Browsing Category

Uncategorized

How to Teach Yourself Spanish At Home in Your Pajamas

December 9, 2018
How to teach yourself Spanish at home

How to teach yourself Spanish at home in your pajamas is surprisingly easy if you have the right books and tools!

 

I have always wanted to learn Spanish and have picked up words and phrases over the years but a few years ago, I decided I truly wanted to be able to read, write, and speak fluently. I tried a lot of different things – some were super helpful, some were kind of helpful, and some were a total waste of time.. so I’d like to help YOU not waste time and go straight to the helpful!

 

I provided links for you to see some of the resources I recommend on Amazon if you want to check them out – some links are affiliate links which means I get commission if you buy from the links, it’s no extra cost for you but I just wanted to let you know! 🙂

 

What really finally got me learning Spanish was this book. I absolutely love, love, love this book, Basic Spanish, and recommend it highly for your first book for learning Spanish. I have recommended it to so many people. Usually because they asked me how I learned Spanish so quickly after starting. I had a group of friends who decided to learn Spanish at the same time as me and they were flabbergasted at how far ahead I was so quickly (which really motivated me to keep working through the book!) so I told them all about this book since they were relying more on audio CDs, apps on their phone, or computer learning programs. This book seriously made it SO easy for me to go from knowing a few words to being able to read and write simple sentences in Spanish and pick up a lot of vocabulary in a naturally progressing way so I really enjoyed it.

 

I spent a really long time researching how I wanted to start learning Spanish and flipping through Spanish learning books in bookstores and bought a stack of books like this. I started a few of them and went, “eh” but then when I worked on this one, it just clicked. So my advice: Start with this  book! If that’s all you do today and totally just stop reading this blog post right here, order this book and do that. Then, come back for more recommendations once you’ve gobbled that one up and know you can trust me lol. If you’re the type of person who learns by practicing, by reading and writing, then this is definitely going to be helpful for you. I can’t speak for other learning styles because that’s how I learn, but I imagine it’d be helpful for anyone. After I did this whole book, I actually felt like I could speak Spanish. That was huge for me. Slowly, of course, but the fact that I was capable of forming sentences to say whatever I wanted made me so motivated to keep learning.

 

I was so excited to practice my Spanish, but I knew it was at a basic level, so I actually ended up ordering kids’ books in Spanish. Don’t laugh at me (okay, you can) but I ordered early elementary school level readers and I actually really enjoyed reading them and building new vocabulary in Spanish that was fun (kid level science words :)) Yes, that probably makes me a little dorky but it really felt rewarding to be able to read things in Spanish… even if they were meant for kids. I started out really easy like these:

 

I actually found the National Geographic Kids books in Spanish really interesting, even as an adult, and there are a lot of them! Obviously they’re geared for kids but I enjoyed trying to read them in Spanish and I’m not sure if I should admit this as a former honors student/university graduate but I learned a few new things 🙂 Here’s an example of one of the books: Las Ballenas, and if you click on this cover, you can see it and a bunch more of them if you look at the “Customers who bought this item also bought” section if you scroll down a bit. There are some really interesting ones about all sorts of science topics! IMPORTANT – If you notice, there is a number 3 in the corner. That’s the reading level. I recommend levels 2 and 3. You may enjoy the 1 books (I still bought them and did) but you’ll probably read them super fast and not feel like you learned or practiced much Spanish but the levels 2 and 3 I personally found just challenging enough for when you’re just starting out with the practice book. These are readers, not read aloud books, so expect them to look like readers for kids… lots of great pictures, only a little bit of text per page. I recommend ordering 1 or 2 and if you enjoy them, order more. If it’s not your thing, try something else 🙂 I personally enjoyed them a lot but that may be the kid in me. Like I said, my husband made fun of me (lovingly but I think he meant it, haha) so I may be rare in thinking these were a fun way to practice… but it was for me!

 

 

I also ordered some of these Time for Kids books like ¡Locos por insectos y arañas! since I had enjoyed the above series so much. I think I ordered 3 or 4 of them and I liked them too. I wasn’t sure how to determine the level but, for example, this one I found to be easy…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

… and this one, Reptiles y anfibios reptantes I felt was much harder.  Check the image previews to see if it’ll let you peek inside the text so you can gauge if it’s at your level or not. I personally was so excited to practice my newfound Spanish reading skills that I bought them all, ha. I figured if it was super easy, it was still great practice and if it seemed too hard, I could come back and read it later once I knew more Spanish.

