Reasons the Dollar Tree is My Friend (Part 2)

Hurrah for summer! With at least a little more time on my hands than usual, it’s a good time to think about classroom crafts and organization. And that, for me, means a trip to the good ol’ Dollar Tree. I decided to take pictures while I was there of things I use in my classroom. It’s amazing how many of my favorite things come from the dollar store! Man, I love Dollar Tree. (I love it so much this isn’t my first post about dollar store loot. See part one here.)

  

 

Tubs, baskets, and containers

I love these things! This is, in my opinion, my favorite category of things at the Dollar Tree. I see no reason to pay $5 for a simple plastic basket when there are great ones for a buck! There are so many things to organize in a classroom, and so many options to help you get it done. I like using the larger tubs with lids to hold stations. Mid-size tubs are used to store manipulatives so I can find them easily, and small tubs are used to store a small amount of manipulatives (like rhythm dice or flash cards) within a station tub. I used to use plastic bags for everything, but kids tend to destroy them quickly if they are in a station. Baskets are great for use in a classroom library, and shower caddies are handy for storing materials for group work. All of my non-pitched percussion instruments are stored in baskets from Dollar Tree, as well.

Splash Ring

Summer is the best time to buy them, and they make great drums.

Foam Counting Blocks

Music dice are a great summer craft project. I have rhythm dice for every grade, as well as pentatonic dice (do is on there twice). They are great for chance music, identification games, and stations. Rhythm dice are featured in this post about rhythm manipulatives, if you would like more ideas.

Reusable Dry Erase Pockets

Thicker than plastic sleeves, these last longer and are built to better withstand the abuse of being in the hands of a 7-year-old. If your copy budget is stretched thin, these can come in very handy.

Puppets

I love dollar store puppets because I then feel no panic about letting kids lead singing games that involve them. They love the opportunity to use the puppet, so I usually let the child have a turn after they solo sing. Even my shy kiddos are more likely to open up if they get to walk around with a lion on their hand afterwards.

Magnetic Classroom Spinner

I’ve seen all these fancy tempo and dynamic spinners on Pinterest that take skills and time to make or money to buy… write a simple one on your magnetic whiteboard, add one of these babies and BOOM. Instant spinner.

Self-stick Flags

I like to color code mine in my favorite resources so I can easily find primary and intermediate songs. It’s less messy than the “use a ripped-up post-it” method I used to favor.

Craft Sticks

Color code them for a quick multiple response strategy (“If you hear a largo tempo put up a blue stick, if you hear an allegro tempo put up a green stick,” etc.) or use them as representative notation for rhythm, as seen here.

Foam Stickers

These things are GOLD. Easy and simple rewards that go a long way!

Wands

Wands are another great manipulative for solo singing, and one that can be customized to fit the activity. One of the first Kinder solo singing exercises we do is to sing our wishes to a wishing wand. It’s a challenge to find one that isn’t too girly. I might have to go back and get the dinosaur one, it cracked me up!

Pinwheels

When teaching recorder, I give kids a pinwheel and tell them to blow. They go crazy. Then we work on slowing down the air. The pinwheel is a good visual, and as a bonus it doesn’t squeak!

That leads to the last must-have item from the Dollar Tree…

Just kidding. Those recorders are TERRIBLE. The jump ropes can be good for vocal exploration, though. Just lay them on the floor and have kids follow the contour with their voice. I’ve also paired that activity with the book The Squiggle. 

Have fun at the dollar store!

Reasons the Dollar Tree is My Friend (Part 1)

Dollar store loot!

I bet you just hate the dollar store, don’t you?

Nope, me neither.

There is a Dollar Tree right across the street from my school. In fact, it is on my way home. Every day as I drive by it, I have to make a conscious decision NOT to go to the dollar store. Needless to say, I go to the dollar store A LOT. It is a treasure trove for things that I can use in my classroom!



Pool Noodles

Why are pool noodles awesome? Simple: Steady Beat Light Sabers. They are very similar to the steady beat swords featured here. For mine, I decided to go all out and use silver duct tape and electrical tape to make them look like they came from a galaxy far, far away. I use my Light Sabers to teach steady beat to 1^st graders. 3^rd-5^th graders use them as giant batons. Holding something so long in their hands helps them to use their wrists and not conduct like a crazy person.

Foam

The Dollar tree has rolls of foam! Rolls of it! They also have packets of foam. Similar packets or rolls of foam at Wal-Mart cost $5, and who knows what craft stores would charge. Why foam? Why, dear reader, because die-cut machines can cut foam. The foam is more durable than paper, and doesn’t require lamination! I went the paper-laminate-cut route for large quantities of small manipulatives once, and NEVER AGAIN. I learned my lesson! Using foam is so much easier. Students use these shapes to identify the form they hear, or create their own form.

Clinging Shelf Liner

I love this stuff more than I can tell you. A few years ago, my room made me wince with an ugly scarred table, ugly scratched brown file cabinets, and ugly large bright yellow storage boxes. Now those babies are covered, washi taped, and looking good! I used the same kind throughout the room to make it look unified.




Wash-tape

Speaking of washi tape, I found some at the dollar store. This is incredibly exciting to me, since most other places are trying to sell them for $3 a pop. The texture is a bit different, but it still comes off with no residue. Count me in! I’m using washi tape to organize my orffatorium. Each instrument has tape, and the matching mallets have the same kind of tape. Using different colors and patterns also allows me to put kids in groups more interesting than woods and metals.

Stay tuned for another post on awesome things from the dollar store and how I use them!

BONUS: I love these matched cards from the dollar store so much, I wrote an entire post about them. 

Manipulative Monday: Review Cards

One of the battles I constantly fight as a music teacher is forgetfulness. When you see your kids only once or twice a week, it is a battle that will never stop. I don’t want to waste time going over already learned concepts every other second, so we regularly review the concepts already covered.

Every day with intermediate grades, I have two or three review questions on the board so students have a task to focus on as soon as they are in the room. We go over them very quickly, and this does help them to remember concepts. Sometimes, however, students more than one or two questions to make sure they stay on top of previously taught concepts. This is even more true with grades that are about to take summative semester tests. Partner review cards are a great way to help review and keep students engaged.

Can I tell you how much I love the dollar store? I LOVE IT A LOT. There are so many good things you can use as manipulatives, and for a lot less than official manipulatives online or at teacher stores. This summer, I found these beauties at Dollar Tree and stocked up, knowing they would come in handy. They come in packs of 24, so I picked up several of each to be ready for the larger classes.

The game is simple. Students have a card that is either a concept or a definition/example. Students get a card and silently move (I use a musical timer) to find the person who has the accompanying card. For first and second graders, I let them whisper to help students who may not be to the point of silently reading yet. Once students find their partner, they talk for a few moments to make sure they can justify why they think the two cards go together. We check a few groups as a class, and then the students have 10 seconds to trade cards with someone who was not their partner. This sets us up for another round.

Here is a second grade example.

I like this game because it gets kids up and moving, gives them a chance to talk with several partners, and really reinforces previously learned knowledge. I focus on getting students to justify why they chose the answer, really making them think about their reasoning. My school is also focusing on accountable talk, and this activity is a good opportunity for students to practice those skills. This is a great review for any definition-heavy subject as well. I've found this game much more effective than more traditional reviews with paper and pencil.

Have fun with this game, I hope your kiddos love it as much as mine do!