How to Start Flexible Seating

Flexible Seating is a phrase that has been buzzing around the education world for quite some time now.  I LOVE seeing so many teachers getting their toes wet with this.  It has been a game-changer in my classroom over the past two years and I want to help you get started!  Here is my advice for starting flexible seating off at the beginning of the year!

• Make a plan - flexible seating does not mean you have to get rid of all of your traditional seating  - it just means that students have options of where they sit.  What do you want flexible seating to look like in your classroom?  It looks different from classroom to classroom, start with what might work in your room.
• Get rid of the idea of a seating chart - true flexible seating does not have a seating chart, no more assigned seats *only do this if you are going 100% flexible seating at all times*
• Look at what you already have - do you have good tables and desks?  If so, figure out if you can lower some (by taking off legs) or if you can raise some (extending legs or with bed risers).  Do you have a counter or shelf that could be used as a standing desk?  Do you already have clipboards or whiteboards?  Start with what you have!
• Ask for donations - you will be amazed at how generous people are!  You may get old bean bag chairs, couches, pillows, carpet squares, and more.  You can even start on Donors Choose and make a project there.  Don't try to buy it all yourself, trust me!
• Get rid of some seating and add in your new seating. You can go all out or start with just one type of seating.  I introduced Wobble Chairs in my classroom and that was it at first.  The kids could work at that special table during the day when they were doing independent or center work.  This was a great way for me to see how flexible seating could work in my classroom and a great way for me to see how the kids would do with seating options that were not so traditional.
• Introduce the seating to your students.  Model how you use that option.  Model how you don't use the option.  Have a student model the incorrect way and the correct way.  Allow that option to be available to students.  Put this in your lesson plans for the first week of school.  Teach it to your students!
• Make sure the rules are clear (whatever rules you decide).  The two rules that I highly encourage are "Teachers have the right to move you at any time"  and "Pick a spot that works best for you".
• Have fun!  Teaching is supposed to be fun - enjoy it, embrace it, and love it!  

Wondering what seating will be best for you?  Check out 18+ Flexible Seating Ideas for Your Classroom!

Let me know if you have any questions.

(contains affiliate links)

10+ STEM Bin Ideas for Kinders!

Me: "What is your favorite thing about school?"
Students: "STEM! (and recess!)"

(affiliate links included)

I had a goal last year to bring more STEM into my classroom.  I looked over my classroom schedule and realized it was near impossible to fit this in and still teach enough ELA and math.  The kids went to STEM for specials once a week, but it was something they were really interested in.  I decided to do a DonorsChoose project to get some STEM items I could use in my classroom.  My plan was to use these as "morning work" when kids were entering school between 7:15 - 7:45.  I would also allow them to be options if we got Free Choice time on Friday's or other days.

These STEM bins were a huge hit.  They arrived late April and that was the first time all school year that no technology was used during free choice time!  This is what the kids want.  They want to build, create, test, and revamp!  I sat back and just watched their minds work.

Here are some items that are kindergarten tested & approved for STEM bins!

1.  Marble Run

2.  Legos

3.  TinkerToys

4.  Gears! Gears! Gears!

5. Magnetic Tiles

6. CoolFlakes

7. K'NEX

8.  Trucky 3

9. Kit of Screws

10. Drill & Design

11. Peg Board

I can't wait to make these more than just buckets in my class this upcoming year.  I hope to integrate these STEM bins into all of my subject areas! What is your favorite STEM activity?

Best Books for the First Week of School

I love the first few weeks of school.  The students always seem so well behaved, eager to learn, and are soaking in everything!  My favorite thing to do during the first week of school is to read LOTS of books.  These are a few books that I consider must-reads for the first week of school!

(affiliate links included)

• The Kissing Hand - Follow-up Activity: Create a chart with all the students feelings about coming to school 

• No, David! - Follow-up Activity:  Sort different behaviors into either a No, David or Yes, David column (ex: throwing a ball inside vs. throwing trash away)

• David Goes to School Follow-up Activity:  Create class rules!

• Chicka Chicka Boom Boom  Follow-up Activity: Create a large display in your classroom with a coconut tree - have students add their names to it.  Have students create individual trees where they stamp their names onto the tree.

• How Full is Your Bucket?  Follow-up Activity:  Go around the circle and have each person compliment a friend.

• First Day Jitters  Follow-up Activity:  Make Jitter Juice!  Mix green punch with some sprite & serve to your students!

• The Rainbow Fish - Follow-up Activity:  Create a chart showing ways to be kind to one another, create an act of kindness jar & place pebbles in the jar for each act of kindness you see - reward the class when they fill the jar up!

• The Book with No Pictures - Follow-up Activity:  Make a slime -call it Blork or Bluurf - have your students play with it before filling out a chart talking about how blork/bluurf  smells, feels, looks, and sounds.

• My Mouth is a Volcano - Follow-up Activity:  Practice different noise levels for your classroom - practice whisper voices, silent voices, partner voices, group voices, etc.

• Kindergarten Rocks - Paint actual rocks - place them in areas around the outside of your school to brighten peoples day!

• How Do Dinosaurs Go to School?  Follow-up Activity:  Go on a dinosaur walk and show students the dismissal areas and procedures.

• How Will I Get to School This Year?  Follow-up Activity:  Create a graph of how students will go home this year.

