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What would you like to see me demonstrate that you could use in your class rooms as incentives for kids or notes and things for parents...I have a workshop for a bunch of teachers the end of August, my first with this group and I want to really WOW their socks off!!! So all suggestions are great! Thanks, I know I can count on you all for a great list!!! LOL
At the end of every month at my kids school, if they get all their reading minutes turned in and signed by us parents they are allowed to dip into a treat basket( has note pads, pencils, erasers, etc...) could you make a few cello bags with little treat items(from dollar store) as kid incentives for reading! Or at the end of every week we have a communication notebook sent home with each child telling us of issues or whatever could you make covered note pads for parent teacher communication with the childs name on the front so the child knows which one to take at the end of the week!
as a teacher you could alway use a name tag stamp for marking all your books and things. Also the paper cutter is a great classroom tool. The alphabet stamps and letter stamps for the kids to use at "stations" Also are the "teacher" set gone from the new catalog? Those are always good instead of having tobuy stickers all the time
Birthday calendar is useful
if teachers make some type of memory book - doudle sided tape is sooo convient
Also teaching can be soo very stressful sometimes you could sell this as a totally relaxing get away from school
Anyway, are you sure the teachers want to learn stuff that is classroom focused? Or do they maybe want to get away from the classroom and learn a non-classroom hobby? (which of course would be turned into a classroom benefit)
Just a thought.
__________________ "We don't see things as they are; we see them as we are." Anais Nin
Oh they are definitely going to get "Away from the classroom" ideas but the girl hosting wanted some ideas for classroom use as well! SO I figured ask here and get some great ideas! They are all great! Thanks so much!
If you show them how cute & quick a little cello bag treat topper or treat pouch is, they can make their own Christmas goodie bags, and later, their own valentines for each student!
~TexasGrammy
A lot of teachers like to put together gifts for their students for holidays-Halloween, Christmas, Easter, etc. And by using stamping you can save a ton of money by making part of it yourself. Making bag toppers for cellophane bags, decorating white lunch bags to fill, lollipop toppers, etc. It's amazing how stamping can make a lollipop look so much more than just a plain ol' lollipop.
Another thing that one of my friends has done has made covers for her binders for each of the subject area she teachers. That way all of them coordinate and they are so neat!
There is also a lot of decorating things that can be done in the classroom. Many teachers will have student names posted on several things in the classroom (i.e. behavior charts). Stamping names on those look so nice.
The kindergarten teachers at my school teach an oceanography unit so they got they Fishy Friends set to use to compliment their lessons. There are so many sets that could be used to compliment units of study.
I don't know what the mascot of the school is but you could look to see if there is a stamp set with that animal. We are the Gators so when I found out the Animal Valentines was retiring I had to get it. It's great to use for Thank you cards, Happy Birthday cards, Graduation, etc.
Okay, I feel like I've written a novel, hope it's helpful! Glad to hear all worked out with the car! Hope the rest of your day is equally happy!
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Hi Keri!
My very good friend and I teach and we both love to stamp--here's what we have used them for:
1. bag toppers for various uses
2. notes to students
3. graduation, specialty cards, etc.
4. decorated magazine files (the cardboard ones, but just be aware the images wont be clean since you are pressing down on corrugated cardboard-but we love them anyway!)
5. we do all our departments birthday cards! we love it!
6. thank you cards and general cards---we use these a lot!
7. decorated calendars
8. post it note holders
9. composition or small legal pad covers
10. we have also stamped a small chalkboard and on corkboard, and decorated bulletin boards
11. postcards home for a job well done
And we teach 11th and 12th graders! you would not believe how much they like goodie bags, stickers, etc....
We often have workshops after school, and we love whatever our demo does, and I'm sure your teachers will too--good luck!!!!!
__________________ Diana--so many stamps, so little time!
some days you get the bear, and some days the bear gets you!
Oh they are definitely going to get "Away from the classroom" ideas but the girl hosting wanted some ideas for classroom use as well! SO I figured ask here and get some great ideas! They are all great! Thanks so much!
I guess I just have school on the brain, and I want to get away from it! We start Monday, and I spent 12 hours at school (work) yesterday getting things ready! :(
No, I don't teach yet. I work in the office... Anyway, I'm enjoying reading all the ideas. I'll keep them in mind for when I do finally become a teacher! You'll have to let us know what you decide to do, Keri.
