Finish this sentence for your classroom.

[Mommee & Baba]

Our classroom wouldn't be the same without _____________________.

 

What is the ONE or two or three....thing or things that you really have noticed a positive impact from in your classroom?

 

[Mommee & Baba]

I'll be the first to answer my own question :p

 

Our classroom wouldn't be the same without our laminator and our all-in-one printer!

[Carol in Cal.]

Our classroom wouldn't be the same without _____________________.

 

What is the ONE or two or three....thing or things that you really have noticed a positive impact from in your classroom?

 

 

--Our entire wall of Billy bookshelves from Ikea. Sturdy, big, lots of room, wonderful.

 

--Our pile of dog pillows. Floor pillows were so expensive, but very big dog beds from Costco were very reasonably priced. OK, so the cedar chip smell took a bit of getting used to. I bought 3 for DD to pull out when friends come by--great for playing games and such. Well, she likes the pile so much that she sleeps on it if she gets tired during the day! And she lays on it to read. And she cuddles up on it sometimes when she is doing handwork, like needlepoint.

[Ellen_TX]

Our classroom wouldn't be the same without _____________________.

 

What is the ONE or two or three....thing or things that you really have noticed a positive impact from in your classroom?

 

 

 

Our IKEA MÃ…LA easel. http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/50021076

We work out problems, spell words, paint, draw our feelings sometimes and it is a whiteboard as well. I have two of these because one we left out in the rain while painting nature. Had to replace it ASAP. I bought magnetic dry erase sheet to cover the dry erase board after an unfortunate permanent market accident. Most of our friends who visit play with it as well. We have at least four families purchase one after visiting. Should I get and IKEA commission?:confused::D

 

 

Nearly deflated spikey rubber ball. DS sits on it while he is doing work.

 

Workboxes!

[Mommee & Baba]

Ohhh the dog pillows is an idea!! I noticed that my beginning readers prefer to cuddle up on my bed under my big queen covers as they call them and read. They read MUCh better this way I noticed. Maybe I should think about making up some BIG reading pillows for each of them this year! :D

 

I love the easels. Do these fold up flat? I would love to get a couple of those for our days that the kids want to work out problems on the marker board and I have to remove it from the wall and lay it on the floor.

[Carol in Cal.]

Ohhh the dog pillows is an idea!! I noticed that my beginning readers prefer to cuddle up on my bed under my big queen covers as they call them and read. They read MUCh better this way I noticed. Maybe I should think about making up some BIG reading pillows for each of them this year! :D

 

I love the easels. Do these fold up flat? I would love to get a couple of those for our days that the kids want to work out problems on the marker board and I have to remove it from the wall and lay it on the floor.

 

The key is that it's a PILE of dog pillows. They are really big ones--rectangular, about 3 by 3 1/2 feet. Because there are three of them, even a 200 pound woman does not bottom out on them at all. (Do not ask me how I know. Just don't.) We keep them in a corner, and DD can pull one up against the wall if she wants a backrest.

[SailorMom]

The wall cabinets we installed - what a blessing those have been!

2nd place - the all in one printer/faxer/copier

[Angie in VA]

My iPod. Really. How did I ever homeschool w/o it? (Memory work, violin pieces, audio books, etc.) It sure would have made life easier while we built our house.

 

Now, when I publicly declared my love for my iPod my printer went belly up. Now that I have its replacement, I must give my printer its props!

 

And ITA about Billy bookcases. Don't ask me how many I have. Just don't. I won't tell you. You can't make me!

 

And Pampered Chef timers. I'm sure there are cheaper ones available w/ the timer and count up features, but we use these (yes, plural!) in so many ways!

 

Loving the dog bed idea! Fun thread.

[unsinkable]

--Our entire wall of Billy bookshelves from Ikea. Sturdy, big, lots of room, wonderful.

 

--Our pile of dog pillows. Floor pillows were so expensive, but very big dog beds from Costco were very reasonably priced. OK, so the cedar chip smell took a bit of getting used to. I bought 3 for DD to pull out when friends come by--great for playing games and such. Well, she likes the pile so much that she sleeps on it if she gets tired during the day! And she lays on it to read. And she cuddles up on it sometimes when she is doing handwork, like needlepoint.