• Chrysanthemum - Follow-up Activity:  Have students count how many letters are in their name - create a class graph!

• Kindergarten, Here I Come - Follow-up Activity:  Have students write or draw what they are most excited about!

• The Night Before Kindergarten - Follow-up Activity:  Have a former student come in and answer any questions your students may have about kindergarten!

What are your go-to books for the first weeks of school?

Ideas for Flipgrid in a Kindergarten Classroom

I love summertime.  It gives me time to relax and learn about new tools for the classroom.  This summer I learned about Flipgrid.  Flipgrid is this really awesome platform where you create video grids around a question or a topic.  It then can be shared with your students, colleagues, PLN, etc.  Those people upload video responses.  You can then respond to responses and so on.  It is GREAT!

So, with all these new tools and platforms, I always want to know how it would work with my kinders.  I know that my kids are capable of doing anything they put their mind to, however, there are some technology tools out there that really are not very kinder friendly.  This one, Flipgrid, is!

Here are some ways to use Flipgrid in your Kindergarten or elementary classroom!

• Book Reviews - Students upload a review of a book they read (you can even create a separate topic for each genre if you would like: non-fiction, poetry, fantasy, etc....that would be good for upper grades!)
• Weather Reports - One of our big science standards is to understand weather and how it changes over time.  My kids will submit reports on the weather.  I hope to collaborate with classrooms across the country or globe to have them submit weather reports as well.  My kids could really see how weather is different all over the world!
• Culture Reports - One of our big social studies standards if to understand how cultures are the same and how they are different.  I hope to have people from my PLN and classrooms around the globe add videos to a Culture Grid.  Topics will include food, clothes, traditions, etc.  We can then look through videos and learn about many cultures!
• Genius Hour Pitches - Use this as a place for your kids to pitch their ideas for genius hour
• PBL - Use Flipgrid as a place for students to reflect on PBL
• Math Word Problems - I am going to let me my kids be the teachers!  They will submit a response where they state a word problem they create.  Students can then access the grid and solve their classmates word problems.
• Writing Process - Create a grid with a topic for each part of the writing process - have students check in after each step!
• Individual Portfolios - Create a topic for each individual student.  Let that serve as a digital portfolio for that student.  They can share any work on their individual Flipgrid topic that they would like - writing samples, word problems, counting, book responses, etc.

How are you going to use Flipgrid in your classroom?

End of Year Dress

Don't you love Pinterest?  I remember seeing a teacher who let her students design her dress and I knew I had to do that for my End of Year Celebration.

I bought this plain white dress on Amazon (last minute decision, needed quick shipping!!), and it was perfect!  I was nervous about a white dress being too light, but this was great.  It also was cheap enough that if I couldn't get the markers to work with my kiddos, oh well! (affiliate link)

So, I brought the dress to school and wrapped it around a cardboard box so that the fabric was not doubled up anywhere.  I pulled out plain old sharpies, of course the rainbox pack, and called the kids over.  My directions were "draw"!  That is it.  Use color, make it as big as you would like, draw me a picture that I will love!  I rotated the dress until all the white space was filled.

 

 I let it dry overnight (not even 24 hours) and rocked it the next day at our end of year celebration.  It was a hit!

I have already bought a few dresses for the years to come!  I can't wait for this to become an end of year tradition for me.  I hope I can hold on to the dresses & wear them when my kiddos graduate from 5th grade!

The 3 Big "To Do's" before heading Back to School

Ahh, summer vacation!  It is supposed to be relaxing and refreshing for teachers, right?!

I have a hard time turning my teacher brain off - I think it will always be on, summer, fall, winter, and spring.  It is just who I am.  Summer is a time for me to check some things off my list that stay there all year long.  These are the 3 things that I think should be at the top of every teachers summer to do list!

Toss It.  Wash It.  Update It.

1. Less is more - toss it!

 I recently went into a storage closet at my school that was filled with stuff from teachers over time.  I have not been able to utilize the closet as a teacher at this school for 3 years because it was that packed with items from teachers who don't even teach at the school anymore!  I think we all have a weak spot as a teacher when it comes to tossing things out - "I can use those empty tin cans for something!"  "Don't get rid of broken crayons or pencils that are snapped in half, you can use them for something!"  The truth is, most of that stuff sits around, and accumulates, and just wastes space.  Less is more - toss it!  Go through your items: closets, shelves, storage bins, filling cabinets - if you haven't touched it in the past 2 years, TOSS IT!   If you have used it in the past two years or know something you will use it for this year, keep it.  Trust me, it feels good to get rid of stuff.



2.  Germs be gone - wash it!
Yuck - I know the items in my classroom have been loved and used all year long!  All that loving, leaves lots of germs.  I wipe things down and clean things off all year, but there is something to be said for a good cleaning.  Take your bins, baskets, scissors, legos, toys, buckets, etc. and put them through the dishwasher and get those items clean.  Clear off your shelves (see if there is anything to toss *step 1), and WIPE THEM DOWN.  Get your room and items clean.  It will feel great!


3.  Refresh the look - update it!
Check your website, social media, blog, e-mail, class page, etc.  Make sure your content is up to date, clear out info that is no longer relevant.  Add more recent photos.  Look at your files, what is no longer relevant for these kiddos, update it, find something that will work better.  Take the time to make those small changes and you will be all set for the new year!

What is your must do before heading back to school?