Washi Tape Classroom Decorative Ideas for Back-to-School

I am ordering some washi tape rolls to start a new chevron theme in my classroom. I love zigzag chevron pattern because it looks so crisp! I also like tiny polka dots but I think that for me, it would be best to stick to one pattern.

I will mostly use it for line borders of different sizes and colors for around my windows, bulletin board display areas, library shelves and white boards. You can put washi tape on anything, even for smaller projects like customizing classroom stationery - binders, folders, pen holders, etc. 

Washi tape is better than adhesive decorative paper rolls because it is made from Japanese rice paper (which gives it that extra thickness and durability) and it peels off easily without leaving any residue behind.

Here are different colors and styles that are available:

   

It can also be used for color-coded labeling, graphing up weekly timetables and for time-stamping items.

 

These below are specifically suited for classroom use and are so cute!

  

I'm just sharing a few of the ideas I saw on Pinterest, and two of my own, below:

  

Cinderella, Cinder Elly and Prince Cinders - New Spins on a Classic Tale

Every child knows about Cinderella. Who doesn't love a rags-to-riches story? A lot of authors are putting their own creative spin on this classic tale - I think that these versions are even better than the original and they are not predictable at all. My daughter loves 'Prince Cinders' because in this version, the fairy comes to the Prince's rescue! They really are different and that's what makes them so appealing.

   

      

         

Free Interactive Educational Games Online

I found a new free website created by a former teacher that has educational games for math, vocabulary and grammar. The site is called Room Recess and here are a few pictures of some of the games on it.

Classroom Pen Pal Systems - For the love of Writing Letters

Having a pen pan is one of my favorite memories from childhood. If you would like to introduce a pen-pal system for your students, here's how you can get started...

First decide if you want to use email (if your students have computer and internet access at school or home) or traditional mail (it would be nice to keep this beautiful tradition alive). If you chose the latter, you can check out International Pen Friends. It's a website that has tons of listing of potential classes around the world that your students can write to using the old fashioned pen-and-paper letter and mailing system (for a fee).

If you prefer to use an email system, you can check out ePals which is designed specifically for classroom use.

It's a free service with free teaching resources too! 

You may also be interested in this blog post about books that teach your students about other forms of writing including how to write a letter. Also, I saw these story books by Alma Flor Ada on amazon that will make a great way for you to introduce letter writing because each book has a series of short letters written back and forth between popular folk tale characters.

 Dear Peter Rabbit 

One of the Three Little Pigs is hosting a housewarming, and Peter Rabbit would love to go. But he's in bed with a cold after a narrow escape from Mr. McGregor's garden. Meanwhile, Goldilocks is planning her birthday party and hoping her new friend Baby Bear can come (he's forgiven her for breaking his favorite chair). But with the Big Bad Wolf on the prowl and Little Red Riding Hood heading off to grandmother's house, there's no telling how things may end!

 With Love, Little Red Hen

Hidden Forest has a new resident. Little Red Hen and her seven little chicks have moved into a cottage and plan to grow a bountiful crop of corn in the nearby field. The problem is that none of the Red Hen's neighbors are willing to help with the hard work. "Not I," says the dog, the goose, and the lazy cat. So Goldilocks, who has heard about the new arrivals from her friend Little Red Riding Hood, comes up with a neighborly idea: Why don't all the residents of Hidden Forest chip in and work on the garden? Better yet, why not make it a surprise? 

 Yours Truly, Goldilocks

Everyone who's anyone will be at the Three Little Pigs' housewarming party. Goldilocks and Little Red Riding Hood have already marked it on their calendars.  Unfortunately, so have the wolves -- those who've caused the Pigs to build their brick house in the first place!  In this wonderfully creative sequel to Dear Peter Rabbit, Alma Flor Ada imagines what it would be like if a few beloved fairy-tale characters were pen pals.

Measurement Task Cards for cm and mm - metric unit activities

I had so much fum making these linear measurement task cards! They will make a great leaning station for your students to practice measuring small everyday objects in cm and mm. The set includes a free illustrated tutorial about measuring with a metric ruler. There are a total of 24 task cards, each with a picture of a familiar object and a guide line for them to place their ruler to take the measurements. Your students can measure each object directly from the card because they are drawn to scale, and fill in the blanks to complete each statement.

Bonus: A printing guide, an answer key and printable rulers are also included! 

These task cards are available at both TeacherspayTeachers and Teachers Notebook. Just click on the pictures to see more...

 

You may also be interested in my Measurement Task Cards for Inches and my Area and Perimeter Unit Plan.

Making my Students Earn their 'Ticks'

Let me tell you something about my students... They hate to see X's on their work. They want to have work papers filled with ticks so they can take it home and show Mom how smart they are 

(which is totally understandable). So, in the past, I would correct their books with X's and ticks, and let them do their corrections after. Would you believe that some of my students would rip out the page from their books or simple 'forget' to show it to their parents because they are ashamed of the X's?

Thank goodness I soon realized that they did not mind having me using a message stamp on their work. So I tried the ones you see below. 

 

There are many types available but some are worded a bit harshly and I do not like to see these kinds of messages messages in red ink so these fit my criteria nicely.

I also encourage my students' parents to get erasable pens for their kids because it keeps their writing neat with no erasing holes or scratches. With these pens, I let my students simply erase, and try again. Sometimes, I would use my own erasable pen to put an X and promise that it they can redo it correctly, I'll erase the X and replace it with a tick. Below is a picture of one of my erasable pen (I use other colors too).

I'd really like to know how you get your students to earn their ticks. Please leave a comment below!

Gifts for Teachers - Celebrate your Super Power!

As the school year is wrapping up, now is the best time to treat yourselves to a little something special. I found these gifts for teachers that you can proudly wear or use to show the world your superpower; that you are a TEACHER!