Oookay, let’s be honest: Kids are generally a mess when it comes to organization. Even most adults struggle with it! Organization a skill and a mindset that has to be taught and practiced.

When I decided to go back to work fall of 2022, I noticed that my students struggled mightily with organization. I would instruct them to retrieve a book from their desk, and it would either take them a very long time to find it or it would be “lost”. They could never find what they needed when they needed it. This would inevitably end up with students interrupting my instruction because they needed help finding something. After being frustrated with this cycle for a few weeks, I tried to think of a solution. I remembered being in primary school having, you guessed it, a Desk Fairy! Elementary school me never knew when the desk fairy would visit, so I always had to have my desk in order. This was very motivating for me and my classmates, so I decided to try it with my own students!

Organizing Their Desks

This article, along with many other articles on Smells Like Teach Spirit, contains Amazon affiliate links. If you purchase through the links I earn a small commission.  Clicking these links does not cost you anything extra but it does help with the cost of running this website and it helps keep great articles and freebies coming your way. Thank you!

First, I had my students take everything out of their desks and place their items on top.
Second, I instructed them to throw away any loose papers.
Third, I had them divide their desk into two parts: the left side and the right side. I clearly stated which items belonged on the left and which items belonged on the right.
Fourth, I made a desk diagram on the board and went reviewed it with the students repeatedly. You can see this diagram below:

Fifth, I gave each student a Seat Sack to put on the back of their chair. This is where they stored their iPad, headphones, and a few other items.

Now that everything had a place, there was no excuse for not finding what they needed right away.

Sixth, I introduced the students to the concept of the desk fairy. Boy, did this get them excited! This was exactly the motivation they needed to maintain a clean desk. The anticipation for the fairy’s first visit kept them on the edge of their seat.

Materials for the Desk Fairy

A few days later I purchased a “fairy door” and put it on the wall in the back of the classroom. I also found a free sign that read “the Desk Fairy is watching”, and placed it by the fairy door. If the kids didn’t believe in the Desk Fairy before, they certainly did now!

The Desk Fairy Paid Us A Visit

Soon enough, the Desk Fairy paid the students a visit. I purchased notes from the Desk Fairy on Teachers Pay Teachers and I printed them on Astrobright Colored Paper. The Desk Fairy inspected my student’s desks and determined which one was the cleanest. She left a note for them along with a small prize. When the students noticed the visit upon returning from recess they were ecstatic. Even better, they wanted to know what they had to do to get a prize. I told them that it was simple: “Keep your desk neat and organized”.

Success!

I’m happy to sat that today, my first graders are able to maintain tidy desks! With a visual tool (my diagram) and the right motivation (the desk fairy), we’re able to make this work.

Do you have any strategies that you use to help your students stay organized? Share them below!

The post How to Make Your Classroom Exciting With The Desk Fairy first appeared on Smells Like Teach Spirit.

This article, along with many other articles on Smells Like Teach Spirit, contains Amazon affiliate links. If you purchase through the links I earn a small commission.  Clicking these links does not cost you anything extra but it does help with the cost of running this website and it helps keep great articles and freebies coming your way. Thank you!

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that most kids prefer outdoor recess. They love playing on the playground (aren’t playgrounds so much better now than when we were in school??), running on the pavement and using other fun recess equipment they may not get to use at home. The school yard is their oyster. But what happens when recess is moved indoors due to weather or another issue? Some schools have an extra gym area where students can go for indoor recess. Most schools have indoor recess in the classroom. If you get stuck covering your own recess, here are our tips to help make it more bearable for everyone!

1. GoNoodle

GoNoodle is a website that provides fun videos and interactive activities for students from kindergarten to fifth grade. The videos are specifically designed to encourage movement throughout the day. The website has a variety of categories and topics, one of which includes “indoor recess”. There are countless videos in this category to choose from, and they vary in length and focus. My students LOVE doing GoNoodle videos during recess. It’s fun and helps them find that energy release they missed from not getting outdoor recess. GoNoodle is free! All you need to do is create an account. Click here to get started!

