How do you come up with your ideas?
I get this question all the time. Honestly, I just wander Dollar Tree, Target, and Walmart. Seriously. That's exactly how I come up with my ideas. How about this...the next time I head to Dollar Tree, I'll take you along for the ride and show you exactly what I mean. Field Trip! Seatbelts, everyone!
Dollar Tree
Oh Dollar Tree, how much I love thee! My first piece of advice when walking into Dollar Tree is to walk in with an open mind. If this is your first trip, grab a cart, take your time, and walk down every aisle. Let's go!!
The first aisle I hit is the Seasonal/Holiday aisle. It's usually the first aisle in the store, so naturally, I head that way first. I tend to look at the novelty items and ask myself what I can do with them. This is exactly how I created the Math Eye Ball game for October. You can check it out on the October page. Next, I'll look for fun seasonal bowls or buckets. Hello basketball Easter baskets! Perfect for March Madness!!
I then find myself drawn to the toy and game aisle. I have found so many things to use in this aisle: building block towers for mini Jenga, dice, decks of cards, etc. Don't be afraid to do a little digging. Dollar Tree has some amazing puzzles and games that can be used for simple games. I'm still on the hunt for the almighty Dollar Tree PopIt. One day I'll find them!
My next stop is the teacher aisle. Dollar Trees are all different, so the amount of space they have for the Teacher's Corner are different in each store.
On this trip to Dollar Tree, I found these foam, dry erase dice. You can use them in so many ways, but my initial thought was to use them to build words. Vowels will go on the green dice and consonants on the blue dice. You can see this idea come to life on the Primary Phonics - Long Vowels Page. During the summer, this is where you can find storage galore! But you have to be quick because they sell out like hot cakes! I use so much Dollar Tree storage in my classroom because it's affordable and not a huge deal if it gets broken. Actually, our entire school has book bins for each student from Dollar Tree. We made a huge purchase last year when we adopted our new Reading series.
Once I've gathered all my goodies, I head to the kitchen aisle. The storage containers are perfect for storing dice, game pieces, and counters. I love these little containers to add to my file folder games. I can put everything my students need in one and add it to the bag! Did you know that cookie sheets are perfect for working with magnets?? Each student now has their own workspace and it's super easy cleanup! I have also noticed that Dollar Tree carries dishpans. If you're tight on space, these work perfectly for centers! You can use a Cricut to add fancy labels or just write on them with a permanent marker. They store everything you need for centers and can be placed on a shelf or in a stack if you're in a bind.
If you're on Instagram, be sure to follow @dollartreeclassrooms for tons of ideas on how to use Dollar Tree items in your classroom!
Off to our next stop...Target!
Target
As much as I love a good Dollar Tree run, Target is my happy place. I'm sure you can agree that there is nothing better than wandering aimlessly around Target with a Starbucks in hand. Well...while you wander, child-free if you're lucky, find a few useful things to use in your classroom.
Nothing makes me more excited than to see a fully stocked Bullseye's Playground. It makes my heart flutter knowing that it is a new month and new items have arrived. That's right...the first week of the month is when all the new items arrive. I'm a lucky lady because I have three Targets within five miles of my house, plus one more on my way home from school. Yes, that's four Targets that I frequent. So I've learned which Targets have the best playgrounds and when they put out the new goodies. If you've never shopped Bullseye's Playground, you should! Everything is $1, $3, or $5. Perfect for the teacher budget. Just like in Dollar Tree, I urge you to go in with an open mind. You never know what you'll find by digging around. Trust me.
Since Bullseye's Playground is always changing and different stores have different items, I want to share a few of my favorite finds that I use all the time in my classroom. Please keep in mind that items come and go quickly. My advice is that when you see something you think you might use six months from now, PICK IT UP! It most likely won't be there the next time, especially when they start putting out school items in the summer.
A Lazy Susan is perfect for card games, especially card games that need to be read. I use these with my Littles when we play reading games. Since they spin, my Littles can spin it so the card is always facing them. The wooden one was in Bullseye's Playground in Spring 2021. The polka dot one was in Bullseye's Playground in Summer 2021.
I honestly can't remember when I found these trays in Bullseye's Playground. I have used them for so many things. They are great for sounding out phonemes. All you need are letters and Play-Doh. You could also use them for a student workspace for just about anything.
I hit the jackpot one Monday this summer. After hitting the gym, I would commonly go grab a Starbucks and check out Bullseye's Playground. They were just refilling the PopIts when I walked up. It was definitely my lucky day! I wrote on the PopIt with a permanent marker. Lowercase letters are on the other side.
I wish I could take credit for this find. Michelle from @applesandabcs posted in her Instagram story that these bags from Target were perfect for storing game pieces. Wouldn't you know...they are perfect! I'm pretty sure I cleaned out every Target in my area. I mean, they were only $1 each. Originally, they are supposed to be travel bags for liquids and masks, but they work great for storage! I'm hoping they make a comeback in Summer 2022.
I wasn't sure if I would like these collapsible bins when I first picked them up. After starting interventions, they are the best! They do collapse for easy storage and for only $5 each. It's a steal in my book!
Mini erasers come in handy for so many things! I use them as counters for Math groups. I've even had some students ask to borrow them during Math lessons in their classroom. I always let them borrow as long as they come back home. I have even used these as game pieces for board games. Target will usually put out most of their mini erasers at Back to School time. However, I have seen holiday erasers around the year. My suggestion is to check every month because you never know what will appear!
If you are looking for a few accounts to follow on Instagram to get more ideas from Target, I recommend @targetteachers and @targetbullseyespot. I get some of my best ideas by following these pages.
Now I have my materials, what do I do next?
You've gone shopping and found some goodies. Where should you go from here? Well...you can start creating or you can look for resources to go with everything you bought. A few words of advice:
Purchase generic pieces so you can use them for more than one month or game. I'll share more about this later, but simple board games - Candy Land, Chutes & Ladders, Sorry!, Trouble, etc. - can be used in so many different ways. You can use these games with so many concepts. But like I said, more on that later.
Laminate everything you make! If you are planning on making games and using them over and over, I suggest laminating them first. Even if you are using board game pieces, laminate them. You can then use a wet erase or permanent marker to write over what you've laminated.
Organize your materials so you know exactly what you have. This is something that I've struggled with personally. I'm still working on figuring out what works best for me. Find what works for you and go with it.
Before reinventing the wheel, check TeachersPayTeachers for free resources. You'd be amazed what you can find for free! Everything on this site is made by teachers, and the money goes right back into their pocket. In my opinion, this is a great way to shop small and help a teacher's side gig. They also have at least four big sitewide sales every year. Make sure you follow them on Instagram or subscribe to their email list. You'll be the first to know when a sale is happening!
Head over to the Pockets page to see how I put it all together. Happy creating!
Until the next time,