 

That is so clever!

 

Way to think outside the box!

[joannqn]

My whiteboard...it's approximately 3 1/2 by 4 1/2 feet and nowhere near big enough. We use it for everything...

 

demonstrating math, grammar, writing, etc.

taking phone notes

listing assignments for the day (my kids are pretty independent when needed)

writing down to-do lists

coloring/drawing for fun

leaving messages for each other

thinking on "paper"

 

If I could afford it, I would take it down and replace it with shower board cut as big as I can find that will fit my space.

 

I dream of a school room that is solid white board painted. I can't do that here because our walls are heavily textured though.

 

And permanent marker can be cleaned off of white board with rubbing alcohol. BTDT

[Rivka]

My stack of 8.5x11 wide-ruled sheets of whiteboard.

 

- It's so easy to jot down a quick lesson when we're sitting on the couch together, without making it seem like a formal "thing."

 

- We put our schedule on one every day.

 

- My daughter is more willing to write on a whiteboard, I guess because it seems so impermanent. Paper-sized sheets mean that she can practice appropriate hand position, etc.

[Starr]

The refrigerator and cat toys; making dawdling so much easier. :)

 

Having the globe handy has been so helpful over the years and decorative for the kitchen.

[angela in ohio]

...laughter.

 

You probably meant something more practical? So I would say:

 

...my copier/printer/scanner.

...multiple large tables.

...plastic organizer drawers. We have 4 sets of small ones that hold pencils, pens, tape, markers, etc. each in their own little drawer. We have 4 tall thin sets that hold math and science supplies. And we have 4 tall wide sets that hold all the craft materials, one drawer each for knitting, leatherworking, embroidery, quilling, etc.

[Angie in VA]

My stack of 8.5x11 wide-ruled sheets of whiteboard.

 

- It's so easy to jot down a quick lesson when we're sitting on the couch together, without making it seem like a formal "thing."

 

- We put our schedule on one every day.

 

- My daughter is more willing to write on a whiteboard, I guess because it seems so impermanent. Paper-sized sheets mean that she can practice appropriate hand position, etc.

 

Source, please! :001_smile:

[Karen in CO]

A cozy loveseat.

 

A couch would be too big, but a loveseat will seat the three of us for reading.

 

My shoe organizer turned art organizer.

 

I have one of those over-the-door shoe canvas shoe oraganizers with 12 pockets. Iput most of our art supplies in it. Everything from google eyes to paint brushes is visible to even the youngest artist and can be easily found and put away.

[MtnTeaching]

Hummm... looking around the room. It's a small converted third bedroom.

 

- Laptop on an adjustable docking mount with a second huge screen next to it. I can have two screens up at once. Along with my Canon printer/copier/fax/scanner. (My dh is a computer guy)

 

- Ikea Galant maple desks. Three desks and a corner desk fit perfectly around three walls. Our rolling chairs allow me to just scoot next to whoever I'm working with or for us all to line up and watch a United Streaming video on my monitor.

 

- Our "1000 Places to See Before You Die" desk calendar and globe. We rip one off every day and find it on the globe. We have LOVED doing this for the past three years and have learned a lot.

 

- The Atomic Wall clock that always has the correct time.

 

- I took the doors off our closet and put an old 4-drawer filing cabinet in there. Also a cube type bookcase I got at Target. I labeled each cube with a subject so we can keep frequently used reference material in there.

 

- A cardboard slotted paper organizer for regular paper, college-ruled, grid (for math), sketch books, water-color, note pads, lined-handwriting paper, etc.

 

- We have the plastic drawers for all the little items, too. It really helps to be able to find that pushpin, highlighter, binder clip, etc, when you need it.

 

- Wall shelves above my son's side of the room. Clear sturdy magazine holders on the bottom shelf so I can just reach over for my teacher's manuals.

 

- The microscope out and ready for any creepy thing we may find.

