Create Classroom Panda-monium!

Before this school year ends, you should spend some time thinking about next year. I know, you're counting the days. But everything you can accomplish this spring will make the chaos of back-to-school that much easier to manage.  

Are you thinking about changing your classroom decor? If so, consider creating a little PANDA-MONIUM! I've been busy making the most adorable PANDA products. Take a peek ...

Begin with a PANDA style welcome.

In this product you will find every letter of the alphabet on a separate pennant, allowing you to spell out the welcome of your choice. The vowels are repeated on pennants of the opposite color so that you can create a colorful pattern. There are panda pennants and plain pennants to put at the beginning and ending of your message, and/or to separate words. 

Also included are small pennants to use for word wall headers. Each small pennant has the upper and lower case letters.

There are editable frames for words to be added to the word wall and editable pennants for adding students' names or pictures.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Add alphabet and color posters to the PANDA-monium:

They come in 2 sizes; full letter page and 1/2 page. Also supplied are color posters, panda-style.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Create more PANDA-monium with Number Posters. They feature cardinal and ordinal numbers with numerals, number words, ten frames, and tally marks.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Classroom PANDA-monium continues with Math Concepts. These 43 posters provide visual reminders of math concepts in numbers and operations, geometry, and measurement.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

There is more PANDA-monium with these Math Word Wall components:

• alphabet headers

• 243 vocabulary words

• from Splash Math and CCSS

• most with graphics to enhance under-standing

• color coded for grades K-2

• editable word cards

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Put your passion for PANDAS on your class calendar.  Calendar Icons provide everything you need for daily calendar time, including 5 complete sets of date cards.  Mix those cards to create patterns on the calendar, then challenge your class to identify the pattern and predict the next card. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

No classroom PANDA-monium would be complete without these Classroom Signs:

• Nut free classroom
• Fire drill procedures (editable)
• Storm drill procedures (editable)
• A dot is a lot (glue use)
• Be a PANDA Student (traits of successful students)
• Our Travel Plans (how students get to school) clip chart
• Our Birthdays clip charts

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Every classroom needs some parameters. Establish them with these PANDA-monium rules posters. There are 23 rules from which to choose and 5 bathroom rules; all perfect for display.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Stuff your pockets with pandas to display classroom jobs.  This file is editable, allowing you to personalize the student responsibilities in your classroom.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A behavior clip chart can help to create a paws-itively peaceful classroom atmosphere. This product contains everything you need to make a clip chart.

Combine the behavior clip chart with brag tags.  This product provides 42 brag tags in 3 categories: behavior, academics, and special events.  It also has an editable file, allowing you to personalize brag tags for your students.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Finally, you can save some money by getting all of these products in the PANDA-monium Bundle. The bundle is currently on sale!

5 Things to Do With Your Class While You Test Individuals

It's a common problem: what can I do with the other students while I test individuals, especially the first few weeks of school? You are still creating your class atmosphere; still figuring out the range of abilities; still learning their names! So what in the world can you do to keep them busy without using copious amounts of coloring sheets? Here are some suggestions --

1. Challenge their critical thinking with Autumn Square Puzzlers. There are 3 levels of difficulty; even the brightest students can be occupied for a very, long time.  No reading is required.

And if your students love square puzzlers as much as mine do, you can satisfy them with LOTS of the puzzles available here.

2. Give them Latin Squares. Like the square puzzlers, these challenges will take time and stamina to complete, but do not require reading. Monkey Squares are also differentiated, giving you lots of options.

3.  Provide tangram puzzles. They are great brain exercise, even for non-readers. My tangrams have multiple puzzle pages that students can share and swap.  And, they are differentiated.

4.  For students who can read, provide Triads. You will need to spend a little time introducing these critical thinking challenges. Then get back to testing as your students take off with Triads. Kiddos LOVE them. These critical thinking cards can be used in small groups for cooperative learning or given to individuals.

5. Combine word work with computation, individual effort with competition, when you engage your students with Scrattle. This FREE product initially challenges students to create words with a specific set of letters. Then they calculate the value of their words using Scrabble™ letter values and linear equations.  Finally, they engage a friend in a battle to see whose words are the most valuable. [Scrattle = Scrabble + Battle] This activity, too, is differentiated, providing recording sheets with equations that require only addition, to complex, multiple operations.

Time is more valuable than money.  You can get more money, but you cannot get more time.

--Jim Rohn

What's Black & White & Red All Over?

What IS black and white and red all over?  

A sunburned zebra, yes.  But it could also be your classroom.

If you are looking for a new color scheme for next year, consider making it dynamic and sophisticated for you, yet fun and appealing for children.  Make it black and white and red all over!

Greet your new students with this cheerful welcome banner.

The provided message is "Welcome to (grade level - Kindergarten thru 6th) Grade!" Editable flags are included so that you can add your name or another message to personalize the banner. Also included are word wall headers and editable rectangles for words.

After you welcome your new students, use these products to bring educational decorations to your classroom: 

(click on each icon for a preview)

Each of these products is available in my TPT Store. For those who love money saving bundles, this set of resources is available in bundle form:

It's Time to Say Goodbye

As a new school year dawns, young children, parents, and teachers are faced with a dilemma: saying goodbye.  Every parent has encountered the tears and heart-wrenching pleas.  Every teacher of young children has ached for the children and parents.  (Separation anxiety works both ways; parents cry, too.)  And, as a teacher with many years of experience in early childhood education, I would like to offer a suggestion for easing this transition...

...establish a transition tradition.

Young children thrive on routine.  They find comfort in being able to predict the events of the day.  They find reassurance in repetitive, positive procedures.  Thus, teachers can help ease these transitions by encouraging parents and children to establish a parting protocol. One transition tool is teaching children and care-givers to give a quick, fun, light-hearted good-bye.

Most people are familiar with these:

In my quest to establish a forest friends classroom, I challenged myself to create such sayings using forest animals.  Here's a sampling:

At our parent information meeting before school starts, I plan to have this set of posters displayed near the door.  Drawing the parents' attention to them, I will encourage them, along with their children, to select a pair of favorite phrases for their farewells. In my experience, the tearful transitions will quickly give way to smiling sendoffs.

Forest Friends' Farewells are currently on sale on TPT. This product includes 15 colorful posters. They are part of my Forest Friends collection.

You may be interested in my Forest Friends Classroom Theme board on Pinterest.  It is growing daily with ideas for decor, crafts, centers, and more.