__________________ "We don't see things as they are; we see them as we are." Anais Nin
Every year at the beginning of the year I stamp a bookmark for each of my homeroom students (7th ) graders. I also give them a cello bag with pencil, eraser, pen, (school supplies. At holiday time I take our homeroom picture and mountit on card stamped cardstock and put it in one of those plastic frames for a gift. Even though they are 7th graders, they seem to like it.
Are these elementary school teachers? I know these are great ideas, but I teach high school so I don't make gifts for each of my students (that would be about 150 gifts each yea!)
I think the desk calendar would be good, and the personalized name stamps. I agree about the paper trimmer too. any classroom can use one of those! I know I have one at my school!
Maybe some thank you cards too. I send those out to all sorts of people throughout my district for different things. This is especially good for teachers who sponsor clubs (I sponsor the NHS and I have a stack of thank you cards I've made that my kids fill out when they need to).
and even high school kids love a stamp on their paper! and it is so much easier than stickers! But then I'm biased.
How about some of those cute little pencil pouches I've seen recently? I taught first grade for a few years and I was constantly handing out pencils! (what a great door prize!)
*personalized bookmarks - kids love anything with their name on it
*memo cubes
*door hangers (Quiet Testing!)
*incentive charts (each child had a chart and got a stamp if they finished their 'morning work' - a full chart and they could pick from the treat jar)
*covered mini compostition books or memo pads
*beaded pens (since they're all the rage!)
I taught for 8 years in elementary school and I always needed: Christmas, Birthday, Thank You, Get Well, and Valentine Cards for kids & other teachers.
Loved having bookmarks to give away.
I loved anything with an apple on it!
I had a special envelopes for "Loose teeth" that popped out so my 3rd graders could get them home safely for the tooth fairy.
Made notepaper for sending quick notes to other teachers.
I made special cards with the kids names on it for the weekly "job board"...line leader etc.
Have fun!
Michelle
I'm a special Ed assistant and have worked in elementary schools for 11 years now. i just did a workshop or a friend from work and we made a very small version of the candy bag holder. We bought very small ziplock baggies at the dollar store, using a 2 inch wide 10 1/2 inch long piece of CS. I got 4 out of one sheet of CS. We filled the little bags with diferent small candies, folded stamped decorated the front, tied with hemp. They all loved it and said it was the best idea they ever saw. They liked the small size and wanted to adapt it or pretty much every occasion. I have a picture of it in my gallery, it is a Halloween bag holder. The finished size is 2" wide and it stands up to be 4" tall. The tiny zipper bags measure 2" x 3 3/4". You have gotten a lot of really cool and wonderful ideas already. I just thought I would share this one because my work friends loved it so much. It didn't take a lot of time, pretty easy to do and very cute.
I am a teacher too, special ed., I would suggest showing cello bag toppers for
rewards, book marks, and how to make those cool pens (beaded or unbeaded). Teachers are always looking for cute/cheap ideas as reward for their students!! Anything that they could make to use as rewards would be great. Kids would love to have a cool cover for a note pad, and that would be great for all grades!!
Keri,
The pencil pouches mentioned earlier are a great idea. My school does a secret pal exchange among staff members at Christmas. If this school does also, you might include ideas that can be given for inexpensive but cute gift items. I have to save stamped items for the last day so that I don't give myself away.
Karla
Keri, Last year I made a set of Incentive charts with the spots. It was sooo easy to decorate. (Seasonly.) The charts were big, but they were for my friend's first graders.
For my 5th graders I made eyelet and polyshrink bracelets and chokers for the girls for Christmas. They loved the "Princess" stamp! Some of the boys wanted the chokers.
The covered legal pads or post-its would be great for the students to make for their parents as a gift.
Also, Before school starts I buy a class set of 10-cent pocket folders in white, yellow, or kraft brown (The boys' favorites). I wheeled flamingos for the girls this year. Used some glitter. They'll love it! Boys I haven't decided yet. I will stamp their name on it when I know if they have a nickname of not.
No matter what - they have to have an alphabet set w/numbers. Insist!!
If I think of anything else, I'll post.
