Classroom Organization Tips for Teachers!

 Welcome to Creative Lesson Cafe Friends! I'm really excited to be part of this blog hop with my friends at Primary Powers. We are here to save the day with some SUPER ideas for organization! I'm here to share ideas for organizing your teaching resources and important papers.

My classroom appears very organized. I try to manage the great paper shuffle as best I can with plenty of storage containers, plastic drawers, files, labels and bins.

 But...what is inside some closed drawers is a problem. One disastrous area is my file cabinet. My cabinet is completely stuffed with unit files and favorite teaching resources that I want to save, but that I don't use on a regular basis. It's REALLY frustrating to file new things away or browse through files when they are so packed in together. My cabinet is in good condition, but still it's an eyesore I want to eventually hide away in my storage closet.

If you are looking for a great way to easily organize your favorite and most-used masters and resources, you may want to invest in a few hanging file tubs. I did!

 I am getting ORGANIZED one subject at a time! 

Each subject area will eventually have its own file tub. 

 One is going to be my assessment bin.

Target carries these fantastic clear containers with lids.
{Room Essentials Box File} I ordered six of them.

Because they are see-through boxes, I wanted some pretty hanging folders. The Container Store sells bright folders in a rainbow of colors and I ordered a set of each to coordinate with the tub signs. Inside, I have decided to organize by skills and units.

I made some square signs that fit perfectly on the front of the box! If you want to get organized with some tubs too, you can download a set of the signs {here}! They should look great on any size file box you happen to have or purchase. 

 Just imagine how cute these new handy tubs- set up in a rainbow of organization- will look in my teacher corner! I can't wait to get them all done and finally put an END to the file cabinet frustrations!

Hopefully this post has given you some cute inspiration to continue to work at being as organized as possible with the great paper shuffle too! 

:)

Go Noodle Brain Breaks for Students

Do you GoNoodle in your classroom? Oh it's SO MUCH FUN! It's more than just a fun brain break, however. I like to use GoNoodle with my class to wake up their brains to be ready for new learning!

 I don't know about you, but about a half hour after lunch, I could completely fall asleep at my desk. Because of our schedule, we have to work in silent reading time after lunch. 
 It's all quiet and cozy warm in the room...

 *yawn*

I bet we all have moments like this.

 Kids get the after lunch slump too.

Well, we have too much learning to do in the afternoon to feel sluggish. I need my class bright-eyed and alert for each lesson especially when a new concept is being taught. 

So, what do we do? We GONOODLE! 

Moving and singing wakes up my little sleepyheads and gets the blood and oxygen flowing to their brains once again. We know research supports that movement and learning go hand in hand!

Even the teacher likes to GoNoodle! :)

 When I participate too, I can be at my best to teach them!  

 You know the hit song. This is definitely our class favorite! Singing requires a different kind of breathing than when the body is at rest and this is wonderful for the sleepy brain. The little snowflake you see in the image moves along with the words for great reading practice. I have my kiddos move their bodies along with the character to mimic what she is doing.
They beg to do it again and again! You can preview it here.

We also like many others for wake-up-our-brains time!

You can head over to GoNoodle to check out all of the fun brain breaks and get started in your classroom by setting up an account. 

It's FREE to use, so why not try it out?

Kitty High Five is just so stinkin' cute! You have to check it out!

 It's really easy to get your little sleepyheads up and moving with GoNoodle!
 

Fall Blog Block Party Freebies and Giveaway!

Happy Fall Y'all! 

Thanks for stopping by today for a little Fall Blog Block Party fun!

This is the end of the road and the last stop along the way! I hope that you were able to pick up some tasty freebies and mix and mingle with some new bloggin' friends or neighbors on the block!

Fall is a spectacular season in my beautiful state~ Michigan. Every tree that lines the street on my block will soon be full of vibrant color. We are so fortunate to be able to enjoy the beautiful colors of fall and all of the outdoor activities that come with cooler weather like going to the apple orchard!

 I love this time of year in the classroom too with our great thematic units and fun projects! 

My class really enjoys playing games of I Have, Who Has? so I made one for my second graders for Fall!  This fun card set will help your students with reading seasonal and thematic words for this wonderful time of year! It can be used as a whole class around the room activity or as a small group at a center.

It's a freebie for my block party friends and visitors this week only! 

 Click on the image to download it!

Here is a close-up of one of the card pages. There are 30 cards in the set.

I hope you like it! :)

My favorite fall activity is drinking hot cider and eating fresh, cinnamon and sugar donuts from the nearby cider mill! 

What do you love most about Fall?

Well, you have reached the end of the block and it's time to turn around! 

Before you head back, if you are new to my blog, I'd love to have you as a follower on Bloglovin' so we can keep in touch! 

 Thanks so much for joining in on the fun for our Fall Block Party! Thanks to Heather from Second Grade Perks for organizing this blog hop!

 Remember to stop by Heather's blog and enter the amazing giveaway with prizes donated by the bloggers on the block! 

New Frames and Borders and a Pinterest Blog Hop

K.I.S.S. Keep it Simple Seller!That's been my motto lately. I have been trying to use simple, easy to read fonts and borders and frames especially when I want to draw attention to the text or cute clip art on the page. This is especially true for items created for the little ones because too much on a page can be overwhelming for them to look at. 

Often, I am searching for a cute frame or some borders that I can use to highlight my items but without distracting from the content on the page. I could not find exactly what I needed for my latest project, so I made my own! 

I call them Simply Sweet!

If you like them and think they might be just the thing you need for your creations, you can get them at my store on sale today! Click on the picture to take you to this item.

I'm pretty sure by now you've heard that the big TPT sale starts today!

Throughout the year, I have collected Pins of items that I have on my wishlist! I'm heading back to Pinterest today to see what I might have missed!

Come join in the fun with a Pinterest for Teachers Blog Hop! Enter your link and copy and paste the code into your blog to keep it going! :)