2. Coloring Books

Coloring books are always a hit with my students. I get my coloring books from two places: Dollar Tree and from Creative Clips on Teachers Pay Teachers. Dollar Tree has so many choices! I usually only get a few because I use them for free choice time on Fridays. Creative Clips has seasonal coloring books which I download and print, then keep in the students’ folders specifically for indoor recess time. My students are only allowed to use crayons for traditional coloring books because markers bleed through to the next page. But for printed coloring sheets the students can use markers if they wish.

3. Board Games

Board games are always a fun way to pass the time! It is also a great way for students to work on their interpersonal and communication skills. They can also learn to work together on a team and what it means to develop a strategy. When choosing board games you can stick to the classics like Candy Land or Connect Four or newer games like Apples to Apples. When introducing board games to my students, I always restrict the number of players for each board game by taping a notecard with the number of players to the front of the board game. This way, there are not too many students playing one board game. Click here for a list of my top 10 board games for indoor recess.

4. Whole Class Games

Playing games as a class is a blast! They are fun and exciting, and you won’t hear your students complain about boredom during indoor recess. My favorite game to play with my students is Heads Up, 7 Up. They love the mystery of figuring out who picked them. Some other games to play with your students include, charades, hot potato and Simon games. Don’t have the energy for leading a game? Turn on some music and turn the classroom into a dance floor!

5. Indoor Recess Cart

My indoor recess cart is always a hit with my students. It has a variety of hands-on activities for everyone. I can’t quite remember where I purchased my utility cart (Michael’s, maybe?), but here is a similar one on

I keep all of the activities in narrow plastic tubs purchased from Dollar Tree. You can also purchase them from Amazon. I always inform my students how many of them can use an activity at a time. For example, only 3 students may use Play-Doh and 4 students can play Uno. Each activity also has a designated area – Legos is played on the carpet, magnetic tiles are at student desks, Play-Doh is at the small group table and Mr. Potato Head is used in the classroom library. To dismiss students to choose an activity from the recess cart, I call their names from my bucket of popsicle sticks. For a list of all the items I used to make my indoor recess cart click here.

5 Tips to Surviving Indoor Recess

Indoor recess can sometimes be a challenge but when you’re prepared, the kids have a great time and it goes by quickly. There’s no need for complicated activities, just ask the students what they’re interested in doing and go from there. How does your school handle indoor recess? Share in the comments below!

Are you looking for more ideas? Click below to follow our fine motor Pinterest board for more ideas!

The post 5 Tips That Will Make Indoor Recess Better first appeared on Smells Like Teach Spirit.

November is here and it’s passing by just as quickly as it came! The days are shorter, it gets darker sooner and with the Thanksgiving holiday it’s a very short month for the kids. Continue reading for Thanksgiving Activities for Kindergarten and First Grade!

Usually we spend November discussing Veterans Day, Turkeys and Thankfulness. Thanksgiving is always such a fun time of the year for my students. There are so many great books, crafts, writing activities, and discussion for this time of year! Keep reading to learn about some of the activities I do with my kindergarteners during this time of the year.

BOOKS

As soon as November hits I change all of our Halloween and Fall books for books about Turkeys and Thanksgiving. The students always get excited when they come back the next day to find new books. We read books about being thankful and we spend some time discussing what exactly thankfulness looks and feels like.

If you’re wondering how I have so many Turkey and Thanksgiving books, I got them from eBay! I searched “Thanksgiving Book Lot for Children” and voilà! I was able to get a package of books for around 15-20 dollars as opposed to buying individual books on Amazon for 3-5 dollars each or hoping to stumble upon some at the Goodwill. These books will compliment your thanksgiving activities for kindergarten very well!

