It’s almost back to school time! Can you believe it? With back to school around the corner it is inevitable that teachers will be starting to spend money on their classroom, if they haven’t already. Many people overlook Dollar Tree, but there are so many fantastic items for your classroom here. The best part is…. they are affordable!
I was at Dollar Tree the other day and saw a lot of great items for the classroom. These are my top 5 finds that I recommend you pick up on your next stop.
1. Tumbling Tower Game
I have probably ten of these in my classroom. I also buy small snack containers, from Dollar Tree of course, to hold the pieces of each game in. We use these games in a few different ways. Throughout the year the students will work in groups to review an instructional skill. We use these games to make it a bit more fun.
Step 1: Student A answers a question from a worksheet or task card.
Step 2: The rest of the group discusses question and answer to determine if student A is correct.
Step 3: Student A takes a turn at mini Jenga game if answer is correct.
Step 4: next player goes
2. Dry Erase Paddle
I’ve seen these posted on social media, but this is the first time I’ve seen these at my Dollar Tree. You could use these in small groups or whole group to hold individual students accountable. Students can respond to questions then hold up their answers when signaled to. I love this for a quick formative assessment, especially in math class.
Dollar Tree does sell dry erase markers, but I don’t recommend them. They don’t last long and the tips seem to get destroyed easier than other brands. If you watch sales, specifically during back to school season, you can usually find Expo brand for a low price.
3. Magnetic Tins
This is a bit of an unusual find, but hear me out. These small tins are magnetized and hold well to a white board. A variety of small teacher supplies can be held in here for easy access, such as paperclips or push pins. Dollar Tree also sells a larger version, but I prefer the small.
4. Microfiber Facial Pads
This is probably my favorite Dollar Tree find! You need these in your classroom. You need multiple packs of these in your classroom. Without a doubt, these facial pads are the best dry erase markers you will ever find. Trust me. They come in a variety of colors and are a great deal at 3/$1. If they start to get dirty, just toss them in the washing machine. You’ll get years of use out of each one.
5. Foam Dry Erase Blocks
I have never seen these before, but I love them! There were so many ideas floating around in my head about how I could use these. Here are a few ideas:
1. Brain Breaks: You could write various activities/games on it and a student could roll the dice to see which brain break the class will do.
2. Math Problems: Depending on the grade, you could put various numbers on it for students to manipulation. I’m thinking single digit addition, multiplication, double digit addition, subtraction, and the list goes on!
3. Reading: What if you put various open ended comprehension questions on each side? Students would roll the dice and have to answer the question about a piece of text. For example, what is the main idea or what problem is a character trying to solve?
I would definitely buy multiple of these to keep on hand. The possibilities are endless!
So, those are my top 5 Dollar Tree finds for this week. I’m sure I’ll find some more “must have” items next month! What are you favorite items at Dollar Tree? Let me know!
