(Disclosure: This blog post contains affiliate links, and if you click through and make a purchase, I will receive compensation at no additional cost to you.)
Leaves are changing, temps are dropping, terrifying decorations are adorning my neighbors’ yards, and pumpkin spice everything has been in full force for two months – yup, we’re smack in the middle of fall! Autumn may not be my favorite season weatherwise, and I’m NOT into spooky stuff, but I do enjoy sharing some light fall read alouds with the students in my school library!
There are so many wonderful books set in autumn, but to keep this post short and sweet, I picked five favorites to highlight today.
I love the book Leif and the Fall by Allison Sweet Grant and Adam Grant. It’s the story of Leif, a leaf who is afraid to fall to the ground. With the help of his friend Laurel, Leif designs numerous inventions to keep himself from falling or to brace his fall, but none of them works as he hopes they will, and he ends up discarding them all on the ground. When he can hold on no longer and the wind finally whisks him from the tree, he is surprised by what he discovers when he lands. This is a great story, and its wonderful lesson is especially appropriate if you incorporate STEAM into your library classes.
The Leaf Thief by Alice Hemming tells the story of a squirrel who is certain that there is a THIEF on the loose who is STEALING his leaves. With wonderful illustrations and captivating dialogue between the squirrel and his wise bird friend, this story is perfect for students in kindergarten and first grade! (Want some FREE learning resources to go with this book? Download a freebie from my TpT store that includes math and literacy printables that your students can use after reading this story!)
This short read aloud by Marty Kelley always delights my students! It is the story of a tree whose leaves always turn colors in wacky patterns! Instead of turning all red or orange like the other trees, this tree’s leaves change colors to resemble a soccer ball, hamburger, smiley face, and more. After reading this story, I give students a chance to draw their own trees that have changed colors in unusual and fun patterns. I have used this book with kids from Preschool through third grade over the years, and it is always seems to be a hit! (Sadly, it is out of print, so if you happen to find an inexpensive copy available on Amazon, snatch it up! Otherwise, check your local public library or a used book store!)
I discovered The Pumpkin Patch Parable by Liz Curtis Higgs last year and knew it would be a great fit for my preschool class in the Catholic school where I teach! The preschoolers have a farm-themed week in their classroom in early October, and The Pumpkin Patch Parable is a perfect story to end the week and tie in with their theme. The book explains the steps a farmer takes to grow and harvest his crops, how to carve a pumpkin, and at the end, the author brings the story to another level by encouraging listeners to let God’s light shine through them just as a jack o’ lantern lights up the dark night. I enjoy reading it to the preschool students in my library, and it would also be a great gift for Christian children at this time of year in families who may be looking for a “not scary” story to celebrate the fall season.
Little Acorn by Melanie Joyce is another story that I added to my read aloud repertoire for preschool library class last year. It chronicles the story of an acorn who falls to the ground, is hidden underground by a squirrel, and grows into an oak tree. The book explains the life cycle of an oak tree in rhyming verse, and those little acorn illustrations by Gina Maldonado Ruiz are just so cute!
I hope you decide to share some of my fall favorites with your students in your classroom or library!
If you are looking for resources to teach library skills this autumn, feel free to visit some of my other fall-themed blog posts such as this post where I have a FREE skeleton-themed book care worksheet for you to download, or this one with links to some of the first fall library TpT products I designed!
(Disclosure: This blog post contains affiliate links, and if you click through and make a purchase, I will receive compensation at no additional cost to you.)
(There are also numerous links to free TpT products…which are free…so no one receives compensation for those…but if you click through on those YOU get a free resource! Hurray!).
It’s been awhile, librarian friends, but I’m finally back with another list of amazing FREE products for your school library / media center! If you’ve visited my blog before, you know that I love TpT (the amazing site formerly known as Teachers Pay Teachers…and still located at teacherspayteachers.com…but now officially just TpT…it’s a whole thing).
Anyway, I’m constantly buying and designing TpT resources – but really, my absolute FAVORITE thing to do on the site is to download FREE resources. It’s just like snacking on free samples at a wholesale club, but without the empty calories and sticky fingers!
