Saving Teachers Money

South Florida Museum is also offering teachers free admission to the Museum, Planetarium and Aquarium with ID.

Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center offers discounted tickets to county employees from all counties. Two tickets to select shows.

Mote Aquarium offers teachers one free admission with a pay stub.

The Limited offers 20% discounts  on all purchases to teachers with ID.

Jo Anne Fabrics offers an annual discount card, show your teacher ID to receive one and you will receive a one time discount of 20% and the annual discount card which gives you 15% off the rest of the time.

Sonnys BBQ offers a $5.00 off coupon on orders of $25 dollars when you join their online club.

*These are Teacher Deals I discovered through Florida Department of Education’s Just For Teachers as well as through online searches. Check with your School District website for special deals in your area.  Have a great summer!

Other Freebie Resources

FreeForTeachers

Mouse Savers (This one shows deals for Free Passes to Sea World for Teachers with a valid Florida Teaching certificate and a full time teaching job.)

Free Busch Gardens Pre School Passes.These are children’s passes which are  part of a promotion for Sesame Street Safari of Fun. The passes are good for any children 5 and under until Dec 31, 2010. Children must be five or under when you register.

Photo Credit: Tony Crider

Classroom

Finding funding for educational projects and professional projects can be challenging so these two websites and the resources within them should give educators interested in finding grants something to cheer about.  The first website for those wanting to find a grant is Grants Alert.  I actually found this one through the Florida Department of Education. This one is a great resource for finding grants; as well as finding grant writers through their directory or just educating yourself about how to find grants. This website has a help section, which contains useful articles including, ”Tips and Ways to Raise Funds, ” “Developing Successful Corporate Partnerships,” and a very useful article called “Two Most Important Words.” They are all worth a read and will further your knowledge about grants and grant writing.

The second website, www.grants.gov offers a way to search for grants by category or agency or by more specific information such as funding type or eligibility. It also has very useful tools including, tracking your grant application and applicant resources. The site also links to the 26 federal grant making agencies through the Department of Health and Human Services.

Both of these websites should be instrumental in assisting people in finding grants, the grant application process and where to apply for grants. They each offer readers useful information that is well presented.

Photo Credit Allio

We all want to stay on top of the latest info in the classrooms, but science teachers have an extra burden, as traditional texts are outdated practically before they’re printed. Sure they’re fine for traditional concepts and historical biographies, but what about the newest and coolest science research? That’s where these five resources come in handy.

• Eureka Alert brings breaking science news directly to your inbox or RSS reader. Topics include agriculture, archaeology, mathematics and more. Stay on the cutting edge in your classroom with free article updates.
• Live Science offers legitimate science articles relating to health, animals technology and the environment provide great fodder for science-based current events in the classroom.
• Phys Org posts serious news articles on not only physics, but chemistry, nanotechnology, space and more.
• Looking for the latest in science research news? Science Daily delivers with articles on fossils and ruins, matter and energy, health and medicine and numerous other subjects. Turn your students loose on quality science reading for free.
• Wired Science also brings some interesting material to the science education table in the form of an easy-to-read blog students will find accessible and hip.

Do you have a favorite online science resource for the classroom? Share your knowledge in the comment section below.

Photo Credit: Image Editor

Looking for an affordable way to organize and update your classroom? Consider metro shelving.

I’ve already documented my love affair with industrial-style metro shelving over on Wise Bread. This stuff is cheap, sturdy and stylish. It’s also uber-easy to put together and comes with some fun add-ons that contribute greatly to its usability.

Extra shelves and pull-out drawer features provide custom storage for minimal cost. With a base set of metro shelves available at your local Lowe’s for around seventy-five dollars, and add-ons for around fifteen USD each, you can request a jazzy storage update for your classroom for much less than it would cost your district for a more expensive set from the supply catalog.

The galvanized steel storage bins available in the same aisle will also stand the test of time when it comes to storing playground gear.  Use your metro shelving setup to store baskets of books, a classroom herb garden and more. If you are required to empty out your classroom every summer, you can also use metro shelving to organize your garage and provide at-home organization for your teaching supplies.

