New Resource! Character Building and Classroom Culture Materials

Posted on January 5, 2019 by Squarehead Teachers

I recently discovered a new resource I want to share with you! It’s a blog called Come Follow Me FHE (FHE stands for “family home evening,” where your family spends time together at home). Each week, kindergarten teacher, Angie, shares a short lesson about a character-building type topic and includes printables and activity ideas aimed at children.

The lessons are based off of a manual called Come Follow Me, which focuses on the New Testament. If sharing ideas from a religious topic is inappropriate in your school, use the basic ideas of good character to strengthen your students. For example, her second week lesson focuses on the Beatitude. Rather than calling them the Beatitudes, call them “character bees” or say “we should be humble”. I firmly believe these Christian values are critical to good character development in children and will strengthen us as a society.

Here’s a freebie she sent me from week 2: bee coloring page

I also liked week one, with the theme “we are responsible for our own learning.” This. Yes! A thousand times yes!! I went to the manual (available here) and found this lesson idea (I’ve modified it to fit a classroom setting):

Matthew 13:1–23 One great way to help [your classroom] prepare to learn this year is to review the parable of the sower. Your [class] might enjoy looking at different kinds of ground near your home to visualize the types of ground described in the parable. What can we do to cultivate “good ground” in our [classroom]? (Matthew 13:8).

This analogy lends itself to all kinds of discussions. “Our mind is like a garden” or “plant good ideas in our heads” and the list goes on…

Here’s his you get the freebies: Subscribe to the Come Follow Me FHE weekly email. I don’t like to give out my email or subscribe to things (I already get so much email!), But this one is a simple once a week email sent on Tuesdays. I’ve tried it and I don’t get a bunch of useless junk emails. If you missed the previous week’s worth of lessons and activities, you can get them at Angie’s Etsy shop. She’s got cute display printables for each lesson if you like pretty things!

New Year Reflections Spinner

Posted on December 27, 2018 by Squarehead Teachers

I found this in my files and thought I’d share. This would be a great activity for a family or staff party and there’s little prep needed. I’m not sure where this is from, so if it’s yours, please let me know so I can credit you. Thanks and happy new year!

Click here to download: New Year Reflections Spinner

Using Essential Oils in the Classroom (Guest Post #2)

Posted on December 7, 2018 by Squarehead Teachers

I’m sure you’ve heard about essential oils. I’ve wanted to learning about how they can be used in the classroom, so I reached out to a friend of mine who is very involved in the “oils community.” (If you’re familiar with Young Living Essential Oils, you’ll know my friend by the name, Lucy Libido. She’s written essential oils books for women and babies/kids) She connected me with a few teachers who use oils in the classroom. They have agreed to share their experiences with oils in a few guest posts. So here’s the second post about oils, written by preschool teacher, Nanette. Please note that she discussed the use of oils with the parents of her students. Click here to get started with your own oils kit!

As a preschool teacher of 19 years, I have always taken pride in looking for the best materials and items I can provide for my kids in the classroom. When I discovered Young Living Essential Oils in 2016, I decided it was time to incorporate these oils in my classroom. Our director had already begun using Thieves Household Cleaner for our everyday cleaning needs throughout the preschool. I communicated with the families in our classroom that we would like to introduce essential oils and asked if any of them had any questions or concerns. Many of them had questions and concerns regarding the use of essential oils around their kids. I was able to put their mine at ease that this would benefit their child’s preschool experience. I began to introduce the oils that they were probably more familiar with, such as Peppermint, Lavender, Orange, and Lemon. Once we had been diffusing oils for a while in the classroom, I introduced additional oils, such as Thieves, Cedarwood, Sleepyizes, Purification, and Lemongrass. I may eventually add more oils, but these ones seem to be meeting our needs.

Daily, we use Thieves Household Cleaner to clean our tables, floors, bathrooms, windows, cots, and any other surface that needs cleaning. We also diffuse oils on days that we feel it is needed. This may be during moments when unique smells occur (which can be quite often in a preschool), when the class seems to need an energy boost (which usually occurs without help from oils), when nap time comes around, and the class needs to slow down, or just to add a nice smell to the classroom.

Our preschool will continue diffusing oils and cleaning with Thieves Household Cleaner. We know that these oils are the best, and that using non-toxic products is the only way to ensure that our children grow up in a healthy environment.

Want to try essential oils? Click here to get started.

About the Guest Blogger

Nanette Arnold I have been a preschool teacher for 19 years, a mentor teacher for 5 years, and am currently acting as a director for my center while my director is on maternity leave. I have worked with children ages 6 months – 5 years old. I have been using Young Living Essential Oils since December of 2016. In my spare time, I can be found reading, playing pool, trying new foods, enjoying the outdoors, and spending time with my boyfriend, friends, and family.

Note: Content on this blog is not intended as medical advice.

What to Give Teachers for Christmas

Posted on December 5, 2018 by Squarehead Teachers

I was recently approached by a friend (who’s got lots of kids in school and her husband is currently deployed, so she’s flying solo right now) who asked me what teachers really want from their students for Christmas. As we talked, we identified what resources people might or might not have (time, energy, money, creativity) that would factor into what gift they would give a teacher for Christmas. Our discussion seemed to end on the idea that teachers are people too so they don’t necessarily need a huge “Teachers Are the Best” T-shirt or a giant package of stickers.

I then asked my Facebook readership (mostly teachers) about this and they confirmed what I had discussed with my friend. This main theme emerged from teachers: Treat us like regular people rather than teachers! (So, skip the “world’s best teacher” mug. She’s probably got a few of them already.)

