2 pages.

Super-easy and inexpensive treat for your students, to welcome them on their 1st day. Children can take home to freeze and eat later, or give students a choice of flavors, freeze at school in the cafeteria so they can be eaten at the end of the day.

1 page.

A quick and easy "treat bag" to make for your students for the 1st day of school.

2 pages.

For a quick and easy back-to-school treat, that can be used for snack time, print off these Welcome tags and attach to a mini box of cereal.

3 pages.

A quick, easy and rather inexpensive treat bag to give your students on the 1st day of school.

15 pages.

Choose a template (PK-highschool) to make a sweet back-to-school bookmark for your students. "You're going to have a grand time in (grade)."

12 pages.

Use these templates to make up your classroom handbook.

Punt With A Scavenger Hunt

One of the sayings I heard from the boys on the football team was, "When all else fails, punt!"  You can do that quite successfully with a scavenger hunt for your Open House or the first day of school. 

Sometimes teachers need a few quiet moments to get their sanity back and have their students doing something to keep them occupied, while they tackle that "paper mountain" of administrative duties on the first day of school. 

Why not go on an alphabetical scavenger hunt?  "Go exploring and you will see, things in our classroom from A to Z!"

These ideas come from my 28-page ABC Scavenger Hunt booklet.  I'm posting the check list as a freebie through the 31st of July.

Here's how:

• Run off copies of my Alphabetical Scavenger Hunt.  Click on the link to view/print it.
• Tell the students that they are going to be ABCDe-tectives!
• Handout a clipboard and  yellow highlighter along with the ABC check list to each student.

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• I've got adorable badges and magnifying glasses in the booklet to make this even more fun and "detective-like".
  

• Review the list with them so that they know what they are looking for.
• Even if they don't know how to read, they should be able to understand and find the picture next to the letter.
  
• When they find an object on the list, they color in the small circle.

• When everyone is done, review the letters of the alphabet again.
• Ask students if they can think of anything else that they see in the room that starts with that letter, like p is for pencil, but there's also lots of pens, paper and pupils in the classroom too!
• Make the sound of each letter as you say the object that they found and call on a child to point to it.

• I have used this list to make 38- Read-Around-The-Room cards too. 
• They can be put up for the scavenger hunt so they can locate the word as well as the object, or you can put them up later, or to save you time, have students put them up as they point to the object.

I always include a cover template for the word cards so that you can run off a set for students to cut, sequence and make into Itty Bitty booklets. 

Children enjoy these "just-the-right-size" books. 

26-upper and lowercase alphabet cards are also included as well as 38-picture cards. 

These can be made into several different kinds of Itty Bitty Booklets or used in a Memory Match or "Find the Pairs" Game.

All the word cards are traceable for handwriting practice.  My Y5's enjoy using a highlighter every chance they get. 

• Sing the alphabet song and allow a child to hold a light-up laser to point to the letters on your ABC border.
• Graph the activity for a math extension.
• When everyone is done, I pass out a certificate of praise for them to write their name on and take home.  These are included in the ABC Scavenger Hunt packet that's only .99 cents.
  

Why not become a Gold Subscription Member and get my entire shopping cart for an entire year at no additional charge + our 40-70 page Apple Bytes newsletter packet each month!

Click on the links to check things out.

My ABC School-Words Dictionary booklet, goes perfectly with the scavenger hunt, as the pictures and words match! 

It's a wonderful activity for students to transition to, after they complete their ABC scavenger hunt.  The dictionary is something that they can work on at their own pace through out the month of September and makes a nice keepsake. 

Students trace and then write the words for a nice fine motor skill and handwriting extension. Both upper and lowercase letters are shown for the perfect letter review as well! Click on the link above to check it out.

Be sure to pop back Friday when I'll tell you about my Open House Scavenger Hunt!