Not only do these rigs come raised up on wheels, making them a breeze for the custodian to clean under, any set I’ve ever purchased also comes with the hardware to screw them into the wall, making them extra safe for the kiddos.

Related Readings: In addition to this teaching tools post which features metro shelving for rolling classrooms, check out these two on using metro shelving to design affordable spa bathrooms and gourmet kitchens on a shoestring.

Photo Credit: Back Garage

Here are some fundraising ideas that come from things you already are buying for your home.  The school needs to set up accounts and then have collection areas.

Capri sun juice pouches- Capri sun has a great program right now- save the juice pouches and deliver them in packs of 100. Each pouch is worth 2 cents and they reuse them and make backpacks, bags, binders, pencil bags.   Your school will need to set up a collection bin in the lunchroom and have someone that is in charge of counting and packing them.  Also have families save at home and send in.   Any weekend at a local parks field location for soccer or baseball leagues, you can score a huge amount too!  www.terracycle.net

Campbell’s Soup labels.   Each can has a coupon on the label that can be cut out. Have someone hunt at a local Goodwill/Salvation Army for a big tin replica of a Campbell’s soup can and place in foyer or school office for the students to have an easy place to deposit the labels.  www.labelsforeducation.com

Box tops- You may have seen these on different items you already buy. A small pinkish rectangle- they are on cake mixes, your sanitary supplies, Progresso soup packs at Costco, juice bottles, the list goes on (see website for list of brands).  Clip the boxtops, and they are worth 10 cents each!  www.boxtops4ducation.com

A fun activity with box tops- each classroom can have a collection box and have a contest to see which class collects the most.  They could have an extra pe session or class movie or popcorn party as a reward.

Grocery store’s club memberships- many of them let you link your club saver account to the local school and they donate money.  In Oregon the stores our school has links to are: Safeway, Albertsons, Target.

A fun fundraiser is a school ‘run’.  This encourages exercise and if planned, the students can ‘practice’ at recess for a few weeks leading up to it.  The students get pledges per lap, or a flat donation and then on one day each class has a schedule and does laps for 20 minutes around the track or inside a gym depending on facilities.  I have seen this done at a couple of schools.  One does it in the spring and one in the fall.  I prefer the one in the fall- the school does it around the first week of October and then has their budget for the school year.  It seems to work better then waiting until to close to Christmas/Holiday season or in the spring when we get ‘fundraisered’ out!

If you want to have a fundraiser that has a product -school tshirts/sweatshirts are a nice one.  There isn’t as big of a profit per piece, but shop around and find a local shirt printer that will give you a good deal.  Put the school logo on front or back. A fun option is the beginning letter of the school made of everyones names.  The kids like finding their names on their shirt.

Wish lists are a nice way to receive things from your school community.  Have teachers compile a list of things needed (this will be huge this year with budget cuts) and send list home or post at school.    It is amazing what will be donated through the wide variety of parent’s work fields. One school I know has a parent that had excess pens and sticky note pads from their work and they donated a box that quickly disappeared into appreciating classrooms.  Many parents are busy and can not come in and donate time, so feel good to be able to donate materials needed.

Photo Credit: Scuba Dive 67

In the world of online teacher tips, high school educators often get the short end of the academic stick. For whatever reason, many of the lesson ideas tend to be geared towards younger students. Secondary educators, this article’s for you.

These three online resources each provide significant academic support to materials many of you already cover in class. Use them to supplement, enrich or integrate them into your regular lessons as you deem appropriate. The choice is yours.

SmartHistory.org

Designed to bring art history discussions and lessons to all who need or want them, this site allows exploration and study of the works of Gaugin, Picasso, Matisse and more. Articles, brief videos and even audio presentations overlayed with the image of a particular artist’s piece, all combine for an in-depth resource teachers and art history enthusiasts alike will enjoy.

The audio visual presentations and articles would each make great small or whole group activities, as well as independent homework assignments where students are required to provide a written response or answer predetermined questions.