 

 

 

 

 

 

As I said, my husband poked fun at me a little bit for reading kids’ science books but I don’t care – I was really excited that I could read and understand them because of doing that Basic Spanish book I mentioned above. I was so proud of myself but wanted to keep learning so I looked at the big stack of Spanish books I had bought, flipped through them, and picked this one to do next…

 

I think this book, Complete Spanish Step-by-Step, is seriously AMAZING. It feels like it covers absolutely everything and I love the way it explains things before practicing each concept. The practice sentence writing is great… I love when it has you read paragraphs and the way the paragraphs are practicing what you already know while throwing in new vocabulary in a supported way… I love the way it introduces new vocabulary. I just love it.

 

It has been SO helpful for me in my journey to becoming fluent in Spanish. Be prepared to use this book throughout your entire journey of learning Spanish, even if you’re taking a Spanish class or trying to learn it through another way on the side. I really think you could use just this book to completely teach yourself to be fluent though. It is amazing.

 

If you are also learning in another way and you come across a tough concept you’re not understanding (like indirect and direct object pronouns… lo, la, los, las, me, te, what?!), find that section in this book and do the lesson and practice and I think you’ll find you actually get it! I’ve done this so many times and it’s been so helpful, especially with things that didn’t come naturally to me when I was first learning like reflexive verbs.

 

I definitely recommend doing the Basic Spanish book I recommended at the top of this post first, though. This book is a great book to start immediately after that one. It felt like an easy review for a few moments and then it hit the ground running 🙂 For me, I think I would’ve been lost if I started on this book without doing Basic Spanish first but really, if you truly want to teach yourself in your PJs, I think those 2 books are the only things you really need. This Complete Spanish book is, by far, the best book I’ve come across for learning Spanish on your own.

 

For these books, make sure you are checking your answers in the back of the book immediately after doing an activity! Each time it has you do a practice activity, check your answers immediately after (so it’s fresh in your mind), be really picky, and correct them if they’re wrong, even a little. Make sure you have the correct words, all the accents, etc. I think I actually retained so much more from when I had to correct myself. I also always read my answers out loud right after doing them but before checking them against the answers in the back and found mistakes myself first that way which I really think helped me learn. Even when I thought an activity was super easy and wanted to skip checking my answers, sometimes I’d see little mistakes when I was checking them and learn something new. Sorry if that seems obvious but I wanted to share because it was helpful for me!

One thing I didn’t mention that I think also helped me a lot with both this book and the Basic Spanish book are ruled index cards for review. These books are going to be introducing A LOT of new vocabulary to you! They do a great job of weaving them into the new lessons but it’s still easy to forget new words. You don’t have to do this but I truly feel what helped me learn quick and retain so much was taking notes and using index cards.

 

 

As I went through each page of Basic Spanish and the Complete Spanish book, I had a piece of blank copy paper where I wrote down any new vocabulary words I came across as I was working (which, honestly, was a lot each time). Just a simple list like…

comer = to eat

correr = to run

in a big long list. I’d write words I already knew but could possibly forget too – for me, writing things down helps me remember so I erred on the side of writing it down.

 

Then, when I finished a chapter (sometimes that was in 1 sitting and other times it was several sessions of doing the book before finishing a chapter), I would take that copy paper list to make note cards from. If I really felt like I knew the word already, I didn’t make a note card but if I thought there was any possible way I could forget that word someday, even in months, I made a note card. I made a note card for each word typically (“comer” on one side, “to eat” on the other) for simple vocabulary practice. I also wrote phrases or sentences I wanted to remember. I also wrote conjugations of verbs, especially irregular ones where the front of the card said “Conjugate poder in present tense” and the other side said “Yo puedo, tú puedes, él puede,” etc.

 

Then, I can pick up my stack of note cards anytime and review. I found it really helpful to review them before picking the book up to do the next chapter… especially if I waited a long time in between working on books. It’s really easy to forget to work on the book for weeks and then feel really lost when you get back to it.. so note cards keep it fresh! You can even keep them next to your bed to do any sort of practice when you have a few minutes. When you know a card immediately every single time, put it in a “I know this” stack somewhere else so you don’t waste time practicing it (but don’t throw it away! Even if you think you’ll never forget the word, keep that “I know this” stack somewhere in case you take a long break from Spanish and need to review it again). But taking those cards out once you’ve mastered them allows you to keep your note card stack thin and focused practice on the words/concepts you mix up, struggle with, forget, etc.

 

It was really fun to watch my “I know this” stack be hundreds and hundreds of note cards high in my end table by the bed. Now it’s thousands and thousands, literally, and takes up the entire drawer 🙂 and I still, to this day, always have a stack of note cards I’m currently working on memorizing as I learn more and more vocabulary and concepts.

