I need a pick me up! What's new?

It's the end of the year, we're giving tests, the kids are fidgety, and we need something to perk up the classroom.

Copernicus has a wonderful new pointer, the Pick a Pointer, that will help. It includes a finger, a feather, a word swatter, and a word frame.

Use it with your Copernicus Rack, your smart board, pocket charts, Power Point presentations -- you name it! The kids will get a little help with paying attention, and you'll get a lift of spirits.



Write this into the comments section of your order at A Plus Educational's online catalog. It's $19.99 -- a small price to pay for an end of the year pick me up!

What's good for spring decorating?

How about a new Weather bulletin board?

I love the Weather Frog, and Scholastic has done a new Weather Panda, too.

Teacher's Friend Weather Accent Punchouts are versatile enough to use for interactive bulletin boards, as manipulatives, or for big books.

I'm sick of winter, and my classroom! Isn't there something really new?

Yes! Check out Carson-Dellosa's new Pop-It decoratives for something really different.

Click on the picture for more details or to order them from A Plus Educational Supply.

There are also flowers and pumpkins and snowmen -- oh, you didn't want to think about winter any more, right?

What can I do with the kids in this weather?

The weather has been unpredictable, ranging from unsettled to horrible.

What can you do with the kids when they can't go outside?

Sand and water tables are a great choice. A Plus Educational has lots of choices, all of which can be shipped directly to your facility.





Let's start with the traditional table -- only better. This one has storage bins, deep trays to limit spilling and splashing, and wheels for easy movement. Pull the bins out to fill, dump, or clean them.


Delta Moon Sand is better yet. It vacuums easily from the floor, clumps easily for pickup, and doesn't stick to hands. Great for kids with sensory issues, and it's gluten and latex free for allergy concerns.

Click on the pictures for more details.

What's great for Valentine's Day?

We're all ready to quit thinking about ice and snow and perk up our classrooms with some heartfelt treasures.


The Valentine Bears is a great book! A collection of lesson plans to go with it can be found at Freshplans, and Hotchalk's new Valentine's Day technology lesson plan uses this book.

Avoid sugar troubles by giving your students "Valentine from your teacher" pencils
or special Valentine's postcards.

These by Susan Winget are great for any age.


Valentine's Jingo is a great twist on classic bingo. Perfect for class parties.



And finish it off with a great Valentine's Day bulletin board set.

How can I make it easier to make centers?

You know that having plenty of good center activities makes life easier in the long run, but how can you keep your centers fresh without giving up your weekends to do it? The key is to have all the ingredients on hand. Then, make a quick center activity when you prepare a lesson.

Make your centers cuter and easier with self-stick pockets like these from Top Notch Teacher . Have plenty of file folders, plain or fancy, and you have the basic ingredients for centers on practically any subject.

Find step-by-step instructions for file folder centers at that link.

Need something even easier? Check out the Take It To Your Seat series from Evan Moor.

What's a good theme for January?

It's a tough time of year to decorate for. Holidays and special events abound, actually, but they go by so fast you don't want to decorate and undecorate that quickly.

Penguins to the rescue!




Penguins come in cute, realistic, and cool varieties.



Grab some penguin books and visit the Penguin Theme page, put some of these cool birds on your board, and you'll be chillin'. Click on the pictures here to learn more about these designs.