 

- Sturdy bright milk crates with a heavy metal file divider I found that fits perfectly in the bottom of the crate for each kids textbooks. The books stand up with the names facing the kids making it easy for them to see and group their books. The crates are on wheels and roll back against the wall next to or under their desks and makes it easy if we need to grab their books to go on a trip or just into another room

 

- Our favorite thing is the cat shelf attached to the window above my daughter's desk. The cat lounges on her shelf and our Golden hangs out at our feet for school.

 

After saying all this, we only spend about half our day in here before we head to the kitchen table to spread out or to cozy on the couch or a bed. Isn't homeschooling awesome!! Learning can be done anywhere!

[Ellen_TX]

Ohhh the dog pillows is an idea!! I noticed that my beginning readers prefer to cuddle up on my bed under my big queen covers as they call them and read. They read MUCh better this way I noticed. Maybe I should think about making up some BIG reading pillows for each of them this year! :D

 

I love the easels. Do these fold up flat? I would love to get a couple of those for our days that the kids want to work out problems on the marker board and I have to remove it from the wall and lay it on the floor.

 

They do fold flat. So when entertaining I fold the one upstairs up and slide it in the closet.

[Alphabetika]

...the public library.

 

...the commercial-free classical music station.

 

....windows.

[JenniferB]

clearly defined expectations, reiterated everyday, and followed up upon throughout the day.

 

(Not tangible, but oh so helpful.)

Edited June 29, 2010 by JenniferB

[2cents]

Our classroom wouldn't be the same without Discovery Unitedstreaming Plus, copier/printer, computer, schedule, cable hook-up that feeds images/videos to our large TV.

[Jeannie in NJ]

our cats who sit next to and sometimes on top of my dc while they do their schoolwork.

[hillfarm]

Our woodstove! In the cooler months it makes the room we use for schooling so very inviting. We often put a pot of soup on to simmer or foil wrapped baked potatoes on top to have later for lunch. Occasionally I will put a pot of hot chocolate or spiced apple juice/cider on to keep a nice, hot drink available.

 

The computer--I find that I dash to it so frequently to look things up, find illustrations, research curriculum, etc.

 

Those small 9x12" whiteboards. With only one student, I don't really use a large whiteboard. But the little ones are perfect for a quick diagram or a special list. Some I got at Walmart from the Board Dudes company. I would NOT recommend these. The frames break apart easily and leave very sharp edges exposed. The other ones I have came from an office supply store (?Staples, Office Depot?) and have no frame, just a rounded edge.

 

My handy bank of wooden shelves that are within arm's reach of my Command Chair. There I keep all my supplies and books, all dd's books, my calendar, etc.

 

And finally, our plastic drawers that we are using in a modified work box type of system. That reminds me, I want to review the work box info again later this month so that I can try to be more effective with it.

 

I am just now making the transition to thinking seriously toward the upcoming school year. We start school early in August, so it is just around the corner! I love the smell of new school books and fresh office supplies!:D

[Hunter's Moon]

I don't have a classroom, but a closet. We took the doors off the hinges and there is a desk, a tall bookshelf, a short bookshelf, and a whole bunch of shelves built-in. That being said:

 

Our classroom wouldn't be the same without all the shelves, my iPod(audio books and such), and my small whiteboard that I use to work out math problems for practice without wasting paper :)

[Lolly]

Our classroom wouldn't be the same without _____________________.

 

chaos. :lol:

[Guest]

--Our entire wall of Billy bookshelves from Ikea. Sturdy, big, lots of room, wonderful.

 

--Our pile of dog pillows. Floor pillows were so expensive, but very big dog beds from Costco were very reasonably priced. OK, so the cedar chip smell took a bit of getting used to. I bought 3 for DD to pull out when friends come by--great for playing games and such. Well, she likes the pile so much that she sleeps on it if she gets tired during the day! And she lays on it to read. And she cuddles up on it sometimes when she is doing handwork, like needlepoint.

 

Too funny -- my daughter took over our dog's CostCo bed at Christmas and likes it better than most of the furniture.

[PollyOR]

Our classroom wouldn't be the same without my bed. That's where we do school. Also, we use lap chalkboards. Very handy. :)

[Kareni]

Our classroom wouldn't be the same without _____________________.

 

... a child!

 

Regards,

Kareni