A Differentiated Kindergarten Bright Idea and a Blog Hop!
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The most valuable tips that I collect are the ones that help me make my students more independent. So today, while I join in on this amazing Bright Ideas Blog Hop, I want to show you one of my oldest, tried and true ways of creating independence when my students use technology.
It all begins with three little bottles of nail polish. Now I’m not quite sure that I would use these colors on my nails ever, but for the purpose of identifying buttons as GREEN-Go
YELLOW-Pause
and
RED-Stop (or Don’t)
these are perfect shades of nail polish. Bright and durable enough to last.
It all started when a needed a way to get my kinders to efficiently use their personal CD players for ‘Listen to Reading’ during Daily 5. They just didn’t get the arrow buttons on the player. I needed something that would be bright enough to stand out on the play case and that wouldn’t rub off after they had been touched a couple of hundred times. FINGER NAIL POLISH. So perfectly perfect!
No more, “I can’t get it to work” or “I don’t know how” or more importantly, no more jammed buttons from little fingers that think ‘if I push harder, it will work.’ This little system worked like a charm.
And you know what else? It work on computers too. I use it on my classroom mouse. No more “Mrs. McGuire, something’s wrong with the computer.” The know that they need to click on the side with the green button. It works on keyboards too! So grab yourself some cheap nail polish (these were about $2.00 each) and get painting. You’ll be surprise at how independent your kiddos will get and how many interruptions you’ll be able to avoid.
If you are interested in another great tip, head over to my pal Mandy from A Special Kind Of Class
With more than 20 years of teaching experience, it is my pleasure to bring you my most favorite ideas and activities to keep young learners engaged and loving learning.
Great tips! Especially on the mouse!! Our computer lab uses stickers, but they tend to wear off. I am guessing the nail polish would withstand a little more wear and tear? Thanks for sharing! Little Literacy Learners
[…] In order to save space, I have my listen to reading stations in bags hanging from the wall. These bags have worked perfectly for me for four years now. In each bag there is a clipboard, cd payer, head phones, book and a pencil bag. (If you’d like to see my tip for using cd’s in your listening center check it out HERE.) […]
I am interested in setting up individual listening centers using CD players. What brand CD player do you recommend? I have looked on-line and ratings/durability/quality is poor for most. Thank you
With nearly 20 years of experience as a full-time kindergarten teacher, I’m committed to creating a classroom where learning is joyful, engaging, challenging, and fun. Each day, I work to ensure that my students feel successful through instruction that considers their unique interests, learning profiles, and readiness levels. I believe that students should be excited to come to class and enjoy a myriad of hands-on activities that encourage exploration and discovery.
While I continue to teach full-time, I find so much joy in connecting and building friendships with teachers worldwide. It’s why I started this blog back in 2012. My hope has become a reality as I have been able to forge relationships with teachers, sharing ideas and building friendships beyond my little neck of the woods through professional development sessions and this blog.
So by all means, take some time to look around and explore A Differentiated Kindergarten. Gather some new ideas, fun tips, and most importantly, don’t forget to reach out and say, ‘Hi!’
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