iPad Memories: A Digital Storage Solution

My current and former students and their parents are always giving me sweet letters and cards. I usually save them for a while but then need to throw them out when the collection becomes too large. Then I feel terrible that I’ve thrown out their special gifts. So I started taking pictures of them with my iPad. Now I can tap on my photo album marked “Student Letters” and read them anytime I want.

This also works great for classroom projects that I would like to keep a sample of to remember but just don’t have the storage. My iPad is currently storing pictures of our last bulletin board, our pet rocks and all of our monthly hallway displays. The students love to reminisce when I swipe through our pictures for the whole class to see.

Pencilpillar

Tired of students losing their pencils? This is a surefire way to change that.

Gather wooden clothespins and medium sized pompom balls. On each clothespin, glue three pompom balls in a line to resemble a caterpillar. You can use multiple colors or matching colors. Glue wiggly eyes on the pompom closest to the end that opens up (opposite the end where you squeeze). After the caterpillar dries, show students how to clamp their pencil in the clothespin. When they aren’t using their pencils, the “Pencilpillars” will stay on their desktops and watch over their pencils so they won’t get lost. I like to start the first day of school with these fluffy fun surprises.