Bon appetite!
Genres
Enhance your library lessons about book genres with these awesome freebies!
This colorful Book Genre List by Erica Daniels would look stylish on a bulletin board or make a great handout for your students!
Reinforce the concept of fiction vs. nonfiction with this freebie by SPO Resources! (Pssst! I also have a freebie available in one of my blog posts that you can add to your collection of resources for this topic! Might as well double up on the fiction/nonfiction freebie fun!)
Here are some task cards by Copeland’s Got Class that you can use with your genre lessons!
These posters by Karin Stephens explain basic information about popular genres of literature!
Or try this set of free genre posters by Sharp in Second!
And here we have a more complex genre categorizing activity by Teaching and Motivating Teens for middle school students!
Text Features / Parts of a Book
When it’s time to teach your library students about text features and parts of a book, these FREE resources can help!
I’m excited to try this one with my students this year! It’s called the Nonfiction Text Features Linktivity® by The Classroom Nook, and at the time I’m writing this blog post, it has been downloaded over 39,000 times, so I’m guessing it’s pretty engaging!
Your little library learners can practice their alphabetical order skills with this freebie by Resources by Rachel!
This resource (by me!) includes several literacy and math printables to go with the picture book The Leaf Thief, including one that gives your students a chance to practice ABC order!
This freebie by ACParker allows students to work on ABC order, and it’s a great resource to file away and use in the spring!
Dewey Stuff
Teach your students about how the library is organized and encourage them to sample books from different areas of the nonfiction section!
These classic, understated Dewey Decimal Signs from Boundless Teaching and Learning would be just perfect to display in your nonfiction section!
This free printable by The Middle School Librarian gives students practice identifying in which section they can find certain nonfiction subjects in the library!
Michael Zetterberg’s Do the Dewey reading challenge is a creative way to encourage your students to explore the nonfiction section when they are selecting books to read!
Coding & STEAM
Add to your bag of tricks for Coding / STEAM / STEM lessons with these free products!
This fall, you can begin educating your students about coding with this autumn-themed unplugged coding activity by Tonya Coffey – Shen Valley Teacher!
If your students utilize both code.org and Scratch, this comparison chart by Miss Martin on the Go will help your students keep track of the functionality of the different types of blocks they will use with each!
With over 100,000 downloads, there is no question that this Mystery Build STEM challenge by Teachers Are Terrific is an excellent resource for librarians!
Library Signage and Decor
Transform your library with informational, inspirational, or otherwise sensational printables!
Created by Mrs Millis has a free, gorgeous bunting in her shop that reads “Read, Grow, Inspire”!
Set up some new book displays in no time at all with these Book Display Signs by beckiegirlbooks!
Just in time for the Barbie movie, That Library Girl has designed a fabulous freebie to help you set up a Barbie-themed book display in your biography section!
Here are some posters by The Kinder Lab and another set by Ms E Teacher of Tiny Humans that feature book characters!
This set of posters by O Some Great Stuff for English Teachers displays the covers of many popular and classic books. What an excellent way to decorate your middle school or high school media center for FREE!
Stash this one away for February! How cute are these free library-themed conversation hearts by Lacey Librarian?! I can’t wait to print and display them in my school library around Valentine’s Day!
If your fiction section is organized by genre or you want to feature a certain genre in a display, you will love these free fiction genre signs by Janet Miller!
Remind your students of the proper way to take care of a book with this free poster by Good Times and Good Books!
Clip Art
Decorate your library newsletters, posters, and more with cute and FREE clip art from TpT’s fantastic clip artists!
These products don’t fit neatly into one the categories above, but they’re sure to be a perfect fit in your school library!
Share your class agenda with these stylish slides by The Sparkling Librarian!
This pack of library printables by Black Girl in the Library includes fun activities for your students!
These book series labels by Elementary Library Resources could be a spectacular addition to your library!
File these library-themed coloring activities by Brittany Henderson with your back-to-school materials! Students can work together to make an amazing collaborative “We Love Our Library” poster!
