Parenting and Teaching HACKS!

I don't know about you, but I am ALWAYS on the hunt for strategic ways of getting tasks completed.  Like you, I find that I always have 60 billion things to accomplish in a day, and minimal time to get everything completed.  So I look to others for ideas that can make my day easier to navigate and feel as though I have tackled every task I have set out to conquer.

As a mom I find that it is few and far between that I sit, again, I am CERTAIN you can relate.  I often eat dinner as I make it because I know that no matter how organized I think I am, someone needs something as soon as I go to sit and take a bite.  It is what it is, right?  As teachers, sitting is rare as we are always navigating our way around the classroom to meet the need of our students! 

The same is true for our family time after showers and baths...  Literally, as soon as it is sensed that I I am going to sit on the couch to: snuggle a small child, read a story, or heaven-help-me, open my computer, a Beers' kid is in need of S-O-M-E-T-H-I-N-G!  UGGHHH!  It used to be snacks, so here is my hack that was inspired by my never-willing-to-get-out-of-his-comfy-spot-husband, the SNACK BOWL!

The only materials needed are:

1. re-useable snack bowls with lids, these are in the Target $1 bins for a set of four mini-bowls,
2. snacks your children will eat and not complain about,
3. a larger bowl to place the snack containers in, so the kids can access them easily

Target Mini-Snack containers!

My kids LOVE Goldfish, Life cereal, Cheerios, peanuts, peanut butter pretzels

Filled snack containers ready to be grabbed by hungry kiddos!

These containers can be cleaned and re-used for the next round of snacks...no waste and maybe a moment or two that I don't have to hear, "Mom, I'm hungry!  Can you get me a snack?"  With water bottles filled and ready for the grabbing, and ready-to-grab snacks, you can sit for at least a minute or so before bedtime.

These would also be perfect for testing snacks!  Please share any tips or tricks you have that make your parenting and teaching life easier!  Summer is almost here and this lady is going to need as much help as she can get! 

Spring is Here! Poetry Hop

I have joined up with my AMAZING literacy friends from The Reading Crew and we have put together this Poetry Hop in order to share some poetry ideas, poetry resources, and FREEBIES...

POETRY! 

That one, 6-letter word can send shivers down the spine of an unsuspecting 6th grader.  I have learned that depending on previous experience, it ranks right up there with these other horrors...

HOMEWORK!

DICTIONARY!!

STUDY!!!

My sweet students:

"Mrs. Beers, I hate poetry!"

"Isn't Dr. Seuss a poet?  Dr. Seuss is SO kindergarten!"

"Can I just rhyme a few lines and be done?"

Me: "Sorry to hear that!  Dr. Seuss is actually quite clever, even for adults, but we will not be focusing on his work.  Poetry is not about just rhyming a few lines.  Stick with me, I promise you will LOVE it!"

So I do what I hope every teacher works to do-CHANGE their impressionable minds into LOVING poetry with TRICKERY!  Just kidding, instead of trickery, I utilize two AMAZING novels by Sharon Creech that seamlessly incorporate INCREDIBLE poems that will both challenge and engage students, and I teach them strategies to analyze poems that encourage them to feel more comfortable reading and understanding poems-Love That Dog and Hate That Cat! In addition, I give them the task of becoming the teacher and helping their student, Jack, find his way into accepting poetry and becoming a superstar poet in the process through poetry analysis and journal writing.  You can check out these novel units, and then hop to my FREEBIE below...

If you don't have time for novels, grab this FREEBIE sampler that I created.  The entire We HEART Poetry!  A Poetry Analysis BUNDLE gives your students the tools they need to make poetry analysis successful in 8-LESSONS.  I know that there are years of extra snow and less school days, so I need to get my students where they need to be in the time frame that I am allotted.  This is the ideal poetry resource to connect your students to poetry and make them LOVE it in a snap!  Grab this snippet and let me know what you think!

Enter to win all of my poetry resources below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
 

I hope your students learn to HEART poetry as much as mine have!  Now head to my friend, Sandy's blog, Sweet Integrations, to find another FANTASTIC resource.  Happy Poetry Hopping! 

A special thanks to these clip artists for their festive work...
Educlips, Jen Jones, and Epiphanous Owl.

End of Year Video Song List and Music in the Classroom

What kind of music do you like to listen to?  Do you play music in your classroom?  I LOVE music and I find that I am playing it at all times! Instead of the TV going on full blast in our house-it is Music Choice, a set of music stations that play uninterrupted songs based on our favorite musical genre.  In our house, it is the Pop station or 320. My husband might argue that the songs that my children and I sing at the top of our lungs are NOT his favorite choice of music, but regardless, we listen, we sing, and of course, we dance!

At this time of year I am always in search of the perfect songs of the year to add to the End of Year Video I always create for my 6th graders that are moving onto middle school.  I take pictures throughout the course of the year, and at the end, using Windows Movie Maker, I create a video with the best songs I can find to celebrate our year together.  The video is played at the end of our 6th Grade Promotion Ceremony and wraps up all of the hard work, activities, field trips, and day-to-day moments that made our year so special.  I LOVE putting this together because it helps me to reflect on all of the work we accomplished and all of the fun memories we will always share.  I guess I am a bit of a sap...

If this is a task you want to tackle, I highly recommend it-it truly helps me to see my students in the most refreshing light, even if it has been a stressful or challenging year.  To make your life easier tackling this fun project-here is a song list I created to put all of your fun memories of this school year to music...

If you have no interest in creating a video, each of these songs is perfect for classroom listening, so add them to your classroom playlist and enjoy!

If you need a classroom brain break-I love this video! Get your kiddos up and watch'em dance!

Educents, a Giveaway, and A FREEBIE!

I am SUPER excited to be participating in the NEW Educents Marketplace, an AMAZING on-line spot to find even more FREEBIES, deals, and the most perfect tools for your students.  While this used to be a spot for parents and educators to find deals, the deals would expire and could no longer be purchased, but starting today, that isn't happening anymore.  Educents has always helped me save money on educational resources, but now their deals don’t have an expiration date!  In addition, you will find teacher-created resources, at the lowest prices available.  

Click the image below to grab MY Essay Writing Freebie from my Educents store, and check out some of my other tried and true, student-tested ELA resources that will motivate your students and make your life a whole lot easier from now until the end of the school year!  I can't wait to hear what you think!  If you want to be the first to know about new resources I add to my Educents store, click the heart in order to FOLLOW ME.

Are you looking to differentiate novel work with your students over the coming weeks?! I also have this Novel Unit BUNDLE deal taking place right now!  10-Print and Go Novel Units with ANSWER KEYS to simplify your life as the school year winds down. 

Educents Marketplace $50 in Edubucks Giveaway #9 - 5th & 6th Grade Stores

An InLinkz Link-up