ANCHOR CHARTS

Anchor charts are my favorite things to use with my kindergartners, they are a great way to provide a visual representation of concepts being taught. Afterwards, we make an a list of all the things we are thankful for. I model for my students for by naming a few things I am thankful for. Then I have the students turn and talk with a partner and share what they are thankful for. Then I call on 15-16 students to share with the class what they are thankful for. There are so many different anchor charts that you can find on Pinterest that will go along with your Thanksgiving Activities for Kindergarten.

EMERGENT READERS

By this time of year I have a good number of students who are able to read simple sight words and use the pictures in books as clues to read new words. I created a mini book/emergent reader for my students to reinforce they skills they have learned so far this year.

My students loved reading and sharing what they were thankful for with this emergent reader. This booklet is 10-12 pages in length, with new vocabulary, predictable text patterns, picture supports as well as familiar sight words.

This emergent reader will go along great with your Thanksgiving unit. Use this emergent readers in guided reading, small groups, or send home to reinforce reading skills. There are both color and black & white copies!

If you’re interested in this emergent reader, click here!

WRITING

After we have read a few books about being thankful, we write about being thankful. By this point the children are clear regarding the definition of “thankfulness” and are able to state what they are thankful for.

I wanted to create a resource for my students that allowed them to share what they were thankful for so I created a collection of differentiated writing prompts that served this propose. These writing prompts are for students who are not yet writing as well as those who are writing independently without sentence starters. When the students began writing about what they were thankful for I displaced a page from the Thanksgiving Writing Prompts on the SmartBoard. The students looked at the pictures and turned and talked with a partner what they were most thankful for.

What I like about these writing prompts is that there is something for every student. The students are able to communicate what they are thankful for no matter what their ability. Take a look at the pictures below to view the differentiation.

Click here to view all the pages of this resource!

TURKEYS

We also do a unit on Turkeys, A Dab of Glue has a great resource that I like using, click here to check it out. In our classroom the students decorate their own turkey feathers and we make a turkey for our classroom. In the past I’ve sent the feather home as an activity for the parents and students to complete together but the feathers can also be decorated at school. I used butcher paper to make the turkey body and construction paper to make the face, then I laminated it so I can use it year after year. The turkey feathers are cut out from 18 by 12 inch construction paper. I love seeing each student’s designs!

TURKEY IN DISGUISE

My school does “Turkey in Disguise”, which is where the students are given a picture of a Turkey and they have to decorate the turkey so it does not look like a Turkey. This activity was sent home during Veterans day weekend as a family project. I can’t believe how creative all of my students were, they all turned out great!

And that’s pretty much everything we do! I’d love to know what you do in your classroom. Comment below and let me know what kind of activities you plan on doing with your students.

For more ideas and activities from our unit themes click here!

<a href=”https://www.freepik.com/photos/background”>Background photo created by freepik – www.freepik.com</a>

The post Fun Thanksgiving Activities for Kindergarten and First Grade first appeared on Smells Like Teach Spirit.

It’s a new year! – and for many that means new resolutions, new promises, or new goals to change something for the better. For me, it means a goal to post more consistently on the blog. Yet for some reason, posting consistently is just so hard. It seems like there is always something to do! This upcoming year I’ll be getting married, finding our first place, continuing graduate school and teaching full-time. But I’m making a goal and writing it down so I can hold myself accountable. I don’t want to be too ambitious –  just REALISTIC. I’m thinking at least two blog posts every month. Some bloggers are able to post more often, like every week, and I applaud them! But at this time that is not my capacity, so I’m going to START SMALL.

One of the reasons it has been difficult for me to post consistently is because I believed I had nothing to write about. Can you believe that? After much consideration and some research on the internet I discovered that we teachers have TONS to blog about! So, no more excuses! Here is a list I put together of 50 blog post ideas for this new year. Now don’t get too ambitious and try to complete all of them. If you’re just getting started, pick twelve ideas and post once a month or pick twenty-four ideas, and post twice a month.

