Before we talk about icebreaker activities, I want you to imagine this... It’s the first week of school. You’re standing at your door greeting your new students as they come in. You watch as they find their seats and look around, absorbing their new learning environment. It’s a scenario we all know too well, but there’s something important to know about this moment if you haven’t realized it ...
The Simply STEAM Blog
The Best Way to End Your School Day
Ever wonder what would be the best way to end your school day? Built-in free time is one of my favorite times of the day... seriously! I refer to it as ketchup, mustard, pickles time, which my students love. And let's be honest, there's nothing better than a yummy burger with these condiments. So, just like grilling a juicy hamburger for dinner is a favorite, ketchup, mustard, and pickles time is ...
5 Things Every Teacher Should Do for a Successful Back to School
The new school year is right around the corner, so it’s time to start preparing for a successful back to school season. While there are many things we need to prepare for each school year, if we focus heavily on these 5 priority areas, we’ll be in good shape! Start your year on the right foot by putting work into the categories below. Learn Names and Faces with Back to School ...
Organizing Classroom Centers
Next up on our organizing list is classroom centers! If you're a teacher, especially in elementary school, you most likely have different centers for your classroom. With several activities that need to be prepped between small groups, literacy centers, and possibly math centers, it's essential to keep these materials neat so you're prepared to teach. This post features some of my favorite ...
Organization Tips for Teaching: Student Papers
Over the past few weeks, I’ve given you organization tips for your teacher desk and student supplies, and this week I’m back with another organization tips topic. This week’s topic is one that I find to be one of the most important…organizing papers. But if we don’t organize those papers, we’ll find a paper monster in our classroom that will eat us alive. Think I’m kidding? There’s ...
Organization Tips for Teaching: STEM Supplies
Last week I shared organization tips for student supplies, and we are going to dive into another topic for organization tips for teaching. This week, we are focusing on organizing your STEM supplies. Before we get started, let's define STEM supplies. STEM Supplies are materials you would use for engineering or building new things. Examples include Legos, brain flakes, pipe cleaner, etc. It ...