Hi everyone! Sorry, I have been MIA with blogging, I am really struggling to find balance. Teaching first grade full time, trying to stay healthy/go to the gym, and some positive happenings in my personal life have kept me super busy! All good things though.
Anyway, I am here with some freebies and fall ideas for you. My friends at Go Teach! sent me some really cool teacher goodies and I have loved using them in the classroom. I am showcasing some of my favorites by Mr. Sketch and Paper Mate in this post. I hope you feel inspired to try some of the products out.
Anchor charts are great visual reminders for students. They should be accessible in the classroom for student reference. Your students will find them more meaningful if make them with them. You don’t have to have the students draw them for you, but you can have the students tell you what to add to the chart. In the beginning of the year, I like to make an anchor chart to model what good coloring looks like. I think it is a good idea to model expectations for almost everything you do in school.
I love using these Mr. Sketch Scented Gel Crayons along with Mr. Sketch Markers for Anchor Charts. The Mr. Sketch Gel Crayons color so smoothly and smell delicious! You can click the images to check them out through my Amazon link.
Here is a quick video of the Mr. Sketch Scented Gel Crayons at work:
Here is another example of a simple anchor chart made using Mr. Sketch markers. This anchor chart is still up because we still need to work on keeping our desks neat. I have a feeling it will be up all year long.
Speaking of modeling, one of my favorite things to do with my students is directed drawings. Directed Drawings are a calming activity and help my students focus. They also love them! You can check out my Pinterest board for directed drawings ideas.
We made this fall display using Scarecrow Directed Drawings, Mr. Sketch products, and fall themed freebies!
The Scarecrow Directed Drawing activity is by First Grade Blue Skies and is a freebie that I use every year.
You can find the fall themed banner freebie in my TpT store by clicking the link below:
My sample served as a model for the students. I showed them how to make decorative patterns inside the letters and to trace things in skinny Mr. Sketch markers to make the details pop.
The scarecrow graph is a product in my TpT store.
Here are some of my favorite fall read alouds. You can click the covers to check out the books on Amazon through my sponsored links.
And here are a few fall themed freebies for you, click the images.
You can find more ideas and join the Go teach! Community on Facebook by clicking {HERE}. Go teach! is the new incredibly loud and proud community with project ideas, resources, classroom tips, giveaways and more to inspire and help teachers. Brought to you by teacher fan favorites such as Elmer’s, EXPO, Sharpie, Mr. Sketch, Paper Mate, Prismacolor, DYMO, and X-ACTO.
Before I go, I wanted to share these Paper Mate Inkjoy Gel pens. I loved the sample gel pens that I was sent so much so, that I ordered another package of them from Amazon. Seriously, these are the best gel pens I have ever owned. I shared them on my fb page and everyone who has tried them agreed.
*Thank you to Go Teach! for sponsoring this blog post. All opinions are my own. I received compensation and free products in exchange for writing this post. This post also contains sponsored links. I only support brands and products that I use and that I believe in.
Thanks for stopping by and happy fall!
As always feel free to pin:
YES YES YES to those PaperMate InkJoy gel pens! They are the greatest pens ever! I've bought them for a bunch of people: my principal, me, my hubby, me, my friends, me… I may have a serious problem with being unable to walk past them in the store, especially if they're on sale.
Thank you for the Fall Banner! My kids enjoyed making the banner and sharing their favorite parts of fall. It's hanging in the hallway, and another teacher complimented my class on it. 🙂
I never thought of doing an anchor chart for coloring nicely! I will have to make one to hang in my room, and I'll have to do it soon. Some of my kids REALLY need this! And an anchor chart for a neat desk? AWESOME idea!
Thank you so much for the wonderful ideas. I'm glad things are going well for you, even if you are super busy.
Thanks so much for your kind words, Diane! I am glad you were able to use the banners. I think I am going to buy the pens as gifts, too! Great idea.