__________________ ~Jan #6240
"If you have not often felt the joy of doing a kind act, you have neglected much and most of all yourself." A. Neilen
Keri,
I did a couple of parties for teachers last May - they loved the candles with stamped tissue (useful for their volunteers!), bag toppers for their kids, "thank you" notes or personalised stationary for them to use to thank their room moms, volunteers etc, bookmarks and other "cheap and cheerful" goodies that can be easily made and given away.
Goodl uck with this, and let us know how it goes!
Cate
Something my demo had us make a couple of years ago that I have made for my kids' classes (and would have love to have used in my own classroom when I taught) were pencils with shrink plastic charms on them. I stamped a picture of our school mascot (spider--I know, how wierd, but the school is named after a family named Webb) and then drilled a tiny hole right below the eraser all the way through the pencil. Then I used 2 different sizes of jump rings to hang the charm from the pencil. Make sure you use the heavier weight jump rings, for those kids are rough on the pencils and easily twist the charm off if you use the cheapie rings.
They look really cute and you can make them for different seasons. I stamped Girl Scout themed ones for my Brownies last Christmas, too.
__________________ Emily B
"I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love." Ephesians 4: 1-2
Ditto Laura on the beaded pens and memo cubes. Pens are always disappearing, and a fancy beaded one would be easier to keep track of!
I used to teach 1st grade, and a 1st grade reading program. I think stamped alphabet cards using an alphabet set like Pure & Simple (especially Lower Case) would be very useful for making words for students to use in an independent work center. But of our alphabet options, I only think Pure & Simple is appropriate, especially for beginning readers. Others are too confusing.
So, a teacher could stamp a bunch of trading-card sized cards with each alphabet, and then the kids could put them together to make words. (Think spelling words, phonics practice, etc.) Think about demoing vowels in red and consonants in blue (several educational companies do this).
For your demo, maybe you would want to show that the letter cards can be left at a center for kids to create words to match a picture (stamped, of course). For example, "cat", "bat".
Emphasize the versatility in that the teacher can create different card sets as the need arises. For example, for working on blends or digraphs, the teacher can create cards with sp-, pl-, sh-, st-, br-, gr-, -mp.....you get the idea. Students can begin creating words by pairing these with the individual cards.
Teachers in upper grades (I'm talking 3rd, 4th, 5th) might allow students to stamp out spelling words, vocab. words, etc., as a reward!
Also, point out that room mothers would LOVE to get their hands on the stamps to create the cards for the teachers. The teacher gets to keep the stamps, but doesn't have to do the work! And then, the stamps can be used for...whatever...in the future! (If this plan works, you get SU! stamps in the hands of some random room mother or two, and possibly even your name!)
Cool! Wishing I had a schoolteacher demo to do now...
Rhonda N
WOW!! All of these ideas are great! Since I am sooo hoping that this party grows in to subsequent parties, I am going to need lots of suggestions! Knew I could count on you all!
Anyway, are you sure the teachers want to learn stuff that is classroom focused? Or do they maybe want to get away from the classroom and learn a non-classroom hobby? (which of course would be turned into a classroom benefit)
Just a thought.
As a teacher mysellf, I can say that I do like things that are classroom focused. I give away many incentives to kids for all kinds of different reasons (not losing recess all week, turning in homework all week, meeting/exceeding reading goals, etc). Most things I give as incentives (except for candy) has classroom applications or relates to the theme we are using at the time. I have found that kids love stamps (and stamping in general). Even though this is not directly classroom related, it can be integrated into the classroom lessons.
I am an elementary school teacher, so everything I am saying will be from that perspective. There are many things you could show that teachers and students will love. In my room I have several small and very small flower pots. On them I stamped, SHARP, DULL (for pencils), MRS. _______ for the teacher's pencils and pens, ERASERS, DRY ERASE. The words are on the rims of the pots. On the bottom I stamped various images. You could show them how to stamp on pencils or dominos. Also, having a time set up where kids can experiment with stamps and stamp pads is good too. Use the stamps as an incentive. If all week you do (insert idea) then on Friday afternoon I will draw (insert number) names to see who may stamp together. The kids absolutely love it. I stamp "Good job" or "Wow!" on the paper of those kids who make A's on their work.
If you were a teacher...
