Click Blocks
If you have any Minecraft-obsessed students, listen up. Click Blocks need to be the next manipulative you buy. These magnetic blocks join together with such a satisfying click and they look like you took them right out of the game. Use them to explore all kinds of STEM skills. We have a feeling you’ll love using them as much as your students.
Odd Animal Specimens
We love it when someone makes science accessible and fun to learn. Charlie Engleman has made his career out of doing just that. His Odd Animal Specimens YouTube channel is both informative and soothing. His curiosity will draw you in and make you wonder what’s coming next. These videos would make great transition content as students come back from recess or lunch. You might even find yourself watching them all by yourself on the weekend.
Everyday Puzzles Minigames
We loved the mini crossword from The New York Times. If you were just as sad to see it leave the free portion of NYT Games, you’ve got a new friend in Everyday Puzzles Minigames. There are dozens of word games available for free, including a mini crossword! It’s available as an app or on your computer. Do it alone or with your entire class.
Nee Doh Fidget
Fidgets are great, but they can also distract with their clicks, snaps, and pops. When a fidget is quiet, we have to tell you about it. Nee Doh Nice Cubes are simple. They’re small, squishy cubes. That’s it, but there’s something so perfect about that squish. Because they’re small, they fit perfectly in your hand or your pencil pouch. Because they’re quiet, they won’t distract from the learning that needs to happen. Teachers love them. Students love them. We love them!
My Tagalongs Double Eyeglass Case
Maybe you can relate: You’re running out of the house, and you remember to snag your reading glasses as you head out the door. When you get to work, you realize you snagged sunglasses, not your readers. Keeping track of which case has which glasses gets chaotic, so why not get one case for both. We love this one from My Tagalongs with zipper closures and a soft exterior. Keep your glasses together and the chaos at bay with a double case!
Reading Rainbow Reboot
Reading Rainbow aired for more than 20 years, encouraging kids to grow their love of reading. Now, after a long hiatus, the show is back with a new host. Join former librarian, but forever library kid, Mychal Threets, as he takes us through new episodes to motivate and help kids become avid readers. Take a look!
Asobu Bestie Bottle
Water bottles are a necessity at school. We’re always looking for the latest trends. When we saw these on Oprah’s favorites, we knew we had to add them to ours. Bestie Bottles are water bottles with the cutest, interchangeable tops shaped like some of your favorite animals. They’re that perfect 16-oz size: enough to quench a thirst, small enough to fit in your backpack. Mix and match the lids to make your own hilarious creature!
Loops Earplugs
Classrooms can get loud. For some students, loudness is exciting and invigorating. For some students, loudness can be distracting and overwhelming. Loop Earplugs are a discreet and innovative way to cancel the background noise while still letting students hear the person speaking to them. Loop offers earplugs that range from full noise-cancelling to simple noise-dimming. Because they know your classroom realities, Loop also offers a teacher discount to support a classroom set, or your very own pair!
What Works Clearinghouse:
Evidence-based practices are essential to improving outcomes across the board. It’s hard to know where to start your search for the best practice for your students. The What Works Clearninghouse (WWC) is part of the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) within the U.S. Department of Education. Their work involves reviewing research, figuring out which studies meet their standards, summarizing the findings, and posting it all on their website. When you search WWC, you can know the results are evidence-based and effective.
Pipsticks Sticker Club
There’s just something about a sticker that puts a smile on your face, and these stickers are top notch. Founded by Mo Vazquez in 2014, Pipsticks is a monthly sticker subscription box. Each month, she and her team curate a selection of stickers designed to inspire creativity and whimsy in all of us! Diertra, our customer support team manager, is a longtime subscriber. She loves Pipsticks’ quality and how their stickers are cute without being childish. We think you’re going to love them!
Underground Spirit Days
Who’s to say students are the only ones who get to participate in a spirit week? Underground Spirit Days are a way for teachers to get in on the action, too. Here’s how they work: Pick a day and a theme, but don’t tell students. When they come to school, they’ll start to notice something a little off. Every teacher dressed a little differently, but somehow all the same. By the end of the day, students guess the spirit day theme. It’s a great way to build morale and have a little fun at the same time.
