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Back to School Classroom Hacks
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Hi, friends! Operation back-to-school is in full swing, and I am slowly counting down these last few days of summer vacation! As I was setting up my room, I got to thinking about a few classroom hacks that are sure to make setting up for back-to-school a little easier for you too!
Back to School Classroom Hacks
If you all have lockers, you will love this first tip! After I laminate my locker tags, I adhere them to the lockers using rubber cement. Simply cover the back of the tag with the rubber cement. Then, position the tag on the locker. Easy peasy!
This is so much easier than trying to cover them with clear contact paper, and the rubber cement keeps them sticking to the locker all year long. Plus, the tags are easy to remove. Simply peel them off and rub the rubber cement with your hand to remove the left over residue. I usually have the kiddos help me roll off the rubber cement at the end of the year. They think it is just the coolest thing ever!
My second tip is for all of you (myself included) OCD teachers out there! This tip comes from my coworker’s classroom. She uses zip ties to keep her desks in straight rows!
Recommended Resources:
First Day and First Week of Back to School Activities and Crafts Bundle
Classroom Rules & Expectations | First Week of Back to School | Classroom Management
Back to School The Kissing Hand Craft First Day Feelings Graph and Activities
No more desks that are out of order, no more straightening them a million times throughout the day, and no more marking the floor with tape!
This last tip will help save your sanity when working in your journals, writing notebooks, reading notebooks, composition books, etc. A few years ago, my coworker showed me how she uses binder clips to help the kiddos keep track of which page they need to turn to next.
You all, this is genius! I no longer have kiddos flipping to the middle of their journals and having their journal entries out of order. Thank you!
AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST…
Your students are sure to have fun with this “Backpack Boogie” ten frame center! Place these ten frame cards around the room. The students will “boogie” around the room and count the backpacks. Then, they will color and write how many backpacks are on each ten frame. Click below to grab this FREEBIE!
I hope you were able to find some useful classroom hacks!
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Ashley Sharp
As a dedicated Kindergarten teacher for nearly 20 years, I believe the words “fun, play, and creativity” can sit right alongside the words “developmentally appropriate, engaging, and rigorous.” Learning is meant to be fun and messy!
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47 responses to “Back to School Classroom Hacks”
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I need to use the zip tie trick! My kids desks are all over the place this year!
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My coworker swears by it! Her desks are always perfect! 🙂
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I LOVE any type of gift card as a gift!
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I am so sorry I forgot to change the question on the rafflecopter, Susan, but thanks for leaving a comment! 🙂
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My favorite teacher appreciation gift is a TpT gift certificate!
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Sorry I forgot to change the question on the rafflecopter, Kathy, but YES, TpT gift certificates are definitely my favorite too!
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These tips were fabulous!
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Thank you! I love any kind of teacher hack that will help make back to school easier!
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My favorite tip is to use the flair pens in all your grading. It helps make grading fun!
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Flair pens are my favorite! Just bought a fresh pack for a new year!
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You have lots of great ideas! Thanks!
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Thank you so much! My coworkers and I have been doing them for so long that they're really kind of a habit now! 🙂
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I love the use of clips on notebooks so they know exactly where to turn. You can also hot glue a bookmark to the back of the notebook. Love using both of these.
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Thanks, Beverly! I like the ribbon idea too, especially if you want to color code your notebooks with colored tape along the spine!
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prep as much as you can in June ,so you're ready when the laminator breaks in august!
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AMEN! It either breaks or runs out of laminating film every year!
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Hot gluing tacks onto clothespins is an easy way to switch out artwork or anchor charts an keep your bulletin board looking new.
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I have been wanting to do this for years! I am still trying to find a big enough space to fit a "Wow Work" board. I wondered if they would hold an anchor chart. Thanks for the tip!
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I hot glue my kid's pictures onto old rectangular magnets ( the kind you get from insurance companies) and I hang up their work with their author photo. The kids love it!
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This sounds so cute! What a perfect use for all of those rectangular magnets! I'll have to start collecting them now!
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I go in early, one week before preplanning starts, to get a head start on setting up my room. This works great, as my school encourages it & it makes preplanning go so much more smoothly.
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I totally agree! I spend most of August getting my room ready just so I can spend one day planning the first week of school. It's amazing how much work goes into getting your classroom ready for another year!
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Use felt as an easy dry erase eraser for kiddos dry erase boards!
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I haven't tried felt, but I've seen tons of other teachers use it for dry erase erasers! I will definitely be giving them a try once my regular erasers go bad!
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I know it's pretty common knowledge but I have one folder for homework and one folder for classwork! Keeps desks tidy and communicates with parents what the child is doing and what the school is doing! I also use hand signals for basic necessities so that I cut down on the number of interruptions while I'm teaching.
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I will be incorporating hand signals this year! I can't wait to see how much they improve classroom management and transitions!
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Use hot glue on painter's tape if you need to cover cabinets or walls.
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Great idea! I'll have to remember that one! Thanks!
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I also zip tie my desks!!
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They are an OCD teacher's dream! 🙂
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What an exciting blog hop!! My back to school tip would be to have "Scrap Baskets" at your tables. This way when the kids are doing cutting activities, the scraps of paper don't go all over the floor or the table. It's like a mini garbage can for the table where the kids put all of their cutting scraps into. Then my table captain (the person responsible for the table supplies and collecting papers for the table) will empty out the basket at the end of the activity and put the basket away. Happy back to school time everyone:-)
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Clips on the notebook are amazing!! Thanks for the tips! Do you use the rubber cement on desk tags too?
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I use the binder clips and they make life so much easier
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I use binder clips with students names on them to label their cubbies.
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Our school color codes subjects (black is Math, blue is Language Arts, etc.) from 1-8 to help students stay organized. Everyone uses these colors for notebooks, folders, and book covers.
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I love to use glue sponges so students don't overuse the amount of glue.
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I love paper clips on a calendar! Great tool when dont have a pocket chart.
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Color coding papers to keep organize!
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Love the binder clip tip!! I will for sure be trying that out!
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Keep a positive attitude!
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using notebook rings to hang up smocks
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Teacher Hack: Having a "New Student" bag ready to go with all the necessary forms and information needed to be sent their way.
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I really need to try the zip ties- it drives me crazy when my kids' desks are scattered! Thanks for the giveaway 🙂
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Great ideas! Where did you find the spiral notebook with the picture box on top and lines on the bottom? Thank you!
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Zip ties or tie wraps as we electricians call them can be very sharp where cut if not trimmed as closely as possible or twisted with lineman’s pliers to remove excess! Kids in your classroom could suffer nasty cuts when they contact these items.
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Nice post!
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Frankly, I guess such posts should be printed
more and more because of the current situation and modern needs of the
Millenials. I eagerly read them to get some new information that will correspond to your own requirements.
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