Marilla, Niya

English

Georgia Southern University: Digital Commons@Georgia Southern

N i y a  M a r i l l a  Niyarmarilla@gmail.com Dollar Tree Finds for the Classroom 1. Clothespins - I use clothespins for many things in my classroom and these hold up just as good as if you bought them anywhere else. Clothespins are great for a clip chart, lunch count board, clip the sound, etc.  2. Craft Supplies - Pipe cleaners, foam stickers, beads, glue sticks, foam, etc. are things that don't really matter the quality, so these are just fine for many of the crafts that I do.  3. Stickers - I use stickers in my writing center for "sticker stories". They are so much cheaper here than the teacher store!  4. Labels - Whether you are labeling folders or needing name tags, the Dollar Tree has a lot of labels. They typically have these cute labels during the back to school season. I stock up on them and use them for field trips. 5. Contact Paper - I use contact paper for a variety of things. To cover paper back books to make them sturdier, to cover my numbered circles on the floor for my line-up order, and patterned contact paper to re-cover filing cabinets. 6. Containers - Use them for book baskets, my small group table, art center, clipboards, etc.  7. Sorting Trays - These are great to work on sorting in Math. You can also use these to organize craft supplies for each table or math manipulatives they'd need for an activity.  8. Facial Scrubbers - I use these as mini erasers for our dry-erase boards. They come in 4 bright colors and they go perfect with my polka dot themed classroom! 9. Headphones - I went through a lot of headphones for my computer center and they would break or stop working. Now, I just grab these cheap ones because they work just as good. 10. Silly Glasses - The Dollar Tree has so many funny glasses that my students love wearing when they do "Read the Room".  11. Pointers - There are a variety of things you could use for pointers, but I think these wands are pretty sturdy. The colors also go with my bright colored classroom!  12. Flyswatters - I use these to play "Splat". We play this in small group and whole group to work on sight words or any other skill. For sight words, I put words on flashcards and lay about 8 of them on the floor. Students have to smack the sight word that I say.  13. Slinkies - Besides just being fun to play with, these mini slinkies are great to use in my reading group. I teach kids to s-t-r-e-t-c-h out words. They pull the slinky apart each time they say a sound in the word.  14. Push Lights - Dollar Tree has these lights in a few different shapes. I use these in my small group if we are playing a game and I have them "buzz" in. We also work on phoneme segmentation and put 3 down and click one light for each sound we hear in the CVC word. 15. Pocket charts - These small pocket charts are great for individual students to work on building words, matching games, sorting, etc. I also use them on my reading and math wall for vocabulary cards when I don't need a huge pocket chart. 16. Wipe Off Boards - I have used these individual wipe off boards to throw in center tubs. You can also find a standard size wipe off board too, which I use during reading groups.  17.  Flashcards - If you need some cheap flashcards to throw in centers, send home with students, or give to a volunteer that works 1-1 with students, the Dollar Tree has a variety of flashcards.  18. Playing Cards - I use playing cards in my math centers a lot. The cards are a bit more flimsy than some you'd get at Target or Walmart, but they are fine for classroom use. It's a lot cheaper to get them at the Dollar Tree when you are buying 10+ packs.  19. Dice - you can get small dice there, but these jumbo dice are so much more fun to use! I throw these in math centers and the students love them! 20. Puzzles - I use puzzles at the beginning of the year to work on team building. Students can also use them during their "free play" time at the end of the day or during inside recess.  21. Cotton swabs Blue and yellow make green, and there’s no better way to learn this than having students do it themselves. Give them little bits of paint and cotton swabs to mix them together. This will keep the mess to a minimum.  22. Poster paint Cheapest paint in the universe.  23. Crepe paper Want an easy and inexpensive way to make a student’s birthday special? Decorate their desk with crepe paper! They’ll love this little nod of recognition.  24. Elbow macaroni This is part art project and part grammar lesson. Use elbow macaroni to teach kids punctuation—apostrophes and quotes—they’ll love applying (aka gluing) them in the right placement. (Full disclosure: We borrowed this brilliant idea from this teacher’s blog.)  25. Glitter Love it or hate it, you can definitely find glitter at the dollar store. (And who needs expensive glitter?) Here’s our suggestion—use glitter as a monumental incentive for your students. If they reach a massive reading goal, you can break out the glitter and make sparkly literary collages.  