Posts tagged "school supplies"

Classroom Music CD’s and Instruments

Classroom music should be part of any teacher’s school supplies.  Many schools include music as part of their program; however, there are some schools where the classroom music is the only form of music education.  I listen to music with my little ones on a a daily basis.  There are many music CD’s for kids that help create classroom routines.  Some of my favorite CD’s in the classroom help me greet the students in the morning, clean up with them throughout the day and, and say a friendly good bye to them in the afternoon.  Music can calm kids while working on independent tasks.   There are also many great musical products for ESL learners that help kids develop phonemic awareness and even teach math skills.  Music is a fun way for students to learn new concepts.

Kid’s instruments are a great addition to any classroom.  I would use bells, drums, and rhythm sticks during whole group instruction when kids wanted to answer a question.  Sometimes when we were playing a game as a class, I would have students pick an instrument to use instead of a timer.  Just those little moments give kids exposure to instruments that they might not otherwise get.

I also try to incorporate classroom music books into our activities.  I think that social studies is a wonderful curriculum area to spend a little bit of time exploring music from a historical perspective.  Students always enjoy listening to new and old songs.  I know that I love music and I enjoy learning about composers and see the value that music can play in education.

Think about ways you can include classroom music into your day.  You can start out small, even by just singing with a good morning song.  Before you know it, you will have a great selection of music for your classroom.

Teacher School Supplies

Buying teacher school supplies can be quite costly.  Many school budgets are shrinking and teachers are now responsible for providing high quality classroom instruction as well as supplying many teacher school supplies for their classrooms.  It is almost the halfway mark for many classes across the country and that means that many teachers are trying to plan for the remainder of the year.  That often means that they need to replenish their teacher school supplies.  Here are some of the top items that teachers will be purchasing as they start off the second half of the year.

1. Consumable school supplies – Items such as markers, post-it notes, glue, and paper are all materials that are used almost every day and can be ordered in bulk.

2. Bulletin board sets – Winter break is a great time to rearrange your classroom and decorating your bulletin boards is a fun way to change things and introduce new units.

3.  Test prep – Most standardized tests take place during the second half of the year.  Pick up some new test prep teaching materials and get ready for that big test day.

4.  Childrens books – Quality reading material and high interest stories are a wonderful teaching tools for any classroom.  Pick several new books every couple of months to buy.

5.  Charts and Posters – Do you know what science and social studies units are coming up?  Well, find a couple of charts and posters to go with your upcoming units.

6.  Flash cards – Flash cards can be used for so many different activities like centers and whole group games.  They are an inexpensive teaching tool that make learning fun and interactive.

If you keep inventory of these materials and need to purchase more, then it is very easy to check out online discount teacher supply stores like www.k12schoolsupplies.net and buy what you need.