World Digital Library

This growing digital collection of cultural treasures and historical documents contains items from around the world, such as one of a kind antique maps, political photos and even immigration paperwork for Maria von Trapp, the woman made famous by the show “The Sound of Music”. Helpful for research, or preparing presentations requiring specific, hard-to-find images. This project was initiated by UNESCO and the United States Library of Congress, and supported by numerous international organizations.

Academic Earth

A treasure trove of video lectures from top universities such as Princeton, Stanford, Harvard and Yale, just to name a few. Topics range from math and science to the new testament as history and entrepreneurship. Great for those topics that intersect with what your advanced high school students are studying, as well as for those students who want to get a feel for the type of lectures they need to be prepared for in college.

Related Readings: bulletin boards for older classrooms, a free Middle East studies resource and a complimentary ESL news resource for educators.

Photo Credit: Rexand Sharkey

Need a basic math center activity for multiple grade levels that will cost you next to nothing? Try this affordable idea that requires nothing but clothespins and index cards.

First, start with a collection of wooden clothespins. Use fine-tipped permanent markers to write various numbers on them appropriate to the grade level you are instructing. (Early primary grades will have single digit numbers, intermediate and middle school classrooms will have higher numbers appropriate to their studies.)

Next, cut several small index cards in half and write a math problem on each. For each numbered clothespin, you’ll want numerous cards with problems that all equal that number when solved. An example would be for a clothespin numbered 9, you would have index cards halves with problems such as 6 + 3, 11 – 2, etc.

The answers are left blank for students to work through them on scratch paper or in the case of primary level problems to eventually learn them by memory. Put the answers for each problem on the back of the index card so students can self check their work.

Students spend time at the learning center working through the problems and clipping each one inside the correct clothespin as they find the answer. For older grades where you are working with three and four digit numbers, this center will work well when you need an activity that takes enough time to allow you to run separate reading or math groups. Simply assign seatwork that will take 30-45 minutes to complete, and you have enough lessons for three full group rotations.

Teaching Tip: laminate the index card math problems with clear contact paper to keep them from getting damaged. This allows you to use this center year after year without developing the materials from scratch each time.

Related Readings:

• Two Vocab Lessons Using Index Cards
• Cool Ideas for Clothespins and Binder Clips
• Lesson Ideas for Old Fashioned Index Cards
• Classroom Uses for Clothespins

What are your favorite affordable math activities?

Photo Credit: Geisha Boy 500

With tight budgets and position cuts the norm in many school districts, physical education often ends up being on the classroom teacher’s list of responsibilities. How do you implement a sustainable physical education program without diverting valuable classroom budget dollars on supplies? Here are seven simple suggestions to get you started.

Hula hoops.

Great for using with traditional hula hoop activities, for exercise stations outside and more, these things are easily found at dollar stores and other affordable retailers. Pick up a set of four to six to have on hand. For more information on hula hoops and other items in the classroom, check out this article on classroom hacks.

A parachute.

This might be something you want to purchase per grade level, but for teachers of very young primary students, brightly colored classroom parachutes offer a springboard for numerous quality strength building and direction following exercises. If you’re going to splurge on one piece of equipment for early primary, parachutes are an excellent choice.

A selection of various fitness balls.

Playground balls, basketballs and soccer balls can all be used for things like 4-square, kickball, soccer, basketball and fitness station drills. A collection of three to four makes a nice affordable start to your personal classroom collection of physical education equipment.

Popsicle sticks and reinforcement charts.

In a previous article on how to use craft sticks in the classroom, I covered a very affordable PE program that could be ongoing in your classroom for very little money or space. Having students run around a course or track of a quarter mile and receiving an additional stick each time they go and recording the distance per student on a classroom reinforcement chart is efficient, cheap, well received by students and requires virtually no advance planning after the initial chart is up on the wall.

A whistle.

Cheap, simple and easy to overlook as a piece of valuable classroom equipment, a whistle provides as much support for your physical education lessons as it does for recess lineup.

Music.

You’ll need a play source as well as a good collection of music to use for cool downs, rock outs, and high stepping musical chairs on rainy days. Seriously, don’t forget the tunes.

Bandanas.