• Here's a tip: Make it a point to check out all the SALES that the office supply stores have during the month of August.
• You owe it to yourself to do this. You know you'll kick yourself later when a teacher tells you that they got THEIR folders for only a penny!
• If you're a first year teacher and haven't heard, here's the news: Office Depot, Office Max, and Staples all have wonderful "loss leaders" during August to launch their back-to-school push. A "loss leader" is something that they stock up on, then offer at a huge discount, to get people to come into their stores. They know that once a tired mom, hauling 5 kids around gets in their store, she'll probably buy everything else she needs. A savvy shopper will not.  YOU be that savvy shopper.
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• Click on any of the links to check them out now.
• Today I ran around for you. So if you live in MICHIGAN and you're reading this the week of Monday, August 16th before Saturday at 9 p.m. the sale prices are good for the week. 
• If you live elsewhere, the above stores all told me that although they are everywhere throughout the US, their sale items and promotions are all different. The best thing to do is to go online and check out their ad specials. Even if you're reading this after the 22nd, Simply click on any of the store names and you can check out their ads to see what is currently on sale.
•  One thing I like about Staples is their PENNY sales! Where else can you buy folders and a pack of 20 pencils for a penny?  The penny sales do require a $5 minimum purchase, which is not hard to meet because of their $1 specials.
• If there's a 'limit" on a featured item, teachers ALWAYS get a "special limit" of 25! THANK YOU Staples.
• Their "Teacher Appreciation Day" this year in MI is this Saturday 'til 2
•  They have a teacher rewards card where you gather points and get a certificate in the mail for a dollar amount off.
• They do have an expiration so don't carry them around in your purse or wallet forever.
• In Grand Rapids, MI this week the "extreme deal" for a  penny are spiral notebooks. Copy paper is also 1¢ after the rebate.
• The dollar deals that were perfect for me were the Crayola 10 - pack bright color markers, the 5 -  pack black Sharpie markers,  and the Crayola colored pencils.
• Again, stores vary state wide. All managers told me to check online first, and if you have to drive a distance, give them a jingle on the phone to make sure they have things in stock.
• Click on the box that says "Weekly add" to see what their specials are in your area.
•  Both Office Depot and Office Max have teacher Appreciation Days and offer some great loss leaders.
• Office Max will double a limit for teachers, however limits are often 3's. You can always ask a manager, but the one I talked with today said the limit came from the corporate office. Office Depot doesn't give a special limit to teachers, but they do a percentage off if you have a teacher's rewards card. Again, it doesn't hurt to ask.
• Office Depot has a Teacher Appreciation breakfast on their Teacher Appreciation Day as well as specials.

• Super Deals at Office Depot this week, clear plastic pencil pouches reg. $1.99 only .5¢ (wow!) limit 3,   Children's Fiskars scissors with a matching colored eraser $1.00 Great color selection.
• Office Depot's Teacher Appreciation Day is August 28th
• When you go Online click their weekly add, you'll get a window to type in your zipcode.
  
• Office Max had their Teacher Appreciation Day yesterday. Sorry.  Sometimes you can go in and ask if they have any left. They were kind enough to give me one today. It was a circle zippered pouch with a bag inside. 
• Super Deals this week at Office Max are:  24 count Crayola crayons for .25¢ limit 3 (teachers can get 6) wooden rulers .5¢ same limits, black or blue 10 - count Bic pens .10 ¢ same limits. They also have some "Buy 2 get one FREE" items going on as well.
• When you go online, there's a place to enter your zipcode to get the specifics for your area.

• The Dollar Tree Store is one of my favorite places to shop! It has more "teachery" things than usual including the durable bags that all sorts of stores are selling now as we "Go Green". These had cute school designs on them including one that said Project Bag.
• When I taught 1st grade I sent Busy Bags home with my students. They couldn't wait for their turn to take home the Guess-ti-mate Jar bag, the Bear bag, the Pattern bag, etc. I'll write more about Busy Bags in another Blog.
• I know stores vary, but ours had a plethora of brightly colored tubs and square boxes that are perfect for table caddies for supplies. They had borders, posters, die cuts, journals, certificates, stickers, stamps, art  supplies, K & 1st grade workbooks, to name just a few items. 
• Our store also has little aprons. I bought a few. Not just for the dress up box, but for my Class Helper of the Day.
• I don't mess with a calendar filled with Helpers of the Day. I stopped that after my 1st year of teaching. I just didn't like all the work that entailed. Trying to remember who had done what job, remembering to change it before I went home, when I was half brain dead.
•  Now I have one special person of the day who gets to do all of the jobs. I have a Mystery Envelope that I laminate. Each child has a name card like the ones that I have on their tables.  I slowly slide the child's name out letter-by-letter 'til someone finally recognizes it is them.
• The only job that they don't get to do is Snack Helper. The person who brought the snack is the helper for that and they get to choose a friend.
• So if you haven't visited a Dollar Store lately, as Shakespeare would have said: "Hi thee hence! And get thee to a Dollar Store" You'll have fun.
• Toys R Us has some cute and unusual supplies, but no super dollar deals. If you  are buying a backpack for your own children they have a nice selection of popular characters and you get a lunch box /bag free with a purchase of one. .
• Target has the small Elmer's Squeeze Bottle School Glue for .25¢ a bottle, Glue Sticks 3 for only .25¢ the clerk told me there was no minimum as she said a customer the day before bought over 100!
• They also have Crayola Crayons 24 count for .25¢ no minimum for them either.
• I always find some cool things in their Dollar Deal bins too.
• Meijers is also a big regional chain store. Their loss leaders this week are .15¢ pocket folders and  .15¢ spiral notebooks. In the past when I've told them that I was a teacher and needed 25 of something they graciously let me have a higher minimum.
• Wal-Mart has the plastic pencil boxes that I use for my treasure boxes for .60¢ and Elmer's Squeeze Bottle School Glue for .25¢ a bottle.
• All of these stores are my "favorite haunts" along with Hobby Lobby,  Michaels Crafts,  JoAnn Fabrics, Schuler Books, & Barnes and Noble. The last 3 give discounts to teachers.  Simply ask to fill out a form.  You need to show a canceled payroll check &/or some other school ID. The 1st two usually have a 40% to 50% off  one  regularly priced item coupon in their weekly online ad.
• I hope you found this info valuable. It will be archived so you can check links quickly.