 

Speaking of vocabulary, if you want to jump start your vocabulary, my recommendation is this book:

 

This book, Spanish Vocabulary, is by the same author as the Basic Spanish book so if you liked that format, this is a great book to expand your vocabulary. It is A LOT of vocabulary so I only did it bits and pieces at a time while doing the Step by Step book because it felt overwhelming to do more than a few pages at once since it was so many new words but it was cool to learn so much vocabulary… and a lot of words you don’t typically learn in other Spanish learning books.

 

I actually bought some of the other books in that Practice Makes Perfect series of books and liked them as well but I don’t want to overwhelm you with options. & Honestly, I didn’t need much else once I used the Complete Spanish book. Again, the Basic Spanish and Complete Spanish books are what I recommend to really get you going! If you crave more, then I’d get the Vocabulary one.

 

Other things I did to keep the learning fun was watching my favorite movies with Spanish subtitles. Put on a movie you know every line by heart… but put the Spanish subtitles on! Read the Spanish at the bottom as you watch the movie. You can also look for the movies you love IN SPANISH and watch them with Spanish subtitles. It’s just a fun thing to try and see if it helps. I’m not much of an auditory learner so that method doesn’t help me much, but it is a nice way to hear it spoken out loud for pronunciation, learning common phrases, etc.

 

I also watched Spanish T.V. sometimes but often found, when I was first learning, that they speak sooo fast BUT if I put Spanish subtitles on, that did help. I personally like reading better though 🙂

 

So once I worked through the Complete Spanish book, I decided to try harder kids’ books and ordered a few classics. I looked for books I enjoyed in elementary school so they’d be easy but familiar stories. It was actually really fun and nostalgic to read them again as an adult but in Spanish. I think it helped when the book had a movie I knew too so I actually remembered the imagery really well so when it was described in Spanish, I could easily picture it. The first one I read in Spanish was…

 

 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory! Well, technically it was Charlie y la fábrica de chocolate 🙂 Again, just like I said for the readers, if you click on this cover, it’ll show you the page for this book but down below it, in the “Customers who bought this item also bought” section, you can see if your favorite childhood chapter books are there!

 

 

 

 

If children’s fiction isn’t really your thing, this AWESOME non-fiction series that teaches children about historical figures like Abraham Lincoln, Rosa Parks, Albert Einstein, Marie Curie, and so many more is also available in Spanish!! I REALLY enjoyed these! I found them easy enough to read but challenging, I feel like I picked up a lot of vocabulary, and I actually did learn a lot of new facts about each historical figure. I really recommend these! If you have kids, I recommend the English versions for them – they’re awesome books for kids.

 

Oh, one thing I totally forgot to mention is how important it is TO READ OUT LOUD when you’re first learning. Every single time you read and write in those practice books I recommended, read what the book says out loud. After you write something, read it out loud. Read everything out loud. When you go over your note cards, read out loud. When you read these kids’ books, read out loud. Just like a kid learning how to read in their native language for the first time, you need to read out loud in order to learn and retain. You’ll catch mistakes that way, you’ll work on your pronunciation that way, you’ll retain what you’re learning that way. Trust me, read out loud. 🙂

 

Another thing that I think will help you a lot is to have a really thorough Spanish/English and English/Spanish Dictionary to look up words as you’re reading these books or any time you don’t know a word in general. The practice books are really good about defining words for you and having their own dictionary but sometimes there are words they don’t list or you come across them in your own reading. This may be really nerdy but sometimes when I look up a word, I look at other words on the page to see if any are interesting to write down too.

 

 

 

 

 

Okay so speaking of nerdy… I am a HUGE HP fan so the second that I saw Harry Potter y la piedra filosofal and realized that the series was available in Spanish, I was sooo excited and immediately ordered them all… when I was still working on the Basic Spanish book haha.

I tried to read them anyway and they were definitely waaay above my reading level 🙂 I actually understood what I was reading (probably just from having read the English versions multiple times and from seeing the movies so many times) and really enjoyed diving into the first book again but I am a perfectionist where I want to understand every word I am reading and the book had a lot of verb tenses I didn’t know yet so I decided to put it down and come back to it later.

 

I actually really love having it on my bookshelf because it’s sort of like a goal book. Like that pair of pants that doesn’t fit you because it’s sizes and sizes too small but it’s your goal pair of pants to the weight you want to be. (Am I the only one who tortures myself in that way by keeping way-too-small pants?) I feel like it’s my goal book for where I want to be in fluency.

 

You know what? I’m realizing that I know those verb tenses now from having worked so much in the Complete Spanish book that I bet I could read that book pretty well now… and now all I want to do is wrap up this post so I can go cuddle in bed with it… so that’s precisely what I’m going to do! 😀

 

The moral of that story, though, was to find your favorite book in English and see if it’s available in Spanish! Especially if it’s a beloved series you’ve read multiple times or have seen the movies of. Then, you can already picture the scenes in your head as you’re trying to figure out any Spanish words you don’t know – it makes it so much easier and you pick up so much vocabulary that way! You may not be able to read it yet but it can be your goal book. I know that wanting to read the HP books made me push through learning the more complex verb tenses so I could understand what all the -aba words in the book were (you’ll understand that later lol).