26. Pipe cleaners You can use pipe cleaners for about 100 different things   27. Pom poms These should be a staple for your art area. They can make rainbows, bunny tails, or just about anything else. Have students draw a picture and then fill it in with these poms. Another hack: Put them on the ends of dry erase markers to use as mini erasers!  28. Stencils They’re good for learning shapes, patterns, and repetition.  29. Sidewalk chalk Soak it in water, and you have an immediate paintbrush at your fingertips.  Dollar Store Hacks for Classroom Management and Organization  30. Shaving cream Make sure this is a supervised activity with an adult nearby when using shaving cream.  31. Sponges Doing an art project where you need a specific shape like a heart or star? Cut it out of a sponge and then let students gently press in paint and then onto their paper.    32. Tissue You never, ever have enough tissue.  33. Greeting cards You know those “Thank You” cards you want to give students when they give you a special gift? Pick them up at the dollar store (sometimes they’re even two for $1) and keep a stash in your desk at all times.   34. Crayons Crayons are one of the top needs of teachers because kids are always breaking them or needing replacement colors! Use the dollar store version to replenish your supply, or make them a special incentive for kids who reach a special reading goal.  35. Glow sticks Good classroom rewards: pizza party, pajama day, or glow day! The kids will LOVE it. Guaranteed.  36. Party plates You can get fun colors and designs at a bargain price. Or put this on your classroom “wish list” of items that parents can sign up to bring. If they know they don’t have to spend a lot since they are from the dollar store, then they’ll be more likely to sign up.  36. Plastic bins Hello classroom organization! These plastic bins can be used for so many purposes. We suggest using them for organizing math games students can “check out” or by reading level with your books.     37. Racecars Great for prize bins.  38. Erasers   39. Resealable plastic containers These make perfect containers for play dough or organizing other classroom necessities.  Dollar Store Hacks for Math  Help get your students fired up about math this year—these items will make it fun!  Dice A roll of the dice can create an immediate opportunity to practice addition, multiplication, or subtraction. Partner students up and let them challenge one another with each roll.  Flashcards This is often on the school supply list, and you’re inevitably going to need some extra sets.  Playing cards You know the game of war? Kick it up a notch: Each student flips over a card. The first to say the answer when you multiply them together is the winner.  Timer Racing against the clock (Mad Minute, anyone?) is always fun for students. Buy a few timers to use in classroom math challenges.  Dollar Store Hacks for Reading and Writing  Practicing spelling, reading, and comprehension just got easier with this dollar store finds. Alphabet blocks Buy several sets of alphabet blocks, and then your students can have a friendly word challenge. Put all the blocks in a bag and have them “draw” five to six (just like Scrabble). Then challenge them to make words.  Dry erase boards Having a dry erase board for every single one of your students would be like a dream come true, right? When they’re only $1, it’s doable. Have students work out their answers individually and then hold them up for you to review.  Globes You likely have a big globe or map in your classroom, but these miniature globes help students really see the countries up close. When you’re working on a geography lesson, give each group one to look at and follow along with as you’re pointing out things out with the bigger classroom globe.  35. Pool noodles You can create your own phonics reading tool with pool noodles. Check out how with this tutorial video.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAKINAKVxEg  Pencils You can never, ever, ever have too many pencils. Count this under dollar store hacks that save your sanity.  Ping pong balls Here’s another good phonics tool. Write different letters on ping pong balls. Make a vowel bag and a consonant bag. Let students pull a few balls out of each one and try to make a word.  Popsicle sticks Write down each of your students’ names on a popsicle stick and put them in a cup. Then use this to “draw” a stick to decide who you call on during class. This way, you won’t always call on the same students and your impartiality will be evident Once you get through the entire cup, fill it up again.  Word searches Get those little minds thinking about words and putting them together with word searches. Just one book for $1 can supply your entire class.  Dollar Store Hacks for Science Hands-on learning is always more fun, and these items will do just that for your science units. Freezy pops No, it’s not just a treat. It’s a science experiment, too. Have students time how long it takes freezy pops to turn into ice. Then compare it with regular water. Does one freeze faster than the other because of the added sugar?   