Saturday, April 18, 2015

Meet Angie from Lucky Little Learners

Hey everyone!  My name is Angie and I am the face behind the blog and store:  Lucky Little Learners.  I am so excited to be a contributing author to this 2nd grade blog!  I thought I'd SHOW-N-TELL a little bit about myself so you can get to know me and then I want to share 3 tips that are HUGE time savers in my classroom because let's face it, LIFE IS CRAZY BUSY and anything that can save us a little time is AWESOME!

So, first, a little bit about myself...
 I'm a 2nd grade teacher from Minnesota.  I have taught for 10 years in grades kindergarten, first, and now second grade.  I love them all for different reasons and as long as I am teaching those little learners, I'm happy!  I love to teach but more importantly, I love my family.  I am a proud wife and blessed mother to a 3 1/2 year old little girl named Molly.  Here's a quick video from when Molly and her daddy sang together at Molly's school.

 
Our family of three loves to garden, camp, listen to daddy play guitar, spend time at our lake cabin, work on home improvement projects, and spend time with friends and family.

Another passion of mine is connecting with other bloggers/teachers around the world.  I wish we could all teacher and live near each other but we find other ways to connect on a regular basis.  Some of these ways are through blogger meet ups, Voxer chats, Periscope broadcasts, or Google Hang outs!

Alright, enough about ME...who's ready for some time-saving tips?  Have you heard about glue sponges?  My students and I love them!  Gone are the days of puddles of glue on papers that make everything stick together!  Gone are the days of sending notes home that their child needs more glue sticks!  Introducing...glue sponges!  They are super easy to make too.  Put a dish sponge in a plastic container, dump Elmers (a.k.a "drippy glue") on top of the sponge, snap the lid on, and let it sit for 24 hours.  The next day they are ready to use and will last you a LONG TIME!  Some teachers have said that they need to be sprayed with water a few times a year but I haven't had to spray mine yet and they've lasted all year.  They work the best for all those little cut and glue activities that require attaching smaller pieces to a worksheet or project. 
Next tip... do you spend a lot of time making anchor charts?  If you are like me, you like the look of a cute anchor chart but don't have the time to make them cute every. single. time.  Then it came to me, DUH!  Why don't I laminate the chart and then add the words that I need to add in front of my students.  When the anchor chart comes off the wall to be thrown (I mean stored) I just wipe it off, roll it up with a label, and save it for next year!  YES!  Teacher for the win!
My last tip for today is an oldie but a goodie!  I go through Expo markers like crazy and I was really having a hard time with the fact that my students would borrow it, not snap the cap on all the way, and then I'd go to use it and it would already be dried out or the tip would be pushed in!  GRRRRR...and those things are EXPENSIVE!  Can I get an AMEN?  So, I had to put my teacher cap on and get smart about this.  TA-DA!  Velcro those markers to your board and put them up high so you are the only one to reach them!  Genius?  I felt like a genius once I figured this out!

www.luckylittlelearners.com

7 comments:

  1. I use to reuse some of my anchor charts, but had I thought to laminate them, I could have saved so many more to rewrite! And all those wasted Expo markers! Why didn't I think of that? You're genius, Angie!

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    1. HA! HA! Thanks! I have so many of those "Why didn't I think of that moments"! Gotta love our blogging community! I have learned so much!!!

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  2. Love all your tips. I keep hearing about glue sponges, so I think I will give them a try after reading your post!
    Sebrina

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    1. I promise you won't regret it! I started with a set of 6 of them and now every student has their own! Thanks for your feedback!

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  3. I am so enjoying your "group" blog. I learn something from every post! Thanks for sharing!

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    1. That's exactly the intent! So glad you are feeling that way about out posts! Thanks for your feedback!!!

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  4. I love your tips, I've been pinning you like crazy! :) Best of all is your Mini-Me with your real picture, hysterical!
    Have a great weekend,
    Fern
    Fern Smith's Classroom Ideas!
    Fern Smith's Pinterest Boards!

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