 

I hope this post has been helpful for you! I’m literally off to go try to read that book since I know I actually can now! I’d love to hear from you in the comments anything that’s been helpful for you in learning Spanish that I didn’t mention! If you try any of these suggestions, I’d also love if you came back to let me know how they worked! A lot of people try to learn from apps on their phone but I really think the practice book style of learning is the way to learn all the proper grammar, sentence structure, and truly become fluent. There will be times when a concept is tough and you get frustrated because it just does. not. seem. to. make. sense. especially with how sentences are structured differently. There were times I thought, “I’m just not going to get this.” and for those things, I just pushed through the lesson and practiced but kept going through the next lessons and then eventually it did make sense. Not always in that lesson, sometimes much later, but it did. Things I just didn’t think I was going to ever get (indirect object pronouns, for example) clicked eventually. So keep pushing! You can do this! 🙂

 

Be proud of yourself, too, for taking on such a new skill! I’m proud of teaching myself Spanish and I hope you will be proud of yourself too! It’s a cool thing to take on learning a new language. It gets hard but it’s exciting. I remember the first time I tried to define a word for someone in English that I had just used in Spanish and realized I couldn’t. The word was so much more descriptive and made sense to me only in Spanish. That was a cool moment! I also remember the first time I had thoughts in Spanish. I remember the first time I heard 2 strangers having a conversation in Spanish and I understood all of it. I also remember how excited I was when I read those readers above that are written for little kids. Be excited for those moments! The excitement is what will keep you going through learning all the grammar haha… and I’m still waiting for the day I have a dream in Spanish! Maybe if I fall asleep reading HP in Spanish tonight?? 🙂

 

Okay that’s enough rambling! Go get the Basic Spanish book and get started!! 🙂

 

If you want to pin this post to read later, feel free to use this image below. To pin it, hover over the picture and click the red “Save” button:

How to teach yourself Spanish at home

 

Thanks so much! If you’re a teacher, you may like my other lists so feel free to peek around! 🙂 One of my most popular posts has been my Classroom Management Books Sorted by Behavior which teachers have told me they loved but it’s also a great list of books for parents to teach kids desirable and undesirable behaviors too! I love making lists so I hope you enjoy them!

Chalkboard Classroom Decor and Ideas

July 25, 2017

Chalkboard classroom decor is super trendy right now because, well, it’s cute! I think teachers love it so much because it combines the bright colors of today’s classrooms with the nostalgic black chalkboard look of when you when you think of a traditional classroom of the past.

 

Since it’s such a popular classroom theme, it was easy to find everything you need in this fun style so everything matches! I’ve compiled a big list to help you decorate! Some links are affiliate links which means I make commission from purchases made through the links that I use to upkeep my blog and bring you fun ideas! 🙂

 

 

 

 

First things first, a Welcome Pennant for your bulletin board to welcome your new students!

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think that pennant would look really cute on a bright neon color background of fadeless bulletin board paper or fabric and cute chalkboard borders like these. I love the shape of them!

 

 

 

 

I’ve also started to love straight edge borders because I love doubling them with the typical wavy edged border which makes a really cute look.

 

 

 

 

These chalkboard bulletin board letters are so cute to go along with it.

 

 

 

 

 

This fadeless chalkboard bulletin board paper is just the cutest to make a chalkboard background for your boards. So important that it’s fadeless, too, since it’s so dark. I love it!

 

 

 

 

 

This awning also matches and is so darn cute. I love the awning trend to really make bulletin boards pop. So fun! Make sure the length is the same as your board though!

 

 

 

 

 

 

These chalkboard magnetic letters are a lot like the above letters but magnets! That makes it really easy to stick on your whiteboard to spell out “MATH” and “READING” or “OBJECTIVES” or even “CALENDAR.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Speaking of calendar, this chalkboard calendar set is really adorable.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This Months of the Year poster is cute to add to your calendar area too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s a matching Days of the Week poster as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I also recommend this Place Value Pocket Chart for your calendar time to count the number of days in school each day as well as practice building other numbers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For a normal 10 pocket chart, this chalkboard pocket chart is really adorable.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m also obsessed with this black polka dots storage pocket chart which you can use for a lot of different things. Here’s a fun real example of it being used to hold alphabet letter cards:

