Author: TCR Staff

Classroom Management, Classroom Organization, Giveaways, Miscellaneous, Teacher Resources, Teaching Tips

Classroom Must-Haves Every Teacher Loves

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Heading back to school after summer break can be tough. Make the transition to early mornings and structured routines easier with our roundup of essential school supplies that every classroom needs (and every teacher loves).

Whether they’re first-timers or seasoned educators, all teachers know that the key to successful classroom management starts with the right tools—that function well, last a long time, and create an environment where students can thrive. We talked to the teachers in our community, and they shared their must-have classroom items for Back to School. 

The Best Writing Instruments

Every teacher needs their favorite pens and markers to make the school year a success. Look for low odor dry-erase markers that won’t trigger any smell sensitivities, and opt for a variety of colors to add a pop of color to your whiteboard. Pick pens in colors students love that dry quickly to avoid smears on classwork.

Tried-and-True Tools

Laminators are essential for preserving art projects, protecting decor, and creating classroom resources that can be used again and again. Plus, no teacher will get very far without a reliable, high-quality stapler. Modern designs allow for more accessibility, making it easier to staple bundles without jams. Finally, every class needs organizational accessories, such as hooks and clips, to keep learning spaces uncluttered and neat with easy-to-hang, removable options.

Student Incentives

Even highly motivated students need a push now and then. Encourage your class to stay engaged in learning with student incentives and prizes. Smelly stickers, fidgets, and small prizes offer positive reinforcement for good behavior, academic accomplishments, and more. Store the goodies in a treasure chest for an experience even reluctant learners will grow to love!

Classroom Tech Done Right

Teachers have long wished for the ability to quiet their class with a touch of a button, and now they can. A classroom doorbell is an easy way to get students’ attention quickly, no shouting or clapping required. Simply walk your class through how to respond to the bell at the beginning of the year, then practice, practice, practice! 

An electric pencil sharpener is another must-have on every teacher’s list. Heavy-duty sharpeners take the work out of sharpening pencils, while the variety of settings on modern models allow teachers to choose the mode that’s right for each pencil and lead, to preserve supplies as long as possible.

Kicking off a new school year right starts with creating a classroom environment that’s organized, streamlined, and feels stress-free for students and teachers alike. To help a member of our teacher community get ready for Back to School, we’ve gathered together all of these must-have goodies and more (a $450 value), plus a $250 Teacher Created Resources shopping spree. Our second prize winner will receive a $100 shopping spree at Teacher Created Resources for books, games, classroom decor, and more. 

Enter for your chance to win by August 31, 2025! For a full list of rules, click here.

Classroom Activities, Holidays, Teacher Resources

Giving Thanks: An Easy Classroom Craft

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Thanksgiving provides us with a great excuse to sit on the couch all day, overeat, and maybe catch a game or two (or a parade!), but it’s also the perfect time to stop and reflect on the things in our lives that we’re most thankful for.  

As much as I enjoy the holiday, our house never gets the attention it deserves for Thanksgiving. We’re usually too exhausted from taking down the Halloween decorations and busy making plans and space for the soon-to-be Christmas explosion that besieges our house annually. We do, however, have a couple of turkey-themed decorations that make it onto our walls and shelves in November; and our hands-down favorite is a turkey our daughter made in the first grade. She’s off at college now, but her “Giving Thanks” Turkey still lives at home on our mantle above the fireplace. It’s not a complicated craft, or even all that original, but it’s a reminder to all of us to stop and be thankful for the blessings in our lives. Like my daughter almost 14 years ago, I’m very grateful for my family, my health, my friends, ice cream, and my toys.

I encourage you to create your own “Giving Thanks” Turkey with your students. It’s a fun snapshot of a moment in time, and hopefully something that will find a place on a shelf in their own home one day.