Airplanes A lesson in aerodynamics always benefits from some airplanes. Make your own paper airplanes and then compare them to the ones you can get at the dollar store. Which ones fly higher…faster…farther?   Bubbles What causes bubbles? Why are they round? What happens to them when they “pop”? These are all great questions and an excellent way to turn bubbles into a science lesson.  Cotton balls Every child needs to learn about clouds and different types of clouds, and one of the best ways to do this is by using cotton balls.  Flowers Every dollar store in the country has fake flowers, and if you can find the right ones, you can really “dissect” them to study the different parts of the flower.  Magnifying glass Science often involves looking at things very carefully and closely. And now you can afford to have several in your classroom.  Paper towels Using this dollar store hack, you can make your own “seed tape” in the classroom that students can then take home to plant it in their own backyards. Check out these instructions.   http://learningandyearning.com/make-your-own-seed-tape   Seeds You know the seed tape you just made? Here are the seeds to go on them. Whenever you talk growing or gardening in class, you have to try to grow your own. Look for bean seeds, which are easiest to sprout, or sunflowers.  Play dough Hands-on learning is the best, and play dough offers you great opportunity to mold and sculpt to your heart’s delight. Try using play dough to sculpt science models and replicas.  Additional Dollar Tree Activities 1. Hula Hoop- hula hoop croquet, or as a large clock outline on your board or wall  2. Tissue Paper or rolled crepe paper/streamers - can be used for arts and crafts or decorations throughout the classroom.   3. Popcorn Bags/Buckets- can be used in the dramatic play area or as a math game.  4. Glass picture frames – can be used as gifts for anyone, can frame a child’s artwork or handprint  5. Terra-cotta Pots – can be used for gardening, mother’s day gifts  6. Dress up clothes – dramatic play, prop boxes  DID YOU KNOW THIS?  Coffee filters .... Who knew! And you can buy 1,000 at the Dollar Tree for almost nothing even the large ones.  1. Cover bowls or dishes when cooking in the microwave. Coffee filters make excellent covers. 2. Clean windows, mirrors, and chrome... Coffee filters are lint-free, so they will leave windows sparkling. 3. Protect China by separating your good dishes with a coffee filter between each dish. 4. Filter broken cork from wine. If you break the cork when opening a wine bottle, filter the wine through a coffee filter. 5. Protect a cast-iron skillet. Place a coffee filter in the skillet to absorb moisture and prevent rust. 6. Apply shoe polish. Ball up a lint-free coffee filter. 7. Recycle frying oil. After frying, strain oil through a sieve lined with a coffee filter. 8. Weigh chopped foods. Place chopped ingredients in a coffee filter on a kitchen scale. 9. Hold tacos. Coffee filters make convenient wrappers for messy foods. 10. Stop the soil from leaking out of a plant pot. Line a plant pot with a coffee filter to prevent the soil from going through the drainage holes. 11.. Prevent a Popsicle from dripping. Poke one or two holes as needed in a coffee filter. 12. Do you think we used expensive strips to wax eyebrows? Use strips of coffee filters. 13. Put a few in a plate and put your fried bacon, French fries, chicken fingers, etc. on them. It soaks out all the grease. 14. Keep in the bathroom. They make great "razor nick fixers." 15. As a sewing backing. Use a filter as an easy-to-tear backing for embroidering or appliqueing soft fabrics. 16. Put baking soda into a coffee filter and insert into shoes or a closet to absorb or prevent odors. 17. Use them to strain soup stock and to tie fresh herbs in to put in soups and stews. 18. Use a coffee filter to prevent spilling when you add fluids to your car. 19. Use them as a spoon rest while cooking and clean up small counter spills. 20. Can use to hold dry ingredients when baking or when cutting a piece of fruit or veggies. Saves on having extra bowls to wash. 21. Use them to wrap Christmas ornaments for storage. 22. Use them to remove fingernail polish when out of cotton balls. 23. Use them to sprout seeds. Simply dampen the coffee filter, place seeds inside, fold it and place it into a plastic baggie until they sprout. 24. Use coffee filters as blotting paper for pressed flowers. Place the flowers between two coffee filters and put the coffee filters in phone book. 25. Use as a disposable "snack bowl" for popcorn, chips, etc.  Not just for coffee— 

Creating Carrot Gold Classroom Activities on a Dollar Tree Budget

https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1224&amp;context=scoc

Creating Carrot Gold Classroom Activities on a Dollar Tree Budget

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Georgia Southern University: Digital Commons@Georgia Southern