     Wasn’t it great being healthy all summer? Ever wonder why that is? Well it’s time for back-to-school and I have some thoughts on STAYING HEALTHY, especially if you are a beginning teacher.  Classrooms are breeding grounds for germs. Here are some tips for avoiding the dreaded “bug”.

• I wasn’t too sure about getting a Flu Shot until the year I tried it and didn’t get sick! Now I get both “kinds” each year.
• I take a multi-vitamin. It’s important to read the labels. There’s a zillion kinds out there. So take an age-specific one. I like Centrum Silver or One-A-Day for the older woman because I really do feel they help me feel better. I’ve added Gingko Biloba to help me stay focused too. Someone told me that it’s the only herb that the Alzheimer’s Association recommends. This too, is because I’m getting older and have more often asked myself why I went into this room! Some friends also swear by B12 and vitamin C during the winter months.
• I use the spray disinfectant that our school gives us, on all my tables in the classroom everyday before I go home, and if my students are extra sneezy and coughing I use Lysol. I also wipe the doorknobs, my telephone, and the computer keyboards.
• I use my own Kleenex box that I keep at the back of my desk, out of reach of students. It’s that anti-viral kind that they came out with.
• I have Kleenex boxes in all 4 corners of the classroom, and ask students to please bring a box in along with their school supplies at the beginning of the school year.
• It’s important to get the kids on board. So educate them.
• The minute one child is caught sneezing or coughing, I take that opportunity to STOP everything and teach them all how to sneeze and cough in their elbow. We practice together, and then I positively reinforce that behavior when I see it being done with a candy Smartee. I know some people are against candy, but this is a tiny-quick melting treat that really motivates the behavior I want.
• I tell them how important it is to wash their hands, that germs are on them and that if they don’t wash they can become sick.
• To demonstrate this I put baby powder on my hands and then I go around and touch theirs. We go into our huge supply closet. I turn on my battery-operated black light bar which they think is “way cool”, then I turn off the lights. I tell them to look at all of the germs that are on their hands! The talcum powder just glows! My point is made! Seeing is believing.
• You also have to SHOW them how to properly wash their hands. Don’t take for granted that parents do this.
• Also CHECK children as they come out of the bathroom, don’t just ask them if they’ve washed. If their hands aren’t damp you know they didn’t wash. My Y5’s are always amazed that I know they are “lying”  when I say “ I don’t think so, now get back in there and drown those germs!”
• I tell them to sing the ABC song while they wash. I read somewhere, that one chorus is sufficient to kill all the germs.
  
