Sunday, July 19, 2015

Building an Amazing Classroom Library!


So after completing my 7th year teaching in the classroom I have built a nice large library that many children have enjoyed. It does take some time and investment but I am going to share with you my tips on how to do this (on a budget) to get the most bang for your buck!

eBay
When I first started out and wanted to have a good selection in my classroom library, without spending a fortune, I turned to eBay. I simply searched for "lots" of books for the age range that I needed. For example, type in “lot of books for first graders” or “lot of 3rd grade chapter books” to narrow down your search. Bid on items that have low shipping or free shipping to lower your overall cost. I recommend finding “lots” that equal out to $1 per book or less. (Try not to get into a heated bidding war…that will only cost you more! There are always more “lots” to bid on!). 



Goodwill Bookstores and Goodwill Stores
A great bargain can be found when you go to Goodwill in search of books! So many families donate their children’s books when they “outgrow” them. Most are priced fairly but some are not so shop carefully. It would be a great idea to incorporate shopping at each Goodwill Store or Goodwill Bookstore into your weekly routine. New donations are constantly being put onto the shelves and if you visit frequently you can build your library up with great finds for cheap!




Scholastic Book Clubs
Now, your thought to this suggestion may be “what?!?” but I promise there is a reason I am mentioning Scholastic Book Clubs! Most books in the Scholastic Book Club Magazines are regular retail prices but if you utilize this program in your classroom throughout the year you can earn free books! Each month they run specials for teachers where you can earn bonus “bonus points” on top of what you earn from your student/parent orders! There are also specials every few months for $1 books. I usually order these for student gifts and order an extra 1 or 2 for my library. If you are unfamiliar with how Scholastic Book Clubs work just click on the picture link below and sign up! They walk you through the process and it is very user friendly. 
Click here to go directly to the website to sign up for a book club in your classroom!

This is an example of the student/parent magazine that you send home to your students.


Scholastic Warehouse Sales
If you have a Scholastic Warehouse in your area I highly recommend looking for the sales they have a few times a year! They always have a special area where you can fill a box (usually for $25) and they send you coupons when you sign up to go online. You can also go through the entire warehouse and search for deals. The great thing about visiting the warehouse is that you get great, current titles for less. You can also sign up to volunteer at the sales in the future and earn up to $80 in credits to spend on books at the sale! I haven’t done this yet but I am hoping to around Christmas time. 

This is an example of an email flyer.


This is what the website is currently advertising. Click here to go there now.


Scholastic Teacher Store
The Scholastic Teacher Store is a great gem of a website that I don’t think that many people know about. It is separate from the other Scholastic entities and they have a very different selection of books for sale. They also have many teacher and professional development products available. Everything is marked down from the list price and there is a sale and clearance section that is updated regularly!

Click here to go to the Teacher Store.


50 for 50
I just took advantage of this offer, which came into my email inbox. I have signed up for all the scholastic emails and this offer comes in a few times a year. You choose a grade level range and receive a box of 50 high quality randomly selected books.  I jumped for it this year since I am moving up to 2nd grade from 1st and I didn’t have that many chapter books for students reading from a 2.0 to a 3.9. This may seem like a higher cost but the retail cost of the box is usually around $250. If you compare the cost to what it is worth it is a steal (especially for chapter books). The offer comes through The Teacher Store (as mentioned above) so make sure you sign up for their emails!

An example of the offer email.


I hope you find these tips and tricks helpful! Please leave a comment below and tell me what you think! Share your tips and tricks too!

Thanks!

Adreanna
p.s. I have no affiliation with Scholastic, I'm just a fan!

Saturday, July 11, 2015

Great finds at the Target Dollar Spot!

So I've been trying to be good, really good, about not spending a ton of money on school stuff this summer. But the Target Dollar Spot calls my name and I can't resist! I found a few great things yesterday that I want to share!



Great stamps! These stamps are $3.00 in the dollar spot but so worth it! They are super cute and high quality. A bargain if you ask me! Check out the pictures below:



I also grabbed the ink pad three pack for $3.00 as well. You can see from the stamp images above, they aren't the best. They are good if you need something in a pinch but I think grabbing some from a craft store might be better.



My favorite finds were the flash cards! Since I'm moving to second grade this year I refrained from grabbing the alphabet, numbers, simple addition, and simple subtraction but they have them and I'm sure they are just as good! I did grab telling time, money, U.S. Presidents, and United States flash cards. I took some pictures for you because I really love the quality!





Overall a very successful trip to the dollar spot and I only spent $10! They have a lot of other items too but thankfully I didn't NEED them. :)

Let me know if you have found any other great deals out there! Leave a comment below.
Happy summer shopping!





Monday, June 22, 2015

Brand New to the Blogging World and Ready to Dare to Dream!

I am so excited to begin this part of my teaching journey! I have thought about blogging about my life in the classroom for a few years now but I wasn't really sure if I could make the time. I am about to enter my 8th year of teaching and, even though I'm moving to a new grade level (1st time in 2nd!), I feel really good about incorporating this into my everyday life.

I got really motivated by the TPT Seller Challenge to finally create this blog and now they have us daring to dream. I am going big (cuz I don't wanna go home) so here it is...


I'm exited to make new friends and connections because the blogging/tpt/pinterest world has saved my sanity in the classroom too many times to count. I can only hope to add this lovely community in the same way sharing the tricks and tips that have worked so well for me!