Best Back to School Tips, Blog Hop, and Giveaway!

I've teamed up with some great TPT friends to blog about our favorite activities, organizational ideas, and teacher fun!

The best part is that each of us is giving away a $25 TPT Gift Certificate!  You can enter at the bottom of the blog post.  Lots of different ways to enter to win before the next big TPT Sale!

That first day of school is a whirlwind of CRAZINESS!  If everyone gets feed and home the right way it is a SUCCESS!

To get the kids settled for a few minutes and give me a chance to breathe, we make About Me Banners. When I first tried them I let the kids design them by themselves and it never seemed to turn out the way I had thought.  I always seemed to have one crying because they couldn't think of anything to write and another that had cut their banner into 1,000 tiny pieces.

Being the OCD teacher that I am, I created a template for them to use.  It has been a HUGE lifesaver for me.  I project it on my board and fill it out so they can get to know me a little better. Then I give everyone their copy and they go to work.

The banners look adorable in the hallway after the first day and are a favorite memory in our portfolios at the end of the year. The kids are always so amazed at how much better their handwriting is at the end of the year.

You can download this activity for FREE from my TPT store.  Just click on the picture.

My favorite classroom game is SKITTLE MATH!

State testing is just part of life....  like it or not!  So we do test prep all the time and for math we play a very simple game....

SKITTLE MATH!

Just use any test prep you have, dry erase boards, and Skittles!  Just project one question at a time and have the kids write their answers on their board.  Move around the room and check their work.  If they are right, they get a Skittle.  Because test prep has lots of different levels of questions, everyone gets a BUNCH right!

I made these fun jars this summer so that I didn't have to keep the Skittles in a ziplock bag this year. You can download the labels by clicking on the picture.

I hope your kiddos enjoy them!

TIME TO ENTER TO WIN!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

You can enter for the giveaway starting at 10 a.m. on July 27th.
The blog hop will end on August 1st at 11:59 p.m.
The WINNER will receive their $25 directly from me on August 2nd.

Want to enter to win more?

TIME TO HOP TO MY FRIEND!

Just click on the link and enter to win another $25 TPT Gift Certificate!

Happy Teaching!