• Our school installed antiseptic gel dispensers in every room when they read the studies that showed they helped cut illness as much as 50%  I think it was a school nurse that launched this campaign, back when a school could afford one.
• I have my students use them after they use the bathrooms even though I make sure that they have washed their hands. I also have them use them when I see them picking their nose. What is it with that “favorite” habit of every child I’ve ever had! YUK! We also use the “magic soap” before we go to the cafeteria and before we eat our snack.
• If you make sure your students are germ-free you stand a better chance of staying well. I love the foam magic soap that Bath and Body sells. I keep that in my pocket for “special” times and for me to use through out the day. Gold Bond has come out with a cream that’s germ killing which I also love because sometimes all the “alcohol” in the other stuff can dry out your hands.
• Use your own crayons, scissors, pencils etc. This was a hard habit for me to break as I was always sitting down with my students either helping them one-on-one or working with a group. Their supplies were handy and I’d have to get up to get mine. Opt to wear an apron to not only keep your clothes clean, but keep supplies in your pockets.
• This next one is hard too, but probably the most important" DON’T". Try not to touch your face at all, especially your eyes, nose or mouth and especially if you haven’t washed your hands.
• Drink plenty of water. You need to stay hydrated for a variety of reasons. I have a little fridge in my classroom that I keep the children’s’ snacks in as well as my lunch and lots of bottled water. I try and make sure I drink at least 2 bottles each day. Some say you should have 3. On hot days that’s no problem. Taking the time to take a few sips is the problem. I try to keep my students hydrated too by including drink AND potty breaks.
• During the beginning of the school year and in June when it’s hot in Michigan I buy a case of the mini water bottles for my students and let them keep them at their desk. I write their name on the bottom with a permanent marker. They enjoy re-filling them at the water fountain and they think it’s cool to have a water bottle at their desk. It’s also a great fine motor skill to screw and unscrew the caps so we don’t have spilled messes.
• I educate my parents via newsletters to keep their children home when they are sick. That although school is important, this is Y5’s and they are not going to miss anything that I can’t catch them up on. If they’d like to come in and pick up a packet of lessons that we are doing that day,  that is just fine with me. Or if they give me a call, I can send it home with an older sibling.
• I’m also very aware of who is looking pale, and feeling hot, and don’t hesitate to send them to the office to get their temperature taken. My gut feelings are 90% correct and that sick child is then sent home.
• I don’t know about you, but I can’t function without 8 hours of sleep. To stay healthy you need your rest. I also send a note home to parents that their child needs at least 8 if not 10.
• It was very hard for me to leave my room, and not take anything home. Even when I was an aide I’d bring a bag of “stuff” home to do. I remember Mr. W saying: “What are you doing Diane? All I have in my hands are my car keys!” For your health’s sake you have to take your teacher hat off and leave it at school.  and put your mom, wife, or simply your you hat on and go home and RELAX. You need down time to de-stress so that you can recharge for tomorrow.
• I have invested in a nice selection of soothing music that peels me off the ceiling and quiets my jangled nerves and I start playing it right away in the car. Whether it’s a nice hot bubble bath, or a walk in the crisp fall air crunching leaves an breathing in fresh air you owe it to yourself to rejuvenate your mind and body. And you will be healthier and happier for it.
• When you get home change your clothes even if it was casual Friday and you got to wear jeans to school. Who knows what little germies took a ride home on your sweater. Then go wash your hands up to your elbows like the surgeons do, and sing the alphabet song yourself.  Washing your hands under hot water also opens up those little capillaries. More oxygen gets into your bloodstream, and on to your brain and that helps eliminate your aching head too!
• Before you go to bed is not the time to haul out Mailbox Magazine, Idiot Books for computers or anything else that will get you revved up and wide awake. Put on a CD of waves crashing against the shore, spritz some lavender on your pillow, put a hot or cold compress on your eyes, do something that will help you further relax and fall asleep. I try to get ready for bed a ½ hour before I need to fall asleep because I’m usually wired.
• Lay your things out for the morning so that you can remain stress-free. Choosing my outfit and accessories for the next day was a nice “down-time” thing for me to do too. I think I sleep better too knowing that I’m organized.
• If you do get sick, STAY home. Try and remember that although your students love you and will probably miss you, they will survive without you.
• Make sure that you have a great sub-folder already in place especially if you are caught off guard and can’t even function or are in an accident. You can have peace of mind knowing that there is a lesson in there that anyone can teach + all the incidentals for a day with your little ones.
• Check out my substitute tips by clicking on the link.
• And if you don’t…I’m here to rescue you. Grab something off the site and FAX it to your school and your sub can run with it. Or call a teacher friend and have them do it for you.
• When I’m sick I swear by a cup of hot chamomile tea that I drop an Airborne™ tablet in. I don’t care if some people think that product is a placebo or not. When I have a cold it now only lasts about 2-3 days instead of lingering for 7-10. My favorite flavor is apple cider. This product was developed by a 2^nd grade teacher and that’s good enough for me.
• Well that’s it for “Doctor Diane’s” tips.
• I hope you have a super healthy year! I wish you all the best!
• Is there something that works for you? Feel free to comment.