Fun 5 Below Finds: July 2017

I am so excited because I can finally get into my new (well new to me, but very old in terms of years) classroom tomorrow. I may be unique in this way, but today feels like Christmas Eve. That's the nerdy teacher in me!

It's no secret that I have been back to school shopping literally all summer but that's for two reasons: 1. I love being a teacher and creating the best possible classroom for my kids and 2. my son loves shopping! I know, I know, you read #2 and you are thinking, "she's just saying that as an excuse to shop." But no, it's completely true! If my child sees a shopping card he literally lurches out of my arms and is happy as a clam the entire time we are in stores. So on those 100+ degree afternoons when he is throwing tantrums at home you betcha I load him up and run to literally any store to save our sanity.

Last week we took a quick trip to 5 Below (because I had already been to Target too many times to count last week) and we found some awesome teacher treasures that I have to share with you:

1. MEGA Pack of Glow Sticks

 Glow sticks are like currency in any elementary classroom. I always keep some of these on hand for rewards, birthdays, etc.

2. Puzzles

 These puzzles are the perfect number of pieces so that they are a challenge but your students might actually have time to complete them during Fun Friday or indoor recess. Last year, near the end of the year, I rewarded my students with a "Puzzles and Popcorn" afternoon and these puzzles were a huge hit! You bet I stocked up on these!

3. Scented Markers and Crayons
This is literally emoji heart eyes for any teacher who loves to make anchor charts. I also love to use scented markers as a reward. You can either pass out individual markers or give kids a smelly dot on their hand!

4. Non Fiction Books
World Records, Believe it or Not, and Joke books are always a hit in my classroom library. $5 is also a great price for these large, hard back books!

5. Tupperware
No these are not for your lunch, though they totally could be! I use tupperware in my classroom all the time to hold math manipulatives, dice, erasers, etc. I love them because they have lids. This set has 21 containers with lids which is a steal.

6. Lint Rollers
 
When I taught reading, one of my favorite beginning of the year lessons was the schema lint roller lesson from Comprehension Connections. If you are unfamiliar with the book or lesson, you introduce the word schema and tell students that their brain is just like a lint roller. You are constantly rolling along and picking up schema from your life and experiences. Then you write experiences you have had on little slips of paper and literally lint roll them so they stick. The kids love being able to lint roll their own experiences too! I love this lesson and you too can teach it with this 5 pack of mini lint rollers :)

7. Writing Prompts Journal
The writing teacher in me threw a party when I saw this! I picked up this journal for 2 reasons: 1. because I am recently looking for ways to improve my personal writing (um, hello why I started this blog) and 2. because I can use these prompts for my students.

8. Party Decorations
These banners and balloons will brighten up any classroom and can be used every day, for meet the teacher or for classroom parties!

9. Shout Out Props
These are perfect for sentence stems. Use a paint pen to write your favorite sentence starters on them and allow your students to reference them in class discussions. Some ideas are "I infer that..." "I predict..." "I agree with..." "I disagree with..." The possibilities are endless!

10. Cute Tennis Shoes
Cactus classrooms are a huge trend this year and these shoes are just too cute. If you aren't doing a cactus classroom, don't worry because there are a lot of other cute prints. And hello, $5!!!!!

I hope you are enjoying your last moments of summer! What other teacher treasures have you found at Five Below or other stores? 

Love y'all!

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