organization
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Friday Freebie – End of the Year Checklist
Happy Friday! This week seemed to drag on forever, I am so happy to see the weekend! That said, it’s never too early to start thinking about the end of the school year. This free End of the Year Checklist from Mrs. Irvin’s Toolbox will help you start planning for all of those end of the year to-do’s! Download your copy and have a wonderful weekend!
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Re-establishing Classroom Routines after the Holidays
I may have gone back to work last week, but last week was all about survival. This week, on the other hand, is about getting back into routine and evaluating those routines as I think about the rest of the year. That means making sure that I’m planning ahead, following the schedule, and setting up systems that are helpful – not ones that create more work for myself! If you’re thinking about some of those same goals, here are some of my favorite tools for re-establishing routines and organizing all of my plans: Picture schedule cards are perfect for this time of year. They help the entire class get back…
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Friday Freebie – New Year Organization
Happy Friday! If you had to go back to work this week like I did, then congratulations! we made it to the weekend! Today’s freebie is for those of you who’s New Year’s Resolution is to get organized! These classroom labels are one of my most popular freebies, and for good reason. They’re cute, and large enough to read from a pretty good distance. Go download your set and enjoy your weekend!
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Friday Freebie – Holiday Checklists
Happy Friday! We’ve made, just a couple more days until Thanksgiving (and hopefully a nice little break), and then we rush headfirst into December. If you have given any thought at all to everything you have to get done in December – even if just to dread managing all of it – then this freebie is for you. I am so excited about this Holiday Checklist Sampler from Ladybug’s Teacher Files. You put your students’ names into one list and it automatically fills all of the lists for you, so you have easy checklists to help you make sure that everyone has finished their gifts for their families and you…
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Friday Freebie – Math Center Labels
Happy Friday! Don’t you love four-day weeks?! Earlier this week I shared a new freebie for the math center, and today I have another one. These Math Manipulative Labels will make your life easier and save you tons of time. Download them and start organizing because nothing is more fun than labeling stuff (I’m not joking). Have a great weekend!
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Assessment strategies for preschool
My first “real” job was teaching toddlers at a NAEYC accredited child care center, so I jumped right into a position that required teachers to complete assessments for every child, I’ve never NOT done assessment. So over the years I’ve come up with some strategies that have helped me keep track of all of the evidence and data. Within the last couple of years I’ve turned some of those strategies into really great products that you can get from my TPT store, so you don’t have to reinvent the wheel, or use your valuable time developing these things on your own! Here are my favorites: If you’re looking for a complete…
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Friday Freebie – Post-It To Do Lists
Happy Friday! We’ve almost made it to another long weekend, just one more week – and since I know that next week will feel extra long, I’m especially excited to enjoy this weekend. Did that sentence make any sense? I usually try to make sure that my Friday Freebie goes with whatever topics I’ve written about all week, usually. This week’s freebie has nothing to do with playgrounds, so if you want to check out those posts be my guest, after you download this super cute freebie! The list-maker in me could not resist sharing this editable To Do List for Post-It notes from Brooke Brown. I think I’m in…
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Make your summer goals… and keep them!
This time of year is all about finishing up all of those end of the year projects, and I’m not sure if it’s the weather or just knowing that other projects are winding down, but it seems to be the time that I started dreaming big dreams of everything that I’m going to accomplish over the summer. Those dreams are usually lofty, and then all of a sudden it’s September and nothing got done. So this year I’m going to do what I do best, make a list. I’m planning on writing down all of my goals, so that I can really determine which ones are realist and which ones…
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Crayon Storage
I’m starting something new for my little blog; the last week of each month I’m going to focus on a different art supply, and how you can use that supply with your kiddos. This week will be all about crayons, which seems really simple, but I have a promise I have a lot to say about crayons! First and foremost, it’s important to recognize that you don’t have to use a specific type of crayon when you’re working with little ones. While it may be easier for your youngest students, or those with fine motor delays, to hold on to chubby crayons we also want to make sure that we…
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Preschool activity materials at your fingertips
I love to lesson plan (it’s one of those weird teacher obsessions), but for some reason, lesson planning never actually made me feel more organized. Then I realized that just because I had a plan in my head, it didn’t necessarily mean that I was prepared for the activity. The most stressful time of my day was always running around trying to find the supplies and materials that I needed to implement activities. The solution was so easy that I can’t believe it took me so long to figure it out – Every Friday afternoon I would gather all of the materials that I needed for the next week’s activities,…