Add this free printable by The Adorable Librarian to book care lessons this year!
Use these book lists by The Hungry Teacher to get some ideas of books you may wish to purchase for your library or recommend to students!
Introduce the topic of citing sources with this free coloring page (by me!). I love how much big kids enjoy the opportunity to color!
Give the game “Would You Rather?” a library spin using this freebie from Jennifer Siderius!
That’s all the free snacks for today, folks! I hope you enjoyed downloading these fabulous freebies from so many wonderful TpT shops!
Still hungry for more freebies? I’ve written several other blog posts that will provide you with even more free products you can use in your school library!
If you enjoyed these TpT freebies, make sure to follow my blog so that you can be sure not to miss my next post!
**Thank you to the TpT teacher-authors who gave me permission to include their free resources in this post! Please feel free to support their small businesses by following their stores and leaving feedback on their freebies!**
(The following banner is an affiliate link…if you click through and make a purchase, I will receive compensation at no additional cost to you.)
Hey guys! Happy 2020! (Well, Happy First So Blessed to Be a Teacher Blog Post of 2020, anyway! I’m a little late on the Happy New Year wishes!)
I try to be realistic(ish) with my New Year’s resolutions, so I did NOT resolve to blog daily. (I know myself better than that!)
But I DID resolve to do something new with my blog this year. So here’s the scoop.
As you can tell by the name of this blog, I feel SO blessed to be a teacher. My work is challenging, fulfilling, and fun. And now, on top of the career I love, through TpT and my blog, I am able to design and share resources with teachers around the world…which is also challenging, fulfilling, and fun!
When I reflect on the abundance of blessings God has given me, I feel like it’s time to give back in a more intentional way this year. So here’s my new plan. Occasionally throughout 2020, I’m going to plan special days in which I donate a percentage of my TpT store proceeds to charity. I’ll let you all know beforehand by writing a blog post the day before and sharing where the money will be going!
I’m starting off this new plan TOMORROW, JANUARY 25, 2020, by donating 50% of my profits from sales that day to Save the Children’s emergency fund in support of the children who were affected by the bushfires in Australia. I’m super excited because, thanks to a #TpTGivesBack initiative, Teachers Pay Teachers is going to match my donation (and the donations of all teacher-authors who participate!) up to a total of $10,000.
So, if you’ve been thinking about checking out my store or have one of my products on your wish list, tomorrow is an awesome time to make a purchase!
Let’s work together to share our blessings and change the world in 2020!
(Disclosure: This blog post contains several affiliate links, and if you click through and make a purchase, I will receive compensation at no additional cost to you.)
(Note: This blog post also contains NUMEROUS just-because-I-love-you links to MANY free products on Teachers Pay Teachers, and if you click through and download the free products, nothing particularly exciting happens for me, but you get the FREE TpT resources! Wahoo!)
So…I’m sorry it has been a really, really long time since I’ve published a post. I’ve been, you know, teaching and momming and stuff.
And then, when I didn’t write for awhile, I felt like I needed to prove that I was not a total blog delinquent by making sure my next post was worth the long wait…
…and…here it is! It’s time for another list of FREE PRODUCTS that you can find on TpT and use in your school library. I have over 50 goodies to show you today! (If you’ve missed my other lists of freebies, click here and here to cash in on over 80 other free TpT products available for librarians!)
Here’s a quick and easy and science-y activity that your students can try in your makerspace! Teaching Tidbits and More with Jamie designed this freebie that lets kids experiment with making 3-D shapes out of card stock and seeing which shape is best at holding up books. It’s a great challenge for the library, since you probably have a book or two kicking around! 🙂
And here’s a super fun STEM challenge for the media center – Build a Gingerbread Man Trap by Smart Chick. It would work well with so many gingerbread-themed read aloud books!
Looking for a way to keep track of what’s going on in your makerspace? That Library Media Teacher has created this free product that includes both printable and digital surveys that students can fill out to share what types of activities they explore when they visit the makerspace!
Get your little library learners’ minds ready for coding with this hot dog themed offline coding activity by iGameMom STEM Learning!