How to Organize Phonics Pocket Chart Centers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s a cute 10 Pocket File Storage Pocket Chart in the theme as well! I love these types of charts for paperclipping copies by day and subject to help me copy ahead and be organized.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For more organization fun, I like these chalkboard supply labels too!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You could also use these chalkboard name tags to make your own labels for buckets and bins or use them to put kids’ names on cubbies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I personally like these name plates for labeling cubbies or desks to have the writing lines.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I also really like this chalkboard birthdays bulletin board set to put all your students’ birthdays up in the classroom.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This classroom jobs set is also great for setting up your system. Here’s a giant list of classroom jobs, too, for ideas of what to have your kids help with.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Having a job means also following the classroom rules so this rules poser would be cute right next to the job chart.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s a cute incentive poster to also track behavior or reading or whatever you want to give your kids a sticker for!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s a pack of stickers to use for the chart in the theme.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The stickers also fit in these incentive charts you can give to each individual student (to keep themselves or hang on the wall to track something toward a goal or reward).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There’s also a pack of essential classroom posters in the chalkboard theme you could use instead.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I don’t use library pockets a lot but I know a ton of teachers do and these are adorable so I wanted to include them. They can make cute, useful displays.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These chalkboard stars are great to add to any display to add more style.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I also like these chalkboard accents to create any type of display you want.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can also hang inspirational posters around the classroom to keep up your theme with motivating sayings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you really want to go all out, you can change your alphabet to a chalkboard alphabet!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There’s also a chalkboard cursive alphabet if you want cursive writing instead.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Okay, this chalkboard notes set is too cute to not put on the list! I go through a lot of little notes and this set is adorable.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another stationary item are these adorable Welcome post cards to send to your students before school starts to ease some nerves. What a cute introduction to your theme as well!

 

 

 

I hope you loved this compilation of chalkboard classroom decor. I also have this for a Superhero Classroom theme and am working on more for more themes. I’ll be adding links to them in my Giant List of Classroom Themes post so keep checking that to see them as I make them!

 

 

Love this? Check out my other popular posts:

Best Classroom Management Books Organized by Behavior

Giant List of Classroom Themes

Giant List of Flexible Seating Ideas

Best Back to School Books

Back to School Books Specifically for Kindergarten

Classroom Must Haves

Reading Must Haves

Math Must Haves

 

 

Hover over this image to find the pin button to save this to Pinterest for later!

Chalkboard Theme Classroom Decor Ideas and Tips compiled into a big list with actual items to show you that you can use to decorate your classroom in an adorable chalkboard theme!

Superhero Classroom Theme Decor and Ideas

July 20, 2017

Superhero classroom theme decor is so much fun! There are so many cute superhero classroom theme items out there to make your room POP! POW! ZOOM!

I’ve compiled a big list of my favorite decor ideas to help you decorate. Some of these links are affiliate links which means I make commission from purchases made through the links that I use to upkeep my blog and bring you fun ideas! 🙂

 

 

 

 

Your students will be so excited to walk into such a fun themed classroom and one way to get them even more excited is to tell them how they are superheroes and give them these super cute pencils and erasers to use on the first day!

 

 

 

 

 

This is a great intro on the first day to explain your behavior or expectations, procedures, and routines including classroom jobs. How cute is this classroom jobs chart?!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you have a helper of the day, I love the idea of having a cape they can wear all day as your special superhero helper. This cape is a cute cape for children.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You could also have capes ready that kids get to wear if they reach the top of the behavior chart – now that’s motivation! This pack has a clip chart you could use.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This How to be a Superhero poster is a cute reminder for how you want them to behave.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kids love getting handwritten notes from their teachers so I love to have little thank you cards to write a quick little note to kids who get to the top of the chart or were especially sweet that day. They’ll LOVE it and can take it home to show their parents.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Even just a little Superhero Sticky Note that says something kind can have your theme… and boy this set is cute!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you do an Incentive Chart for your students, this one is super fun.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are also these Incentive Charts for each individual student too if you do that. I love using these for reading goals!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here are Superhero Mini Stickers to use with the charts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I LOVE Stickers. This Superhero Sticker Roll of 100 stickers is great for putting on graded work or as a treasure chest item they can choose.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you don’t have a treasure box already, here’s a Superhero Chest to perfectly match your theme!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you want even more superhero storage, this storage box is cute.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Here’s another storage bin option!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think my favorite decor item on this list are these Superhero Paper Lanterns if you’re allowed to hang things from  your ceiling.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Superhero ABC poster

 

 

 

My other favorite is this set of Superhero Alphabet and Phonics Posters that has all the letters and phonics sounds in 11 different superhero themed backgrounds including this one so you can decorate with whichever you want or even mix and match.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s a pretty much pre-made word wall where you can just write in your curriculum’s sight words and kids’ names. I recommend laminating them first before you write the words on so you can change them later in case you change grades, sight word lists, etc.