I’ve combined those two ideas (varying resources from gift-givers and teachers being treated like regular people) and I’ve come up with some gift-giving advice for you:

If the resource you have is MONEY…

Give gift cards! Teachers love going out to eat, seeing a movie, adding to their personal music/media collection or splurging on something fun at the store. If you still want to give something teaching-related, my readers suggested a gift card to Teachers Pay Teachers. Unfortunately, gift cards don’t come on sale very often, so you probably won’t get a deal on them. But you will probably check it off your list the fastest by grabbing a gift card while you’re at the grocery store.

If the resource you have is TIME…

Spend time in your teacher’s classroom! I think I would die of joy if parents in my class had “gifted” me 2 hours of help in my classroom. Before, during, after school, it wouldn’t matter. I would ask them to help me grade/record papers, redo a bulletin board, sort supplies or books, or about a million other things. I think this could also apply to school things the teacher would otherwise have to bring home. For example, you could volunteer to take home some laminated things, cut them out for the teacher and then send them back to school with your student. Heck, one teacher friend of mine had a parent take home her electric pencil sharpener and the parent sharpened a hundred pencils for her at home! Unconventional gift, I know, but it saved my teacher friend so much time and sanity! This kind of gift might not cost much (maybe the cost of a babysitter?), but it will speak volumes about your appreciation!

If you want to save your teacher some time…

Give the teacher a prepaid car wash. You probably know how good it feels to have a clean car. And you probably also know the nagging feeling that you should just wash and vacuum out your dang car yourself, but you don’t have time (or energy)! Well, be the teacher’s hero and grab him a certificate for a car wash. It’s probably something they’ve been meaning to do, but just haven’t gotten around to it. Practical, simple and something they can actually use!!

If you’ve got a bunch of teachers on your list…

Give baked goods! Do I really need to say more? I mean, come on. Who doesn’t like a delicious goodie! Homemade or store-bought, it’ll be delicious. Just make sure you know if the teacher has any food allergies! (And don’t worry about making your presentation “Pinterest-worthy”. Most teachers don’t have time to make everything super fancy, so they don’t expect others to either.)

If you’re low on time and money…

Write a heartfelt note. Yes, you the parent. Kids give teacher notes all the time, but parents rarely do. Write down a note of appreciation telling them what you admire and appreciate about them as an individual and as a teacher. Consider telling them how your child has grown since they’ve been in the teacher’s classroom. Have your child draw a picture or make their own card to go with it.

Merry Christmas and happy gifting!!

TECH TIP: Get to Different G Suite Websites More Quickly

Posted on November 3, 2018 by Squarehead Teachers

For quick access to the different google items, simply start typing in your browser the type of Google file you want to create or view. Google will pull up the rest of the website.

For example, if you want to see your Google drive, simply start typing: “drive“ into the browser, and Google drive will pull up. If you want to go to Google Classroom, start typing, “classroom” into the browser, and the page address will pull up.

Just think, now you don’t need to go to your email page, and pull down google options anymore!

These are the websites that your computer will be pulling up!

Google Drive: Drive.google.com

Google Docs: Docs.google.com

Google Sheets: Sheets.google.com

Google Forms: forms.google.com

Google Sites: Sites.google.com

Google Classroom: Classroom.google.com

Halloween Stresses Teachers Out!

Posted on October 31, 2018 by Squarehead Teachers

Accurate.

I couldn’t find who this picture belongs to, so if it’s yours, please email me so I can credit you! (square head teachers at gmail dot com)

“Snapshot of Fall Break” Graphic Organizer

Posted on October 15, 2018 by Squarehead Teachers

Thank heavens for fall break! It can’t come soon enough and it never lasts long enough! At least you can have an easy way for everyone to share their fall break adventures with this easy printable! Have your students write or draw something to answer each prompt.

Click here to download the PDF: Snapshots of Fall Break

Tech Tuesday: Free Resource for English Learners in Your Classroom

Posted on October 7, 2018 by Squarehead Teachers

Lauralee is now a technology coach in her district. Here is a helpful resource for English Learners (and every student!) in your classroom!

If you have students who are struggling with your tier one (whole class) instruction because they don’t understand the challenging English vocabulary, then Quizlet is a great FREE website for you. It is a wonderful resources that will help your student learn some of the important vocabulary words before you use them in class. By front-loading your EL students with the vocabulary prior to a lesson, they will better be able to follow along during the lesson and understand the content discussed. It’s so easy to access, requires VERY little prep, and the students don’t even need accounts!

Just follow these simple steps:

1. Go to www.Quizlet.com

2. In Upper left corner, use search bar to type in content area. (For example: I typed in Space Spanish terms. See image below.)

3. Look through the results to find a set that fits your student’s vocabulary needs

4. Copy the link for future access

(You can get a free teacher account and create your own vocab sets also. Don’t have students get accounts until you look into your district’s student privacy policy to see if Quizlet follows the proper privacy!)

Here is an example of how I use Quizlet in my classroom: Let’s pretend that I am about to start my space unit in science. I have a student who doesn’t speak much English. Naturally, I am thinking about how to help this student get something out of my lesson. So, I go to Quizlet, and find a vocab set that has the words that she will be hearing. Then, I have her do the activities that go with that set of words before I start actually teaching the unit. When I do start the space unit with the whole class, that student has heard the words and is WAY more familiar with their meanings.

#ELhelp #EveryKidCounts #SetUpForSuccess #TechTuesday
P.S. I know it isn’t Tuesday yet, but I wanted to share this resource with you because there are so many helpful things on Quizlet!!