Fall Favorites!

Was my house decorated for fall by the end of the day September 1st? Yes.  Do I care about being judged? Um, no!  I'm too busy being surrounded by cute pumpkins to care!  :) 

Here are some of my favorite fall pieces for this season!  I limit myself to just a few purchases each year because otherwise, I would buy out all of Target and Hobby Lobby... 

These velvet pumpkins are from one of my favorite home decor stores, Kirklands!  I love that there is always a coupon to use, and there is always a same going on!  These were half off IN SEASON last year and are available again this year!  Click here to buy! 

These burlap pumpkins are from THE DOLLAR STORE! I saw them and had to scoop them up.  In fact, most of my decor was from the dollar store this year.  I was so pleasantly surprised to find some very trendy and good quality things to decorate will this fall season! 

My glitter pumpkins are another dollar store find :) 

This candycorn hat was a gift from my friend who corchets amazing things!  I sent her a picture I found on pinterst, and this beauty arrived at my doorstep a few days later!  Check out her work on her Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/livelybysamira/

 

I was at Target looking for a new dress for a first date  ( wish me luck!) and saw this bandana in the dollar section that I needed for my pup!  He is all ready for Halloween!  He has this to wear AND an amazing Haunted Mansion themed collar from shop disney that can be found here.

Finally, this was my big splurge for the season, and it wasn't even that much... I try to always buy decor that would work for both Halloween and Thanksgiving so that I can keep it up for longer, and can save some cash when decorating.  However, this Halloween decor was too amazing to pass up!  If you are dinsey fan, you totally get why I NEEDED it!  Plus, when I can finally go back to working with my students in person, this desk plaque will be a permanent resident on my desk and will let my kiddos know who they are dealing with! ;)    I ADORE my Foolish Morals Desk Nameplate! 

What are some of your favorite places to shop for fall finds?  Share your ideas with me in the comments below! 

P.S some of these links are affilite links and I may earn from your clicks! 💕

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Finals Study Tips for Students

Finals time is approaching! Even if it will look a little different this year than years past and future.  

My current work as a learning specialist at a top tier university has allowed me to work on creating easy and quick resources for students to use to help improve their study habits and approaches.  I wanted to share a few quick and easy bites of information that you could pass along to your students as they get ready for final exams! 

1.  Come up with a plan and start organizing at least two weeks before the exam

   I know, this seems unrealistic, and not something that our students will want to do, or do they even think that far in advance.  BUT I like to make this part of the finals prep a part of class.  I  usually spend a chunk of one class session having students get out all of their handouts, notes, and resources.  We then make a list as a class of all the possible resources they have to study from.  As always, there are some students who do not have the needed materials, or these things went missing in the abyss of lockers and backpacks. I allow time for students to reach out to a friend in the class to get a picture of the missing resource so that they have it to reference later.  Again, I start this about two weeks before the exam date, to get kiddos thinking about the fact that there WILL be a final exam, and to show them how much information will be covered on it. 

2.  Choose a good study space 

This is key.  I always suggest NOT studying in your room, but especially not studying in your bed.  Your body feels your bed and just wants to go to sleepy sleep!  I suggest a desk, a kitchen table, or ( in the future) a favorite coffee shop or library. This change of location lets your brain know that you are ready for studying and studying only! 

3. Minimize Distractions 

PUT THE PHONE DOWN. This is SO hard. Even for adults.  I suggest setting a timer for a certain amount of time you want to study, and then placing your phone in another room.  I also always think back to my college days, in the height of Facebook.  My friends and I would dutifully go to the library to study for finals and inevitably end up wasting so much time on social media.  The solution we came up with?  We would assign a friend ( THAT WE TRUSTED) to change our passwords so that we couldn't log into our accounts even if we wanted to. And we would give them a task we needed to complete before they gave us the new password to change back.   You don't even realize how much you reach for social media until you try and can't do it.  Easy way to limit distractions! 

4. Chunk Your Time

Activity study for about 20-30 mins and then take a 5-minute break.  During this break, make sure to stretch and move around.  The more movement the better to wake your brain up and ger oxygen to your brain.  Sitting down for a 2-hour study session is a daunting process.  But a 20-minute chunk? Easily doable. Plus, your motivation will not run out as fast, and you can keep studying for longer!  Make sure to take a snack and water break too! 

5. Utilize the Study Cycle! 

Studying is not a one-time thing.  It is a constant cycle that should be repeated over and over! 

These are just a few of the tips myself and my fellow learning specialist have come up with for our college students!  You can find these and more  Here on our TPT store!  

What are some of the tips you give your own students for finals? Post them in the comments below! 

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Spring Break Craft Goals

One more week until this teacher is on spring break!
After I spend at least two days lounging around doing absolutely nothing, I have a hankering to get crafty!  Katy and I love when there are free classes offered at our local Paper Source in Coolidge Corner, but sadly there were not offered during  my break week.  However there is a super cool stationary class that I think I'm going to attend!  Paper Source always has cute ideas and kits for sale, so I know that I'll be able to find something cute to make with my week off.

There is also this cute planner event at Michaels to end my week off with! And its FREE! Just have to bring a planner and a friend :)

Finally, I'm obsessed with these paper flowers by @thebleudahlia 

I love the huge wall ones, and am dying to make the book page ones for my ELA classroom.  I'm envisioning a nice long banner of them for the top of my book shelf! 

I have to learn how to make them.  I found some DIY directions on pinterest here so I will check back once I get crafting! 

I'm slowly adding more to my craft to-do list on my pinterest page here 

Feel free to request to collaborate and give me some more craft ideas! 

What crafts are everyone's to-do list?! I would love to add to my spring break extravaganza!

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Words for Great Women

Happy Women's History Month!

To celebrate this month, I added some new decor to my classroom!

I loved these free African American History Month quote posters from Scholastic, and got inspired to make some of my own for this month.

Here is a picture of both sets of quotes in action in my ELA classroom.

Download them for FREE here on my TPT store. 

Be sure to let me know what you think and how you use them!

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