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s a cute number set for 0 – 31 but I especially love the number poster it comes with for practicing a new number in a bunch of different ways during calendar time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Speaking of calendar, I love this Superhero Calendar Set.

Please note that the numbers and months are sold separately.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This pointer is awesome for pointing during calendar time. I love getting new pointers kids are excited to be teachers with!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s another resource you can use for calendar time to study numbers or just a fun themed pocket chart in general. This is a cute blue Superhero 7 Pocket Chart with the cityscape at the bottom.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There’s also this long, red Superhero 10 Pocket File Storage Chart. I have a chart really similar to this that I use to store copies for each subject. I paperclip sets for each day and put them in the folder for that subject. Anything that helps me be more organized, I appreciate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Speaking of organization, I love labeling things! These Superhero Name Tags / Labels are so cute for labeling cubbies or buckets of supplies or anything.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is another fun name tag option for the superhero students!

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can also put student names on these library pockets too. I don’t use these but I’ve seen other people use them in cute ways.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So I’m obsessed with these pillows – how cute are these?! Love this POP! Pillow perfect for throwing in your reading area.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There’s more but these 2 were my favorite. You can find the Zoom! pillow here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


If you send out postcards to your new students before school starts (I totally recommend doing that by the way – it makes them feel excited or squelch nerves and starts building that rapport right away), then these Welcome to Our Super Class postcards are perfect to introduce your theme.

 

 

 

 


It also helps students feel part of the classroom community to see their names around the classroom as well, as their birthdays, on Meet the Teacher or Open House nights. I recommend having the birthdays from your class list already written on the Superhero Birthday Chart for those nights and add kids who aren’t on it on the spot if you have any new class list members show up. This is one I definitely recommend laminating and using a dry erase marker so you can edit easily.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another easy way to make them feel welcome is… well, a Welcome Banner 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are a ton of cute superhero bulletin board sets and ideas out there so I’ll just share a few since this is SO cute! Have you seen awnings on bulletin boards yet? It looks so cool – definitely measure your board to make sure it fits lengthwise but man oh man, I love this Superhero Awning – so awesome!

 

 

 

 

 

This cityscape bulletin board border goes really well with it!

 

 

 

 

Here’s another really cute superhero bulletin board border I love.

 

 

 

 

Okay, that’s a lot! I hope you’ve gotten a lot of fun decor options and ideas for your superhero themed classroom. Check out my big list of classroom themes if you’re still deciding on a theme. I’m working on more posts like this for other themes that I’ll link there so keep checking that post 🙂

 

Love this? Check out my other popular posts:

Best Classroom Management Books Organized by Behavior

Giant List of Classroom Themes

Giant List of Flexible Seating Ideas

Best Back to School Books

Back to School Books Specifically for Kindergarten

Classroom Must Haves

Reading Must Haves

Math Must Haves

Giant List of Classroom Jobs

 

Hover over this image to find the pin button to save this to Pinterest for later!

Classroom Theme Superhero

Giant List of Classroom Themes

July 20, 2017

Giant List of Classroom Themes! Picking a classroom theme can be hard but decorating for it can be so much fun! Here is a giant list of classroom themes for you to choose from AND some of them have entire pages dedicated to them where I show you fun ideas you can use!

  • Space
  • Ocean / Under the Sea
  • Beach / Tropical
  • Superhero

For a TON of decor ideas, check out: Superhero Classroom Theme Decor Ideas

  • Hollywood / Movies
  • Circus
  • Chalkboard

For a TON of decor ideas, check out: Chalkboard Classroom Theme Decor Ideas

  • Forest / Camping
  • Desert / Cactus / Sunshine
  • Jungle
  • Zoo Animals
  • Farm
  • Animal Prints
  • Cowboys and Cowgirls / Western Theme
  • Sailors / Nautical
  • Space
  • Owls
  • Dogs / Paws
  • Polka Dots
  • Stars
  • Chevron
  • Quatrefoil / Moroccan
  • Rainbow
  • Primary Colors
  • Neon Colors
  • Pirates
  • Monsters
  • Candy / Sweets
  • Board Games
  • Construction
  • Cars
  • Transportation
  • Hot Air Balloons / Kites
  • Robots
  • Bees
  • Black and White
  • Puzzle Pieces
  • Music
  • Art
  • P.E.
  • Library
  • Drama / Theater
  • Computer Lab
  • Science
  • Spanish
  • French
  • Burlap
  • Apples
  • Flowers
  • Sports
  • Baseball
  • Hockey
  • Soccer
  • Football
  • Basketball
  • Horses
  • Foxes
  • Cows
  • Subway
  • Crayons
  • Patriotic
  • Smiley Faces
  • Flamingos
  • Pineapples

I hope that gave you some fun new classroom theme ideas! If you know a fun theme I didn’t list, please comment and let me know 🙂

 

If you’re setting up your classroom, check out these FLEXIBLE SEATING IDEAS too! Lots of great ideas for how to incorporate flexible seating into your classroom.