Eval Next
We’ve been quietly working on something and wanted to give you a sneak peek. PBIS Evaluation is our application for aggregating data from PBIS Assessment and the SWIS Suite to get district, state, and regional data. We’re giving it an update and it’s called Eval Next. So far, you can download data across multiple schools and generate reports for the Feedback and Input Survey and School Climate Survey Suites in Eval Next. New TFI reports and the Self-Assessment Survey are on deck! If you’re interested in checking out Eval Next, email our customer support team and they’ll walk you through how to subscribe!
Easyplant
One of our PBISApps trainers, Mara Lynaugh, recommended Easyplant this year. If you have a hard time maintaining a proper watering schedule, the Easyplant system takes away the guesswork and helps you grow plants that last up to 6x longer than regular plants. Mara agrees: “I am terrible at keeping plants alive and was gifted Easyplants last year. I now have several in my office and they make me so happy. They’re great for teachers because they have a reservoir pot so you can leave them over breaks and know they will have the right amount of water.”
Tiered Fidelity Inventory (TFI) 3.0 Overview
There’s a new version of the Tiered Fidelity Inventory (TFI). The TFI 3.0 builds on the previous version by prioritizing mental health supports, equity, and classroom implementation. If your team uses the TFI 3.0 and could use some guidance, we’ve got a webinar for you! Come learn about the new features of the survey, the differences between the TFI 2.1 and 3.0, and new resources to help you along the way.
Peanut M&Ms
Our office is big on snacks. This year, we had a clear favorite: Peanut M&Ms. These candies give us just the right amount of sweet to push us through to the end of the day. With a peanut center, we can almost justify them as protein snacks! We buy them in the big container from Costco, but you can get them in just about any color or packaging from the M&M website. Add them to your cart and thank us later.
Tinkercad Classroom
A few folks around the office have been dabbling in 3D printing, and they use Tinkercad to design some of their prints. Tinkercad is a free web app for creating 3D designs, electronics, and code. It’s a great way to introduce students to these concepts and let them discover the possibilities. It comes with classroom-level features and the option to integrate with Google Classroom. If your students are interested in maker spaces, Tinkercad is for you!
PBS Learning Media
We grew up with the Public Broadcasting Station (PBS). Sesame Street, Mr. Rogers Neighborhood, Reading Rainbow, Arthur, the list goes on and on. As adults, PBS is still here for us, offering free educational resources we can rely on. PBS Learning Media is your go-to site for classroom ready resources all in one portal. It even integrates with Google Classroom!
The Educator’s Blueprint
Some of our favorite resources come from Missouri PBIS and The Educator’s Blueprint is no different. Hosts, Dr. Lisa Powers, Dr. Trisha Guffey, and Jamie Grieshaber, share meaningful conversations on the topics impacting school systems, behavior, and instructional practices. Their episodes are full of tangible strategies, practical implementation, and real talk. There are six seasons of conversations to unpack. Check them out today!
Youcubed
If you’re looking for some ideas to perk up your next math lesson, look no further than this favorite. Youcubed a research center from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Education. Their goal is a familiar one to us as PBISApps: “To inspire, educate, and empower teachers of mathematics, transforming the latest research on maths learning into accessible and practical forms.” They have professional learning you can take advantage of as well as a large set of free resources to insert into your next class.
Coffee
The one thing getting us through some days is a hot cup of coffee. Everyone has their favorite brand. Whether you’re a k-cup connoisseur, a pour over purist, or a drip devotee, coffee is a favorite for a reason. Check out some of the benefits (beyond that initial wakeup call) research is learning about this delicious morning beverage.
Ms. Rachel
“Hi, friends!” If you have a toddler in your life, you likely know this greeting well. In 2019, Ms Rachel started as a YouTube series developed and produced by Rachel and Aron Accurso, out of a need for more media resources for their son who had a speech delay. Over the pandemic, the show exploded in popularity. Ms. Rachel has quickly become a teacher and mentor in homes across the world. Known for her inclusive content and attention to developmental milestones, we had to add Ms. Rachel to our list of faves this year!