And here’s another free activity courtesy of Teaching with Jackie. This one is just spectacular for practicing coding skills without devices. I tried it with my first grade students last year and I could almost see the lightbulbs lighting up above their heads as they started to understand the basic idea of coding!
If you want to take screen-free coding to the next level, you’ve got to try this free resource by Tess the Krafty Teacher. This product will help you get started with using a Code & Go Mouse to teach your students about coding! She also has another awesome freebie that’ll get you going with Bee Bots.
When you’re ready for your students to begin with online coding activities, check out this freebie from Mrs. J in the Library, which will help you get your students started with Scratch and Lightbot!
Kids love the “David” books by David Shannon! This printable activity by Little Miss Librarian helps students to think about proper library procedures by inviting the students to imagine that David takes a trip to the library! Your beginning-of-the-year review of library rules can be so much fun as your kids can imagine good choices and bad choices that David might make at the library!
Using a Card Catalog
Practicing with an online card catalog is a must in the library today. Help your upper elementary students gain proficiency with a card catalog with this free product from That Library Media Teacher. (After all, the better they are at finding stuff in the library, the less you have to find for them!)
And here is another free resource that can help your students as they use the card catalog! That Library Girl has put together a free form that will assist your kiddos by giving them an easy way to record the information they find when they look up a book.
Dewey Decimal System
Here is a free printable by Pooley Productions that can be used when your students study the Dewey Decimal System!
For the Little Guys and Gals
This is a derivative of an image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
Give your younger students a chance to practice with a basic table of contents with this freebie by Christine Reed!
This free activity by Katie Blair Young asks students to figure out whether books are fiction or nonfiction and why. It’s great for reviewing fiction and nonfiction with your littlest library students!
ABC Order
With this autumn-themed alphabetical order freebie by Differentiation Station Creations, your students can practice the essential library skill of using ABC order!
And Deanna Cappucci has designed a cute free product so that your students can practice ABC order by alphabetizing each other’s names! (In the library, I could see this working well with first AND last names so that kids can get the idea of alphabetizing books by authors’ last names!)
Students can practice alphabetizing to the 2nd letter with this Earth Day ABC order freebie, available in More than Math by Mo’s store.
And here is a fantastic set of ABC order task cards! Thanks for the freebie, Erin J Murray!
Research and Reference Books
This printable activity by Teaching with Tamara allows kids to practice their dictionary skills while looking up some homonyms. When I SAW this resource, I knew it would be JUST RIGHT for this CURRENT blog post! 🙂
3…2…1…blastoff! Give your kids a chance to practice their research skills and learn about the planets with this freebie by Imaginative Teacher! Students could use this activity to practice with encyclopedias, and the product also includes a list of suggested websites the kids can use to research this topic!
Or your students could use reference books, along with other library resources, to do some totally fun animal research with this free product from The Library Patch!
Book Review Activities
Asking your students to recommend books to classmates can get kids excited about checking out books from the school library. Here is a cute Halloween-themed book review template designed by Kim Miller that you can have your students fill out to share their favorite library books with their friends!
Looking for other book review options? Here is another great and free book review form by Amanda Rose Resources! Or try this book review freebie by Josie’s Place!
Many students love to color, so it’s wonderful to have reading-themed coloring pages on hand for your fast finishers. Here is a great coloring sheet for your library by EveryLittleThing!
I don’t know about you, but I have a few students who are constantly telling me, “I forgot it was library day! I didn’t bring my book!” The Swamped Teacher has developed a freebie that will help with this very situation. By printing out these reminders and making them into magnets to send home with your students, you’ll help students and families remember to return library books!
Do you want to get your library students curious about some of your favorite books? This free, printable sign by Library Learners will give you an excuse to start chatting it up about a favorite title!
Here are some simple, cute, FREE forms you can send home with your students who have done an excellent job in the library. This freebie by Andrea Walkup makes it so easy to acknowledge students for good choices in the media center.
This free product from The Librarian’s Literature Links gives you a super-easy way to give classroom teachers information about what went on in your library class each week. The form includes a spot to point out star students, students who struggled, and students with overdue library books, as well as some basic information about what you did with the whole class. I’m planning to try using these in my school library this year!