 

These are also some great Back to School books to read to your new class:

Classroom Management Books to Teach Each Behavior Organized By Behavior

Best Back to School Books

Back to School Books Specifically for Kindergarten

 

 

Did you know that Amazon has a ton of ideas for classroom decorations??

Search the name of any theme + classroom theme (for example: Cactus classroom theme).

You can even use this box below!! Change “Cactus” to your theme 🙂

I am an Amazon affiliate so I earn commission on purchases through my links (it’s no extra cost to you but I wanted you to know!). I love looking at cute classroom decor on there!


 

If you want to save this list for later, you can pin it by hovering over either of these images and using the pin button that pops up! 🙂

Giant List of Classroom Themes - I love these classroom decor options and ideas!

 

Classroom Themes Elementary Ideas

Christmas Gifts for Teachers They Actually Want

November 26, 2016

Christmas gifts for teachers – figuring out what to get your child’s teacher can seem stressful. Are you feeling pressure to give your child’s teacher a Pinterest worthy craft that you don’t have time to make? Please, please don’t. They don’t even want it. Trust me! Sure, they’ll appreciate the fact that you thought to give them a gift but they DON’T want another cute mug filled with candy with a clever pun written on a note tied to it. Isn’t that a huge relief??

 

I’ll tell you what teachers really want!

 

I wrote this with the holidays in mind but these gifts can be given ANY time of year when you want to give your child’s teacher a gift – their birthday, teacher appreciation day, end of the year, etc.

 

But first, I have to say: Please NO MUGS! I mean that with love. For some reason teachers get gifted a million mugs – their kitchen cabinets are full of them! Teachers are sentimental, love your child, and appreciate any gift but mugs honestly end up in the next yard sale and the candy/treat inside typically goes in the trash. It’s still totally appreciated, of course, but teachers have so many mugs that they probably truly can’t fit anymore in their cabinets.

 

Other things most teachers don’t want: lotion, hand soaps, candles, fuzzy socks, candy/treats, anything cute but useless from Pinterest

 

So what do you get your child’s teacher?? Here is a list of teacher gifts we actually want!

Just FYI some of these are Amazon affiliate links which means at no extra cost to you, I get a commission for purchases made through the links.

 

1. My #1 recommendation: Flair pens

This is easily my top recommendation. It is such a great gift! I feel like EVERY teacher I’ve ever talked to is obsessed with these specific type of Flair pens. You probably don’t follow teachers on social media but I do and if you ever spend any time browsing, you’ll see teachers are obsessed with these pens! They constantly post pictures of them on Instagram when they buy them and receive many ‘likes’ and heart eye smileys in the comments from other teachers. They’re pure gold in the teaching world – you’ll definitely put a smile on their face if you buy them these.

 

2. Hand written card from you

You’d probably be surprised how much this means to your child’s teacher. Take a moment to include a card that says how much you appreciate them and what they do for their child… they’ll probably cry ugly tears when they read it after the kids have left for the day.

 

3. Expo markers (or other school supplies)

It may seem like a lame gift but it’s not – teachers ALWAYS need more expo markers so they’re much appreciated, especially a big pack of the fun colors like this! Definitely get Expo brand if you buy dry erase markers. Teachers get giddy about school supplies – if they supplied a list at the beginning of the year, definitely look at that to see the items/brands they prefer and see if there’s anything on there that you can restock that might run out like glue sticks. Usually a lot of our supplies are drained by Christmas. A lot of teachers buy pencils, crayons, copy paper, etc. out of their own pockets so they will appreciate these practical gifts much more than a jar filled with candy canes.

 

If your school doesn’t send home a list, other school supplies teachers love (and the brand matters!) are:
– Elmer Glue Sticks
– Astrobrights color paper
– Crayola construction paper
– Scotch scissors for them (they cut a lot of things out by hand so having high quality scissors that are easy on your hands is so nice)
– Mr. Sketch markers
– Ticonderoga pencils (these pre-sharpened ones are great!)

 

Want to really knock it out of the park? This is an AMAZING gift.
Get them a personal laminator and laminating sheets!

This is the one many teachers are obsessed with and it even comes with the sheets it uses! It’s possible they already have one (they’re all the rage in the teaching world) but they won’t mind a 2nd and they’ll definitely appreciate the sheets if so! If they don’t already have one, you will just make their year with this gift. These are very, very loved by teachers! We laminate new activities constantly so it’ll get used A LOT throughout the year to enhance learning for your child. I’m getting excited about it just thinking of a parent getting this for their child’s teacher!

