Teaching Cheap

New teachers and veteran teachers alike are always spending money on their classroom. Even when you've been teaching awhile you still want new things for your classroom and in most public schools the funds are limited. Luckily, in the last few years stores such as The Dollar Tree offer teachers things that are more affordable. This page will be devoted to web sites that offer great resources that are free or very affordable and other ideas. I'll include photographs of materials when possible.

Great Stuff You Can Find Online

Powerpoint Sites                                         http://jc-schools.net/PPTs-la.html

http://www.pppst.com/

Free Federal Reserve Publications to Order
http://app.ny.frb.org/publications/result.cfm?comics=1

NEA Free Resources
http://www.nea.org/resources/free-stuff.html

Educator’s Freebies Page
http://freebies.about.com/od/teacherfreebies/Teacher_Freebies.htm
 

Web sites that Help You Develop Classroom Materials
http://www.educationalpress.org/

http://www.carlscorner.us/

http://www.makinglearningfun.com

http://www.preschoolprintables.com

http://www.kinderprintables.com

http://www.childcareland.com/teach.html

http://www.learningpage.com

http://www.kinderart.com/kitchen/nonedible.html

http://www.kinderart.com/littles/

http://www.eichild.com/r_pages.cfm?ID=232

http://www.dinah.com/manipulatives.php

http://kizclub.com

Health Resources
http://www.crest.com/crest_kids/forTeachers.jsp

http://www.colgate.com/app/BrightSmilesBrightFutures/US/EN/Login/Teachers.srv

http://www.dole5aday.com/Teachers/T_Index.jsp

http://www.nationaldairycouncil.org/nationaldairycouncil/health
 

Online Staff Development Books, etc.
http://www.stenhouse.com/pdfbooks.asp

http://www.ed.gov/parents/academic/help/reader/index.html

http://www.ed.gov/parents/academic/help/math/index.html

Free Fonts

http://www.fontspace.com/search?dotted

http://www.fontspace.com/search?dotted&p=4\

http://www.getfreefonts.info/

Lesson Plans and Other Curriculum Materials

http://www.gigglepotz.com/curriculum.htm

http://www.schoolexpress.com/

Internet Groups that Help You Obtain Free Materials,Teaching Strategies and Advice

http://mygroups.yahoo.com

http://groups.msn.com

Technology

http://freebies.about.com/od/teacherfreebies/qt/mleftt.htm

http://www.unitedstreaming.com

http://youtube.com

http://teachertube.com

http://www.zamzar.com

http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

http://www.blogger.com/home

http://wordpress.com/features/

Salt Dough Recipe
4 cups flour
4 cups salt
2 cups water
1 tsp. cooking oil
food coloring
Mix and knead about 5 minutes. Add food coloring, (Wilton’s Paste is best) To harden, let air dry for several days.
Spray with clear acrylic spray for long lasting use.
 

Beans

Pasta

How to Dye Pasta
Place 1 cup of alcohol and food coloring into a large Ziploc bag or stainless steel bowl, add pasta.  Stir gently or rock back and forth until pasta is well coated. Use a slotted spoon to dip pasta out onto paper towel lined tray. Let dry twenty four hours and place in large plastic bags or containers that will seal.

My new friend, a fellow kindergarten teacher, Sharon Henslee from the Jasper ISD, Texas, sent me a new way to dye pasta. Purchase liquid watercolor paint from Discount School Supply. Pour a small amount, full strength, into a bowl of dry pasta and stir gently until all pasta is coated. Spread out until dry. Sharon says the color is really nice.

Ellison die cuts

Foam manipulatives

Buttons
http://www.orientaltrading.com

Make story boards using Kid Pix or Print Shop.

Make a flannel board with an artist canvas and felt.

Make stamps from novelty erasers or Ellison die cuts  (compressed sponge or foam craft).

Order cheap manipulatives from Oriental Trading  (www.orientaltrading.com).

Use Ellison cut outs from stiff felt to make flannel board manipulatives.

Shop Goodwill, Valley Mission or yard sales for children’s books, games, dramatic play clothes, lamps and wooden puzzles.

The Dollar Stores often stock puzzles, card games, puppets, headphones, books, children’s cds and plastic containers for $1.00.

Ask for wallpaper books and paint stirrers from local paint or wallpaper stores. The paint stirrers make great big book and poem chart pointers.

Ask for paper scraps from print shops to place in the writing center.

Use coffee filters for containers.

Purchase plastic bowls and plates for sorting containers.

Send home a letter asking parents for items such as yarn, buttons, fabric scraps, waxed paper, aluminum foil, etc.

Make instant white boards with Solo plates or cut pieces of shower board available at Lowe’s.

Purchase contact paper in a print that you particularly like. Then, use the contact paper to cover all of the things you would normally throw away - Pringles cans, peanut containers, concentrated juice containers, cereal boxes, etc. Use the covered items in the classroom to store all kinds of items - pencils, pointers, magazines, loose leaf paper, etc. The contact paper helps to hold everything together firmly. The contact paper also makes everything instantly coordinate.

Use environmental print to teach beginning sounds, classification skills, blends, digraphs, etc. Graph student’s favorite brands of cookies, candy, cereals, etc. using environmental print.

Another great idea from my friend Sharon Henslee: Purchase inexpensive braided rugs from Dollar Tree or Walmart as individual working spaces for students.   Sharon  calls these rugs their "Boats"..."when the children are working on an individual activity on the floor everything has to stay on the boat including themselves!  This gives everyone a set "space" and it really cuts down on losing pieces in a game or someone getting some else's things!"