Bookmarks
For a FREE, cute, and library-ish birthday gift for your students, how about these free birthday bookmarks, courtesy of Library Learners?!
ElementaryVibes has designed these free bookmarks featuring the Good Egg, the Cool Bean, and their friends. (How adorbs!)
Next, from Librarian Vickie, we have some posters that you can use to teach your students about different genres!
Decorate the walls of your library with these great library freebies – a set of reading quotes posters by Alexandra Stewart and a set of library-themed posters by BlackCoffeeBlackNails!
Encourage your library students to read with this printable “READ” banner set by Josie’s Place! Or here’s a “READ” poster set by Erin E Townsend!
And for more all-year-long-decoration fun, you can download this free product from Primary Teacher Solutions by Mark Johnson. These posters show children reading during each of the twelve months of the year!
And…here’s a free product from my store that you can use to decorate your library! I call these “Strive Stars” because I’m hoping that they will inspire kids to strive to do great things. This set includes nine printable pages, each containing a large star with an encouraging message along with a smaller blank star (just to make your display more visually appealing). Designed to save ink but still make a colorful display, these understated black-and-white stars can be printed on bright printer paper before you cut them out. (I like me some Astrobrights, but any colorful paper will work!) The set includes some stars that have a Christian theme as well as some with messages that would work in any school setting.
Clip Art
Teacher-librarians always need book clip art for different projects, so download this free clip art by Allison Fors that includes opened and closed books!
And here is some gorgeous clip art of kids reading by SchoolBoxTreasures! Perfect for library newsletters, overdue slips, worksheets, or whateva!
Let’s Hear it for Teachers Pay Teachers!
TpT really is a beautiful place. I just highlighted over 50 FREE products for librarians, and there are so many more terrific resources available there that will help your school library to be the best it can be. Feel free to visit my Teachers Pay Teachers store (or the stores of any of these great TpT teacher-authors!) so you can discover other nifty resources that will help you save time and increase the overall awesomeness of your library!
**Thank you so much to the Teachers Pay Teachers teacher-authors who gave me permission to include links to their free resources in this post! For more freebies, click here and here to check out my other posts about free resources for your school library. Don’t forget to subscribe to my blog so you don’t miss my next post!**
Disclosure: The banner below is an affiliate link. If you click through and make a purchase, I may receive compensation at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support of my blog!
Since you all know I’m a book person, I guess it doesn’t come as a big surprise that I am also a catalog person. (Well, at least I was when I was a kid and didn’t notice all the clutter that goes along with being on mailing lists!)
I remember afternoons as a kid, sitting there and thumbing through the glossy pages of the JCPenney catalog, looking at all the pretty things set up on pretty pages. I don’t subscribe to many catalogs anymore to try to avoid unnecessary piles of paper in my house (as opposed to the necessary piles that already take up too much space!). But now that back to school is approaching, I do allow myself to flip through the occasional back-to-school circular…and I also spend some quality time with the digital (so, not glossy, but still pretty) Teacher-Librarian Stores Catalog by my TpT colleague Mrs. J in the Library!
TpT is awesome, but let’s face it – it can be overwhelming sometimes! If you go to the site without a specific resource in mind, but instead you just want to window shop to find inspiration and ideas, there is a ton of stuff to wade through. I just typed “library” into the search bar and got 42,236 results. What?!
Mrs. J in the Library has been compiling this catalog for several years now to help offer school librarians a simplified, streamlined process for shopping for Teachers Pay Teachers materials for their school libraries. This year, it features ten teacher-authors who specialize in resources for the library/media center, and each page is full of clickable links to fabulous products that will work well in the school library. The catalog also includes back-to-school tips and ideas so you can do a little PD while you are browsing.
I am excited that my store is part of the catalog this year! Feel free to download it and look at the beautiful displays of libraryliciousness…without cluttering your desk.
The more time I spend searching TpT, the more I wonder how I got by without it for so long! There are just so many talented teachers who contribute to Teachers Pay Teachers, and it is so awesome to be able to improve my instruction with their creativity and ideas.