 

4. Anything made by your child

Your child’s teacher spends all day with them – they love them – so anything they write to show them appreciation is cherished. Don’t worry about making some fancy handprint craft or something. It can literally be a scribbled drawing of them and their teacher on a piece of scratch paper that says “I Love You Ms. ___, you are the best teacher!” and it’ll be 1000x more treasured than anything you printed/made that you saw online. Teachers LOVE sweet notes and drawings from their kids. Encourage your child to write a heartfelt note thanking their teacher and why – it’s especially adorable with the littlest of kiddos if they use their own invented spelling – we can read anything, don’t worry. 🙂

 

5. GIFT CARDS!!!

They are not impersonal. If you feel guilty giving a gift card – oh my gosh, don’t! That’s the absolute BEST gift. It’s not any less thoughtful and much more appreciated. You don’t have to include anything with them except maybe a card.. BUT make sure it’s one the teacher will actually use.

 

A great gift is a gift card to Teachers Pay Teachers.
The teacher will think you’re quite hip. Your child’s teacher probably buys a lot of their curriculum off of the site (with their own money) and if they’re one of the rare teachers that doesn’t… well then you just opened up a whole new world to them! It’s a place where teachers create classroom materials and sell them to other teachers and millions of teachers use it to find free and paid materials for their classroom when what the school provides just doesn’t cut it or they just want fun activities designed by other teachers for their students.

 

Another fantastic gift card is directly to Amazon!

You can get anything on Amazon! Many teachers buy books and other things for their classroom on Amazon, as well as things for themselves, so it’s a perfect gift! They have really cute options for holiday packaging that come with the cards too – I love this Santa one!

 

Another great gift card option is Target!
Teachers LOVE Target. Again, if you follow any teacher hashtag for even a second, you’ll see post after post of teachers posting what they got from Target and sometimes hundreds of comments of teachers gawking.

 

A gift card to treat your child’s teacher to a nice dinner is an awesome gift if it’s in your budget. If you do a restaurant gift card, though, try to make sure they actually like that restaurant or pick a restaurant like The Cheesecake Factory that has a ton of menu options. A lot of teachers have stacks of $5 here and $5 there to food places they don’t eat at. Your child might already know what they often get for lunch (from cups on their desk) or you can have your child say to the teacher, “Miss G, what’s your favorite restaurant?” Kids blurt out random questions like that all the time – the teacher might not even notice they’re fishing. Even if they do realize it – oh well, at least you know what they like! 🙂 The amount is totally up to you – I linked a $25 option because I think that’s a wonderful amount but, really, any amount is appreciated! Even $5 to a fast food restaurant is a nice thing to stuff in a card.

 

For some reason teachers get a lot of gift cards for coffee. Maybe people realize how much caffeine is required to wrangle 25 little ones all day? 🙂 A lot of teachers will absolutely love this BUT not all teachers drink coffee so just make sure first! Ask your child if they ever bring Starbucks to class or drink coffee at work.

 

If they do drink coffee, a Starbucks gift card is awesome!

Again, don’t include a coffee thermos or mug with it – just don’t. A gift card is enough. 🙂 This is a set of 4 $10 Starbucks gift cards for all your kids’ teachers and maybe even 1 for you! They have all types of denominations and I love that you can order so many different gift cards from so many places directly from Amazon – it just makes holiday shopping so much easier.

 

 

 

Like I said, please don’t feel pressured to make something cute from Pinterest. Who has time for that? & they don’t even want it… I know I’m repeating myself but seriously, isn’t that such a relief?! 🙂 A pack of colorful flair pens or a small gift card stuffed inside a handwritten card will literally make you the coolest parent around. I hope this list has been helpful for you! Just remember, your kids’ teacher(s) LOVE your kid(s) – gifts are appreciated but not expected so don’t let it stress you out. Anything you give them will be absolutely appreciated, even if it’s just a scribbled love note inside a Christmas card from their student… I just wanted to share with you some things teachers would love to receive! Merry Christmas!

 

Want to pin this to save for later? Feel free to use these!

Christmas gifts for teachers that they actually want! Great list of what to get your child's teacher for the holidays!

Teacher gift ideas your child's teacher will love! No more mugs!! These are great gift ideas to give the teachers you love!

 

You can also hit the little Facebook icon below to share this on your Facebook if you want! I am really hoping to make Christmas gift shopping for teachers much easier for parents! I really enjoyed making this list and I hope you enjoyed it too. Thanks for stopping by!

 

For more lists, check out my Awesome Lists page to see book lists, teacher tools recommendations, and a ton of other lists for teachers such as lists of classroom themes, classroom jobs, and so much more!