Hey, ya’ll! It’s Bright Ideas Blog Hop time! I’m going to share a few items I’ve come across that make my students smile but don’t break my bank and make me cry!
I have two classes and every year my partner teacher and I seem to get a weird number of students – 46, 41, 35. Never a nice number with lots of factors when buying multiple packages of something. But that’s ok! Since I have two classes, I have to shop smart or else it’s very expensive! I also have to find items that aren’t too kiddish for my 4th graders, not too girlie for the boys, and not made of sugar. Here are some items I’ve found over the past couple of years.
Last year I found Krazy Straws from Dollar General. They come 6 in a pack, so for $8 I was set.
To make the circle tags, I used some rainbow frame images from Maree Truelove. I inserted them into PowerPoint and then added a text box on top. I made them 1 inch in diameter so I could use a 1″ circle punch. But never again.
At the end of last year, I had some student helpers cut out the circles by hand for this year’s group. Yes, I might have broken a few child labor laws during the last week of school. But they were very happy helpers!
As you can see, this year I purchased some fat paper straws from Target. Paper straws seem to be everywhere, and at Target I bought 60 of these for just $9.
For birthdays last year, I bought Chinese yo-yos from Party City. They were a hit for both boys and girls, so I’m continuing the tradition this year. These are a little more expensive. They are $20 for a pack of 48. But with a little bit of hot glue and tags, they make a very delightful birthday gift that takes little time to prep.
Mini glow sticks (kind of puny but the kids loved them) |
It’s always a good idea to buy a few extra. This assorted pack of aliens had a few that looked like they were brandishing bloody knives. Um, not a good test motivator I don’t think! |
For more Bright Ideas from a ton of teacher bloggers, please browse
through the link-up below and choose a topic/grade that interests you.
Thanks for your visit! Have a great year!
Melanie Miday-Stern says
Just curious, what are the sayings on the items?
Tabitha says
Hey, Melanie! The first two pics say, "4th grade is the best!" Third – "Happy Birthday to you!" Fourth – No matter how difficult it is, you're going to shine!' Fifth – "Don't worry – everything's going to turn out fine!" I forget that my stuff is in Spanish sometimes!
Kathy Griffin says
Great ideas for gifts! Thanks for sharing.
Kathy Griffin's Teaching Strategies