As someone who both buys and sells on Teachers Pay Teachers, I thought I’d share some tips I’ve noticed along the way that will help you get the most for your money!
Shop the Freebies…
Every single seller on TpT is required to have at least one freebie. That means you can legally and ethically get something for free from EVERYONE on TpT, including some of the best educators in the WORLD. And I’m not ashamed to admit that I shop the freebies quite often.
Sellers upload freebies to get their names out there, earn positive feedback, give something back to all the hardworking teachers out there, and get kids around the world using their resources. They WANT you to download their freebies. Go wild! Here are mine – shop away! (By the way, if you happen to be a school librarian and need some freebies that will work well in a school library, check out my previous posts, “Freebies for Your School Library on Teachers Pay Teachers” and “MORE Freebies for Your School Library on Teachers Pay Teachers” to see some of the awesome free products I have found!)
Be sure you have signed up for the weekly TpT newsletter, which highlights 10 freebies every week, to keep up with new and fantastic freebies.
…And Shop Them NOW!
Here’s the thing about freebies on Teachers Pay Teachers – they don’t always have to remain freebies. Sellers can and do change their products from free to paid whenever they want. So if you see something you like, and it’s free, then download it right away – don’t let it sit on your wish list! If you have already downloaded it, you’ll still have access to the file if you need to download it again later, even if the seller decides to increase the price. Some sellers offer occasional “flash freebies” that are free only for a short amount of time, so if you see a flash freebie, you always want to click quick and get it right away.
Speaking of Wish Lists…
While it does not make sense to add freebies to your wish lists (just get them right away!), DO add resources to your wish list that you like but can’t buy at the moment. There’s always a chance that the seller will change the price, or bundle that resource with others, and then you can save money wholesale club style. Having a wish list helps you keep track of products so you can periodically check prices and watch for potential bundle savings. Having an active wish list also sets you up to get the resources you want at seriously fabulous prices when they go on sale.
And…Speaking of Sales…
Teachers Pay Teachers has occasional sitewide sales in which you can receive discounts of up to 25%. Teachers Pay Teachers and the individual teacher-authors partner together to provide the discount, so you can save a lot of money in many TpT stores. Typically, there is a unique discount code for each sale, so keep a look out for emails about when these sales are happening.
Individual sellers, and small groups of sellers, also throw sales sometimes, so be sure to follow the sellers you love so that you’ll know about their sales.
Leaving Feedback = A Coupon
Okay, so you know how at some fast food places, the receipt says that if you call a number and do a survey on your experience, and then you get a free coffee or burger? Well, TpT does that too, except it is MUCH less of a hassle. No receipt to clutter up your purse, no phone number to call – just a couple of clicks to provide your feedback and get credits toward future purchases.
Let’s say you purchase a resource that costs $10. If you leave feedback for the seller, you will receive 10 “credits” that you can use toward a future purchase. Each credit ends up being worth 5 cents, but they add up quickly – that one $10 purchase got you 50 cents worth of credits, so imagine what a back-to-school shop-til-you-drop could do. TpT rounds up for you, also, so if the resource was $9.50, you’d still get 10 credits.
It actually works out well for everyone, because sellers love to receive feedback on their work, and buyers love discounts.
Love a Resource? Buy With a Buddy!
If you and a colleague are both interested in the same resource on Teachers Pay Teachers, you can save money if one of you purchases the resource plus an additional license, which will be at a discounted price – usually 10% off. (Just as an FYI, TpT sellers price each resource based on the idea that it will be used by one teacher only, so to make sure you are abiding by copyright law and the seller’s terms of use, you’ve gotta get those additional licenses if you and a friend both want to use a resource!)
Become a Groupie
When you find a great resource and know you’ll be back for more products from that seller, it makes sense to follow that seller, both on TpT AND on his or her blog and/or social media. TpT sellers use blogs and social media to keep you informed of flash freebies, sales, new products, and sometimes even gift card giveaways, so it makes a lot of sense to follow them every which way you can so you don’t miss any news.
