(was) STRESSED OUT

With less than 30 days left in school, I have 3 new students.  In a self-contained classroom for students with behavior challenges, that is huge.  So I found myself complaining this week instead of living up to one of my posts from earlier in the week.

I love this quote because we don't always get to choose our students, nor should we.  I rather look at it like "Wow, I am so lucky that I was chosen to be your teacher!".  Now I have to make the most of this short opportunity we have left in this school year.  Luckily we get an additional 20 days of extended school year (summer school).

So I refocused (that means I de-cluttered some more in my classroom because that helps me feel better) and made some new Pinterest projects for our classroom.  I am ready to start the week refreshed and energized.  Just hope the kiddos are feeling it too!!

Back to the Basics

With only two months left in school, I have finally found a reward system that my kiddos are responding to.  It is rather basic and probably overlooked a majority of the time.  I simple stamp book.  At first we called it a sticker book, but my kiddos are quite sneaky with those stickers (they would remove stickers that were traded in and put them on a new page).  But I one upped them and switched to stamps!  We started by having students pick their two favorite colors.  I then cut the paper in 4 inch squares and stapled them together to make a book.  They put their first names on the front and added a picture if they wanted.

Front cover of book

Stamps from Vista Print...self inking
and better than a stamp pad.  I only
have three so far, but ready to order more.

Inside pages

Each time they complete a desired task they would receive a stamp.  The first task we worked on as a group was cleaning up centers in a timely manner.  I encouraged team work because it was all or nothing.  I would set the timer for 2 minutes and if they had all 3 centers cleaned up they all would get a  stamp.  Then we got it down to 1 minute and 30 seconds.  Now I use it various times throughout the day if we are struggling during transition.  After 5 stamps they get to go to the prize pouches.

An over the door shoe organizer works great for small treasures.

Inside the pouches are pencils, erasers, small bouncy balls, fruit punch drinks, stress balls, sugar free root beer candies, mints, classroom coupons, and other small items.  This has been a simple, easy reward system.  The most chosen items are pencils, mints, and root beer candies.

The other reward system I use is a treasure box.  They all want to go to the big treasure box and can if they stay in class, finish their work, use nice words, and safe bodies all 5 days.  I move their little person across the pocket envelops each day.  Those names on number 5 on Friday get the prize.

Prizes include sensory balls, coloring posters, stuffed animals, Frisbees, and small individual snack candies.

Each day their name moves across the pockets.

So...maybe if I started this in August I would have saved a lot of time finding what motivated them the most.  Bet I will next August!!

Welcome Baby Chick

To kick off our life cycle unit (and just in time for Easter), we hatched baby chicks and ducks.  We purchased plastic eggs from the dollar store DEALS that simulated the life cycle of a baby chick.  It was amazing.  Instead of keeping our eggs in an incubator, we kept them in water.  Students recorded the life cycle in a journal, we read several non-fiction books, and watched videos on United Streaming. By the end of the week, we had a fully developed baby.  Students then had to dry them off (just like a real baby chick, they are born wet).  They each filled out a birth certificate, named them, and created an information sheet on how to care for them.  The students were super excited and it was a great way to start a unit.  Now if the butterflies would just get here.  I guess on to tadpoles and frogs while we are waiting.

Day 1:  Egg is placed in water.

Day 4:  Egg has hatched!