Bandanas have numerous uses in the classroom, but when it comes to PE they are fantastic as a cheap solution to identify teams. Instead of paying big bucks for vest-style pull on tops to use for the traditional “skins and shirts” team identification, have half of the class wear their class bandanas around their necks in the voted upon color.

Most of these items not only work to support your physical education program, but also ensure you have a quality selection of playground equipment as well. Have you written about frugal physical education ideas before? Share your link in the comment section. You know we love to hear from you.

Photo Credit: Striatic

There are many free resources online designed to help learning and technology practitioners design curriculum, plan lessons, advance their career, and engage students in the learning experience. This article by Karen Schweitzer offers a list of 10 free resources to explore:

TED – This non-profit organization is dedicated to “Ideas Worth Spreading.” Each year, TED hosts an annual conference that is attended by many of the world’s leading academics, learning technologists, and business leaders. TED’s blog and video podcasts are great for learning and technology professionals who want to stay-up-to date on tech news and innovations.

Tech & Learning – Tech & Learning is aimed as the K-12 educational community. It also provides a wide range of resources for practitioners who support learning and performance in the corporate or professional world too. Resources include blogs, tech forums, webinars, hot topics, articles, and tips.

Enterprise 2.0 Blog – The Enterprise 2.0 Blog is an Enterprise 2.0 Conference affiliate. The blogs offer a wide range of news and information about social learning and technologies in various environments.

Jane’s E-Learning Pick of the Day – Jane Hart is a social media and learning consultant. She posts new eLearning items of interest on her blog every day. She also offers a social media in learning blog and a directory of eLearning resources.

eLearningPost – This eLearning blog explores news and stories from around the web that are related to corporate learning and instructional design. The blog also frequently links to articles on knowledge management and learning communities.

The Bamboo Project – The Bamboo Project is a useful blog from education consultant Michele Martin. The blog seeks to educate individuals and learning professionals about lifelong learning and career development systems. Some of the things Michele likes to write about include learning, training, knowledge sharing, and professional development.

Dice – Dice is a good place for learning and technology professionals to search for jobs online. The site also offers career news and a forum to ask questions, chat, and network with other education and technology professionals.

Employment Engagement Network – This social network is dedicated to employee engagement. The network has more than 1,400 members and provides a place to chat, blog, and network online. The Employee Engagement Network also offers many free resources, including e-books and slide shows.

Blended Learning in the Workplace – This free, eight-page report provides a detailed survey of blended learning trends in U.S. workplaces. More than 118 corporate training and e-learning practitioners were surveyed for the report.

TeachAde – TeachAde is a social networking site for educators. The site is an excellent place to find additional resources and network with other teachers and education professionals.

This is a guest post from education writer Karen Schweitzer. Karen is the About.com Guide to Business School. She also writes for OnlineCollege.org, an online college resource. You’ll find her previous guest post, Twenty Professional Development Resources for Teachers, an informative and helpful read.

Photo Credit: Per Ola Wiberg

Teachers are used to working with limited resources, but few issues impact your daily instruction as much as limits on paper, the number of copies you can make, or both. In my career, I’ve dealt with all three. There were schools with strict copy quotas per teacher or department, overworked machines that broke down weekly, too few copiers for a large campus, or no direct access to copy machines at all.

At my first school, we had a part-time “copy person” who was the only one authorized to make copies. If you needed copies, you had to get them to her several days in advance at a minimum. On the other side of this issue is paper, which is subject to similar restrictions. Plus, if you have a printer in your classroom, paper seems to become even more scarce.

As a teacher who always created a lot of custom materials and didn’t rely on textbooks, this was a source of endless frustration, as I’m sure it is for many others. Out of necessity, I developed a series of simple teacher hacks based around three principles: Learn how to use all of the copy machine’s features. Use The Three R’s. Make copies without a copier.

Learn How to Use All of the Copier’s Features

There’s a basic set of features almost every copier has that will limit your paper use and the number of copies you’ll make.

Double-sided printing.

First, there’s no reason to ever print anything single-sided. Technophobic teachers don’t bother to figure out how to do this, which doubles the amount of paper used. Remember, you don’t need a two-sided original to make a two-sided copy either.