Whatever goal you decide make sure you find a way to hold yourself accountable. THIS IS KEY! This is probably why many new year’s resolutions fail, because we keep them to ourselves and we don’t monitor our progress. Write your goal down, make a schedule, and share it with another blogger friend.

What are your blogging goals for this year? Comment below so we can hold each other accountable!

Click HERE for a PDF version of this list!

50 Blog Post Ideas for Teachers

1. Write about free online tools for teachers
2. Tips & Ideas for Open House/Meet the Teacher Night
3. Share how you monitor student progress
4. Write about a challenging situation in your classroom/school
5. Create a list about any topic
6. Hold a giveaway
7. Share the assessments you use in your classroom
8. Share student artwork
9. Tips & Ideas for Classroom Management
10. Share tips for working with parents
11. Invite a guest to post on your blog
12. Share tips for having a classroom party
13. Give advice to new teachers
14. Share tips for classroom observations
15. Interview another teacher blogger
16. Share your favorite teacher tool or resource
17. Write about your favorite hobby
18. Share a list of your favorite blogs
19. Tips & Ideas for your Bulletin Board
20. Share your favorite quotes
21. Write about working with gifted students
22. How to encourage kindness in the classroom
23. Share how you plan for an upcoming lesson
24. Make a list of your favorite apps for teachers
25. How to manage teacher stress
26. Share your time management or productivity tips
27. How to deal with bullies in your classroom/school
28. Tips & Ideas for Classroom Organization
29. Share your favorite education websites
30. How to prepare for parent teacher conferences
31. Make a list of teacher essentials
32. Tips & Ideas for parent communication
33. Write about the best snacks for teachers
34. Make a list of field trip ideas
35. Share how you use technology in the classroom
36. Tips & Ideas for Classroom Storage
37. Make a list of self-care tips for teachers
38. Share how you differentiate
39. Make a list of your favorite educational websites
40. Share tips & ideas for classroom decor
41. Share your favorite educational books
42. Tips & Ideas for Behavior Management
43. Share tips for substitute teachers
44. How to stay fit as a teacher
45. Tips & Ideas for teacher bloggers
46. Share how you use social media in your classroom
47. Make a list of grants available for teachers
48. Share your views on homework
49. Make a list of the best gifts for teachers
50. Share what you keep in your teacher bag

Click HERE for a PDF version of this list!

This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission if you make a purchase using these links. It does not cost you any extra but it does help with the costs of running this site. And for that, I thank you. 

The post 50 Blog Post Ideas for Teachers first appeared on Smells Like Teach Spirit.

The post Thanksgiving Math Clip Cards | TPT Freebie first appeared on Smells Like Teach Spirit.

I think the color yellow speaks for itself, its bright, warm, fun, and energetic. I just love the color yellow, it brings forth happiness, inspires creativity, and promotes friendliness.

I don’t really wear orange that’s much but I think a trip to the thrift store will fix that! Orange has similar traits to yellow, its cheerful, warm, and helps us to look on the bright side of things. Orange is helpful when it comes to being social, it gets us out of ourselves and encourages social communication. If you’re looking to feel confident, courageous, or optimistic then orange is a great color to wear.

Pink is another color I don’t wear too much. I’m one of those people who think pink is just too girly for me. But at the same time, I do think it is a nice color and there are various shades that I am fond of such as rose and salmon. Pink is a very happy and feminine color, its more soft and kind, brings about calming and nurturing feelings, and helps us to think positive thoughts.

So there you have it, the top 3 colors to wear on the first day of school! Now don’t go wearing all pink or all yellow, or you’ll look like the Pepto-Bismol bottle or Big Bird. If you want to wear these colors, its good to pair it with a more neutral color such a grey, white or tan. Cool colors such as blue work as well. Most importantly have fun picking out your outfit and don’t forget to accessorize! I hope everyone has a great first day of school!

The post Top 3 Colors to Wear On First Day of School (Teachers & Students) first appeared on Smells Like Teach Spirit.