Pins of the Week: bath mats, mini clip charts, taking care of books, roots and a subtraction game!

The merry-go-round has turned once more, and here we are at the beginning of another week. In New South Wales, we are two weeks away from the school holiday break, and I cannot tell you how much I am looking forward to it! So, as we head to the end of another busy school term, we definitely need some inspiration to keep things fresh. Thank goodness for Pinterest!

Circular Bath Mats

The link for this one was broken, but you get the idea!

Cheap, cheerful, circular bath mats are a great way to keep kids sitting in one spot during group time. Best of all, if they get dirty, they can be thrown in the washing machine, dried on the line and will be ready to report back for duty the next day! Great idea!

Mini Clip Chart

See this pin in its natural habitat here.

I love the idea of a clip chart, but I don't love the public nature of it. This personal mini clip chart will keep your kids accountable, but in a more private way. Thanks to Sarah at Miss A's Kindergarten for this bright idea.

Looking After Books

Get your copy here.

Looking for a way to get your little ones to understand how to look after the books in your classroom library? Kathryn at Kindergarten Kindergarten has you covered! She has created a fantastic book that shows all the terrible things that can happen when we don't look after books to remind kids of what not to do! The forest friends are very sad because of the scribbles, crumples, tears and muck, but in the end they are happy because they know that the reader will take good care of the book and all the other books in the library. Adorable graphics and a cute little story - what's not to love?! Oh, and did I mention that it is a free download? Thank you Kathryn!

Greek and Latin Roots

Click here to go to the download page.

Understanding the Greek and Latin roots of many of the words in the English language can be so helpful when learning to spell. Teacher Galaxy has put together a great little pack that has some great ideas for teaching the different roots. The best part about it, in my humble opinion, is the terrific list of roots, each with examples. And, once again, it is a freebie! If you do download this pack, be sure to say thank you by leaving feedback and a positive rating. Thanks Teacher Galaxy!

Subtraction Game

Click here to go to the download page.

Games are a fantastic way to get your students into Maths. This simple game from Amy Padgett will have your kids practising their subtraction without even knowing it! Who doesn't love a dice game? Especially a free dice game! So many freebies this week! If you do download Amy's game, be sure to say thank you by leaving feedback and a positive rating. Thank you Amy!

I hope you are feeling as inspired as I am! Have a great week and be sure to leave a comment below if you use any of these ideas in your classroom.

Pins of the Week: pegs, collapsible playspaces, Mo Willems, book towers and an assessment wheel

Welcome to another week! I must admit I am super tired this week, but not too tired to find you lots of goodies via Pinterest! Get ready to be wowed!

Peg Letters

Read all about it here!

I recently bought a mega-pack of wooden pegs and have been undecided as to how to use them. Thanks to this pin from the Creating and Teaching blog, I know exactly how I want to use them! You could make up these simple vocabulary cards for anything at all and if you make generic lower-case pegs, you can use them for everything. Now to find some spare time to write letters on a whole bunch of pegs!

DIY Collapsible Play Space

Click here to go to the tutorial, stat!

Oh how I want one of these... for me to play in! This great tutorial from She Knows makes it look super easy too. I can just imagine one of these with a pile of pillows in the bottom being a favourite spot in the classroom for so many kids - and then it folds away at the end of the day! I am definitely on the lookout for a big ol' box now!

Mo Willems

Click here to go to the BookPage website.

I am a huge Mo Willems fan, and this Q and A session with him proves why he is such a genius! I can't even decide which of his crazy responses is my favourite! Love it!

The Tower of Books Challenge

Visit Michael's store here - tell him Little Green sent you!

Sick of setting boring 'read 40 books' challenges? Chances are your students are bored too. Enter Michael Friermood and his awesome Tower of Books Challenge! This challenge will have your students reading broadly and deeply and will provide a visual motivation in the form of a physical tower of 3D 'books' for them to create! If you are stuck for space, there is a 2D version too, so don't despair! As cool as the book towers are, the best part about this challenge is the reading lists. There are a number of options available, including an Australian authors list, which I collaborated with Michael to create. Yeah, I know it is a sneaky plug, but I promise I'm not making a red cent - I genuinely love this resource, and for a fiver it can be yours to love too! Be sure to check out Michael's other resources while you are there - he is one of my favourite TPT sellers.

Assessment Wheel

Click here for a clearer view of the wheel!

Do you struggle to decide how to assess your students' achievement of outcomes or standards? This handy wheel from the folks at Arizona State University can help you decipher the verbs used in the outcome/standard to determine where it sits on Bloom's Taxonomy. Not only that, it also gives you a bunch of ideas for how to assess at each level. Too easy!

I hope you've been as inspired as I have by this week's pins. Don't forget to visit me on Pinterest for more great ideas!