(You can follow me on Teachers Pay Teachers by clicking here, and on Pinterest by clicking here and then clicking “Follow.” Oh, and you can subscribe to my blog by typing in your email address up at the top of this post!). (Update 05/17/18: I am now on Instagram too…click here and click “Follow”!) 🙂
Now, when you follow sellers on TpT, you will be the first to know about their new products, which is awesome because sellers often list their products at a reduced price for the first 24 or 48 hours. I do this somewhat haphazardly at my store, I’ll admit, but I have seen some stores that do it for EVERY new product, and I have even seen some that list ALL their products as FREE for 24 hours or so. The thing is, you aren’t necessarily going to know what is going on with the sellers you follow unless you log into TpT regularly, so make sure that Teachers Pay Teachers makes the list of sites / apps you check often – not just when you need a specific resource.
And feel free to take a step beyond following and actually connect with TpT sellers. They are, after all, just teachers like you and me who probably love meeting new people, learning, networking, and sharing ideas. True story: one time, I emailed a TpT seller with a question about a resource, and after a few emails back and forth, this generous seller offered to make some changes to the product AND give me a free resource, all for checking in with her. If you love a seller, comment on his/her blog posts or social media, leave a positive feedback or Q & A comment in TpT, or send an email to say hi or ask a question. You may end up with a free product, a free TpT gift card, some new teaching tips, or even a new pal!
Bundles, Bundles, and More Bundles!
As I mentioned when I was talking about wish lists, buying resources as part of a bundle is a great way to save money. (A bundle is just a group of resources sold together for less money than they would be if you bought them individually.)
In some TpT stores, growing bundles are also an option, which means that when you purchase the product, it is incomplete (but a lot cheaper) and more resources will be added to the product over time. Be sure to read product descriptions carefully so you know what you are buying, but this can seriously be an awesome way to get the resources you need without spending too much money.
For example, I recently purchased a clip art growing bundle that cost me $5. The price went up as more and more resources were added, and now, at the time this is being posted, the same resource costs $36.50, but I can access all of the clip art, even the clip art that was just added. Oh, yeah!
Maybe Somebody Else Wants to Pay for That?
If your school gives you a budget to spend on classroom supplies, don’t forget that TpT products can fall into that category. Teachers Pay Teachers even accepts purchase orders for purchases over $20, making it even easier to make purchases with the school district’s money.
Better yet, share info about Teachers Pay Teachers’ newest program, TpT for Schools, with your principal. TpT for Schools allows teachers to request educational products on TpT and send those requests to their administration, who can then purchase resources for each teacher. I’m thinking this could be a perfect way to get funds for those big ticket items you might not otherwise be able to afford. It’s definitely worth checking out – if your principal likes the idea, you may end up with fabulous TpT resources that you can use in your classroom without having to pay for them yourself!
Also, don’t forget about all those unbelievable PTO parents out there who go above and beyond to help their children get the best education possible. You could consider contacting the school/parent organization at your school about the possibility of purchasing resources or TpT gift cards.
Track Your Spending for Tax Savings
(Disclosure/Disclaimer: I am not an accountant, nor do I play one on TV! The following information is not intended to be considered tax advice. Please consult a qualified tax professional before making any tax-related decisions.)
If you do have to foot the bill for Teachers Pay Teachers resources yourself, here’s another tip! This isn’t exactly a way to save money on your purchases, but it could save you some money overall. The money you spend on TpT may be tax deductible, even with the new tax plan rolling out for your 2018 filing. (There was some debate on whether that deduction was going to stick around, but it did! Yay!) The TpT site does keep track of your purchases, so it will be easy to figure out how much you spent when you are doing your taxes.
If you are buying resources to use in your classroom, the deduction is for up to $250 of expenses that were not reimbursed, and educators who work at least 900 hours a year in a K-12 school may be eligible.
If you are TpT seller, the purchases you make on TpT to use for the resources you sell (e.g. clipart, borders) can offset your earnings, resulting in less taxable income, so sellers should keep track of those expenses as well.