Multiple pages per sheet.

Even if you use only the two pages per sheet conversion, you’ve just cut your paper use AND copies in half. Combine it with #1, and you can turn an eight page original into only 2 pages and 4 copies.

Resizing.

Sometimes fitting things onto a smaller number of pages is just a matter of scaling something down, which the copier can do for you. While you may use an extra copy or two to get the size you need, if you cut a page or two from your print job, the paper you save for your job adds up quickly. Sometimes you can actually fit a little more than the multiple pages per sheet function if you resize yourself. A regular 8.5″ by 11″ page reduced to 60-70% will often easily fit on half a page. Find the right number by noting what percent the copier uses when it does multiple pages per sheet for you, and increase the percentage a bit.

Scanning and emailing.

Newer copiers actually let you scan any document and email it yourself as a PDF. If this is available, you can eliminate the need for printing tons of extra copies for absent-minded students, or even yourself. Scan it, then print it on demand later.

The Three R’s

Reduce.

The easiest way to reduce copies is to print only a “class set” (enough copies for your largest class) to be reused throughout the day. If students work in pairs or groups, your class set will shrink even more. Generally, the larger the original document, the more you should lean towards the class set, even for tests. Remember, anything your students can write can be written on their own paper, including their

work if you require that. Once you remove spaces for answers from your handouts, whatever the subject may be, you’ve probably eliminated several pages from your original.

If you have a printer in your classroom, whether school issued or your own, procuring ink can be an expensive and difficult task as well. Reduce the amount you use by printing in a low-ink mode (sometimes called draft, economy or fast mode), printing only specific pages, or utilizing a program like Green Print to eliminate anything you don’t want to print (like ads and menus from websites, for example).

Finally, ask yourself this question whenever you feel the urge to copy: “Do I really need to copy this?” If it’s a very short assignment, for example a handful of open-ended questions, is it really a big deal to put it on the overhead or board and have students copy it (or just answer it)? You don’t want your class to be known among students as the one where “all we do is get handouts”.

Reuse.

Reuse every single-sided paper that crosses your desk. You’ll likely get tons of these from school officials, but you’ll also have a surprising amount left over from things you print after you’re done with them. I kept a special box for these near my desk, because it has tons of uses: scratch paper for students (and me), printing non-official documents on my classroom printer, and as a canvas for cutting and pasting together the originals I would later copy for class. It’s amazing how much paper you go through for stuff you only need temporarily.

Obviously if you’re making class sets, you’ll be reusing copies throughout the day, but remember that you could save your class sets and reuse them in subsequent years or semesters to save even more.

Recycle.

Okay, so you won’t reduce the number of copies you make or paper you use by recycling, but you’ll send the message to your students that you’re trying to cut paper waste. Hopefully, they’ll do their best to follow your example.

Make Copies Without a Copy Machine

Your own classroom printer.

I’m a big proponent of having your own printer in the classroom, preferably a multifunction one that also scans and copies. They’re very affordable, and in a school with limitations and problem copy machines, it will make your life a lot easier. You can make single copies very quickly or print on demand from your computer. This saves you from emergency runs to the copier and doesn’t make a dent in your copy quota. If your school copier doesn’t have the scanning capabilities described above, this is your way of avoiding the copier altogether.

Have a home printer.

If having one in your classroom isn’t an option, you should absolutely have a multifunction printer at home. You can get a lot of prep done that might normally require a copier, if only to make one or two copies to create your originals. You can even print out class sets (using the low-ink setting of course) when time or access to the copier at school is an issue.

Scanning.

Finally, the ability to scan documents is completely necessary if you’re serious about cutting down both paper use and the number of copies you need to make.

Tom DeRosa, the writer of this guest article, lives and teaches in McAllen, Texas. The owner and author of TeachForever.Com, he has also written several pillar articles of note. Included are 52 Teachers – 52 Lessons, The Golden Girls’ Guide to Telling Great Stories (fantastic), and Why We Need to Change the Way We Teach Math.

Photo Credit: Trek Hound