This craft only requires a few materials (shown above):

Materials

  • precut “feathers” made from construction paper of various colors
  • paper plates (orange plates look great, or you can use white and have students color them any color they want)
  • toilet paper rolls 
  • googly eyes
  • small plastic or paper cups (3-ounce cups work great)
  • construction paper scraps for beaks and wattles

Procedure

  1. I always think it’s best to start an activity like this with a group discussion about what it means to be thankful and why we should be thankful for certain things and people in our lives. It’s surprising how many young students have never been asked to stop and reflect on this.
  2. Often, it helps to create a classroom list of all the suggestions. A list will help to get the wheels turning and help with spelling.
  3. Allow each student to choose nine feathers. On each feather they should write one thing that they are thankful for.
  4. Demonstrate how to attach the feathers to the “top” of a paper plate (the final turkey will have the bottom of the plate facing forward). Start with the top feather (in the 12:00 position). Glue works best, but a stapler could be used. Add two more feathers (in the 11:00 and 1:00 positions) so that the turkey looks even and balanced. Continue to add the remaining 6 feathers, taking care to leave the bottom third of the plate featherless.  
  5. If necessary, color the toilet paper roll, and then glue it to the bottom of the plate. If you’re able to fit a stapler inside the toilet paper roll, a staple or two really helps to secure the two pieces together. The turkey should now be able to stand on its own.

Cut out a beak and wattle and, along with two googly eyes, glue everything in place. Add the cup to the turkey’s head for the final pièce de résistance. You can also make the hat out of construction paper if you’re feeling extra crafty.

We have found that we sometimes need to place a little tape on the back of the turkey to keep it from leaping off our mantle, but attaching a weight inside the base of the toilet paper roll would more than likely produce similar results. 

Happy crafting! This Thanksgiving, we hope this activity generates some important conversations in your classroom and some fun “Giving Thanks” Turkeys for your students to share with their families.  

Giveaways, Miscellaneous, Teacher Resources

Teacher Appreciation Giveaway!

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Happy National Teacher Day! To help celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week, we want to thank all you hard-working teachers out there who have persevered through a challenging, life-altering year of teaching!

We’re giving away a $50 gift card to 5 lucky teachers. Just head over to our INSTAGRAM GIVEAWAY POST, like the post, follow us (if you’re not already), and comment which of our two newest décor themes is your favorite!

Contest ends Friday (5/7/21 11:59 PM PDT). Winners will be announced Monday. Good Luck!

CLICK HERE TO ENTER CONTEST

Classroom Activities, Holidays, Parents, Teacher Resources

Easy Easter Paper Crafts

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Here are two easy Easter crafts you can do with your kiddos using materials that you most likely already have. We’ve included directions for handprint bunnies and mosaic eggs.

You’ll need just a few materials for each craft:

  • construction paper or craft paper
  • scissors
  • glue stick
  • pencil, pen, and marker
  • hole punch and string (optional)

We got the idea for this cute handprint bunny activity from the One Little Project blog. To make the bunnies, start by tracing your hand on the paper. (Note, if you’re using craft paper, you may need to fold the paper in half and glue it together if the design is only on one side.)

Tip: Trace your fingers wider than they are; otherwise the ears and paws of the bunnies will be too skinny.

Cut out the handprint. Make a deeper cut between the pinky and ring finger so the space lines up with the space in between the thumb and index finger:

You may need to cut the other spaces between fingers a bit so they line up with other. Then fold the thumb and pinky fingers down to create the rabbit’s “arms.” Then cut off the middle finger so you’re left with two bunny “ears”:

Using a marker, draw the nose and insides of ears:

Next, use a dark pen to draw in the eyes, whiskers, and mouth:

Finally, use the pen to draw “feet”:

For the mosaic eggs, draw an egg shape on paper and cut it out. Also cut small squares of construction paper or craft paper.

Glue squares to the egg shape. Don’t worry if some of the squares go past the outline of the egg; just trim them off at the end.

Once the egg is covered in squares, trim any excess square edges off. You may wish to punch a hole at the top of the egg and hang it from a window or wall.