(Again, please check with your tax professional to discuss your unique tax situation. For more information, you can read these articles on the IRS website about the educator expense deduction and small-business expenses.)
Ready to Save on TpT?
I hope these ideas will make your shopping trips on TpT even more fun because you’ll know you are providing your kids with the best resources and saving money at the same time!
I think most teachers would agree that the real “New Year” begins in August or September when the school year starts. New students and new policies and new schedules are bigger changes than what we see when the ball drops between December and January.
From planning to cleaning to decorating to organizing to copying, there is a ton of work to do as the school year starts, and I’m going to suggest that you add one more itty bitty thing to your list. But it’s a thing that will ultimately make some of the other things easier. AND make the rest of the school year easier.
JOIN TEACHERS PAY TEACHERS!
Really. Do it. Yesterday.
What It Is…and What Else It Is
Okay. So I had heard about Teachers Pay Teachers long before I actually tried it, and waiting so long to give it a go was a MISTAKE. Basically, before I registered for TpT, I used to spend a lot of time on Google trying to search for “free” lesson ideas and worksheets and coloring pages for my students. Sometimes, a search result would pop up that said it was on Teachers Pay Teachers and I’d be like, “Oh, that sounds great!” but then I’d be like, “Oh, it’s on Teachers Pay Teachers. And I don’t want to pay for anything right now. So, no thanks.” To be honest, something about the name Teachers PAY Teachers irked me a little at first and made me feel like everything was going to be really expensive.
As time went on, those Teachers Pay Teachers items showed up more and more. Meanwhile, I also found that more often than not, randomly searching the rest of internet brought me to a bunch of weird spammy sites. I eventually concluded that I WAS going to end up paying SOMEONE, and it was beginning to look like the money would be going to a tech-y dude who gets spyware off your computer. I figured I was better off giving money to some fellow teachers than having my computer infected with internet gunk.
So I joined the site and accepted that I would, in fact, be a teacher that was paying other teachers.
But in my first few minutes looking around the site, I found out something very important about Teachers Pay Teachers. Yes, it is a site where you can purchase fantastic resources created by other teachers. But IT IS ALSO a place where teachers GIVE AWAY FABULOUS FREE PRODUCTS.
Yay TpT! SO MUCH is Free!
There are FREE lesson plans, FREE coloring pages, FREE classroom posters, FREE fonts, FREE videos, FREE printable worksheets, and much more. Get this- every single person who sells on Teachers Pay Teachers MUST have at least one freebie (really – it is a requirement in order to be a seller!). So we are talking about THOUSANDS and THOUSANDS of FREE products.
So I went on a free downloading spree. It was basically what I had been TRYING to do many times before during my Googling sprees, but SO much easier and more successful. I can’t even believe how many free worksheets and other resources I have found for free from the talented sellers on TpT.
And If It’s Not Free, It’s Probably Worth It!
If I have a very specific need and I can’t find something free, I can usually find something inexpensive and worth every penny. I really would rather not pay for resources, of course, but then I stopped and realized that I never hesitate to spend $5 here or there for office supplies, stickers, or prizes for school. So, why not pay a couple of bucks for something that is actually designed to help my students learn something? And it is fun to know that a purchase on Teachers Pay Teachers will help support a teacher.
So…Who’s Paying Whom?
Ultimately, I’m less than a year into using TpT, yet I have downloaded a ton of resources and spent a pretty tiny amount of money. For all these years, I stayed away from Teachers Pay Teachers, when all along I didn’t realize it was like a dollar store / FREE store for teaching resources. Almost every time I visit the site, I get paid in freebies, which leads me to wonder – are the sellers or buyers really winning out here? Or is it just a fantastic partnership for everybody involved?
Check It Out Today!
If you haven’t joined yet, go for it! Joining is free and as I mentioned, there is a ton of great stuff that is just waiting for you, no matter what subject you teach! I am so happy that I joined, and I loved TpT so much that I opened my own store there a few months after making my first purchase.
So…all that free stuff we were talking about? As soon as you sign up, feel free to start your own personal free download spree with some of my free products!
