazing Savings for $8.99 but you can also find them at Walmart here: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Play-Doh-Ultimate-Rainbow-Pack/24537163
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Students carved their names in cuneiform into the Play-Doh.   They were smitten!
To extend the activity I asked them to make their own pictograms in the playdough and have other students guess what the words meant (in groups of four students). We then discussed the origins of writing and what the advantages were for a civilization to use writing vs pictograms.  A great discussion on emojis emerged and how difficult it could be to use a pictogram to communicate via text message!
They walked out the classroom high fiving me and smiling.  Job well done for the week.  I plan to have my students do an abridged version next week with hieroglyphics! Play-Doh can be powerful in the classroom. Have you tried out this activity?
Here are some of the fun Play-Doh creations!
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The Mannequin Challenge – for the Classroom

I have been waiting all year to try out the Mannequin Challenge in my classroom! Finally I had the opportunity this week to get my students to “freeze in time” for this awesome task.

The Mannequin Challenge was a trend that spread across the internet asking people to freeze in a particular moment in time usually while a camera captures the moment. I chose to participate without the camera. Here’s how you can too.

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SUCCESSFUL SNOW DAY SUGGESTIONS!

It’s a snowy day here in NY and the schools are closed wooohooo! Looking for something fun to do? Here are five fun ideas to try on this blistering day…

  1. Try a read aloud of The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats. The snow is falling and this book will keep your little ones entertained as they check out this animated tale. http://www.ezra-jack-keats.org/read-aloud/the-snowy-day/’ Prefer a hard copy for the next snow day? Grab one here!
  2. Use this snow day calculator to predict if you will be off any more days this school year: https://www.snowdaycalculator.com/calculator.php (I’m guessing NO! If you are in NYC 🙂 )
  3. Make snow angels inside or outside to Music for Aardvarks & Other Mammals – Blanket of Snow song. Watch the snow come tumbling down outside your window and sing along to this cute tune. Here’s a rendition by a local artist Jams with Janet if you don’t have spotify: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQoCx8WUCBAWant the whole album? (I’m obsessed!) Get it here!
  4. Check out a local museum or childrens coffee spot. Those tend to be open on Snow Days to keep your kids entertained! I like the American Museum of Natural History

    www.amnh.org/ or The Childrens Museum of Manhattan/ Brooklyn/ Staten Island (for you NYers) http://cmom.org/.

     

  5. Go sledding!!! Grab a tray or a sled and head out to the closest hill and enjoy the fluffy white snow. Let us know what you are up to this perfect snow day! I’m about to warm up some hot cocoa, make some pancakes and play some board games!

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Wingding – Dong!

I LOVE the Wingdings font! It is such fun and you probably already own it!  It comes free with Microsoft Office, so give it a try!  Select Wingdings in the font box when you are in Word or PowerPoint and starting typing to see all the cool possibilities.

Check out the video below from the PowerPoint gurus over at Nuts and Bolts Speed Training to see how easy it is to create icons for all your presentations and handouts!

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Teaching is in our soles (of our shoes!)

soles-of-our-shoesTOP 5 TEACHER SHOE IDEAS

EQUIP YOUR FEET TO ENSURE TOP PERFORMANCE WITH TOP COMFORT!

I decided I needed to do a little shoe shopping over the Christmas break because my feet were KILLING me in December from all that standing and walking around while teaching.  My feet feel much better in this New Year. Don’t suffer with sore feet anymore in the classroom!

Here are my Top 5 Shoes for Teachers:

5. Cheetah Ballerina Flats

I always like to wear a cute pair of shoes on the first day of school. But by the end of the month I am all about comfort! This is where my ballerina flats come into play.

Coming in 5th place cheetah ballerina flats. You can find them in any shape or style and I they go with EVERYTHING not to mention are very comfortable. I like to give a little flair to my accessories so I love these Cheetah print flats. Very easy to slip on and off and provide support to my achy feet! There are two different price variations I have provided based on your budget! Cheap  as in $12 cheap… vs. More Expensive.

 vs. more expensive  

4. Classic Cognac Loafers for the Fellas

Fellas I didn’t forget about you. Classic Cognac Shoes. Perfect coupled with that gingham button down, a sweater and jeans. Light on your feet and comfortable. My husband walked by as I was writing this post and asked me to send him a link to buy these shoes. Trust me!



3. Elevate your teaching with a Pump

Sometimes aka parent teacher conferences, us teachers have to step up our game. This is when I switch over to a comfortable dress pump. Anne Klein is my go-to for all my “pump” related shoe needs. I have worn these to teach in, as a wedding attendee and for the holidays. I like a basic black or a nude or  black and white checkered pump.

 

  

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