Blog Archives

Milestone giveaway!

31/1/2015

We are so excited that we have reached over 300 followers that we thought it's about time that we hosted our first giveaway!! The winner will have a free choice of any of our resources found in our TPT store. Not a TPT member? Thats ok you can still pick a resource and we will email it through to you. To be in the running you need to:
1. LIKE our Facebook page
2. SHARE this post
3. COMMENT on this post telling us what resource you would love us to make
The winner will be announced on Monday!!!

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back to school blues? you are not alone! three quick tips to survive.

28/1/2015

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Back to school blues: You are not alone.

Ok. It is that time of the year. When after five glorious long weeks of holidays you start to ask yourself: where has the time gone? No more sleep ins. That annoying alarm sound will begin soon. Time to get your remote ready to quickly change the channel when you see back to school ads. And yes, back to school ads officially burn teacher’s eyes. Fact. This slowly becomes a testing time where like fight club, you really don’t want to talk about it. So as the cries of “I just want to be a housewife” start, I remind myself to find three positive things. Just three things to help get me halfway positive about returning.

New students, new challenges, and new families: one part of the job that is enjoyable is meeting and building relationship with the students and their families. We get to introduce yourself fifty times but it is still the start of an exciting new journey.

New stationary: Oh the part that teachers love. The smell of fresh books, sharp pencils, new pens, new diaries, new plans and ideas, new things to try. I am ashamed to say that I am addicted to stationary and just love having new stuff to start the year.

Labour Day public holiday: Yes, I will start my next countdown to the nearest long weekend.

I am sure that some of you love this time and get excited. I may just be in the minority! However, if the above things don’t work and all else fails, I will pretend that I am still on holidays and just don’t think about it. Happy back to school Australia.

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new variety of classroom space themed resources

24/1/2015

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We have a new range of classroom displays and resources now available in the space theme. If you would like us to type children's names on chalkboard circles or space themed tub labels, please send us an email. #twocreativeteachers #spacetheme #classroomdisplays #classroom

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Declutter tip two

24/1/2015

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I am still lucky enough to be on holidays. However, let’s be honest. It is not all drinks, socialising, parties and relaxing. When you are at home, holiday can sometimes be a good time to do things around the home. Catch up and do the things that you planned to do during the working week. After my massive declutter, I decided that the next step was to organise materials and resources around the house so they are readily accessed and easy to track. I am guilty of overspending because I often buy things just because they are on sale. Since organising things around the house, I find that I can see what I have at a quick glance. Mentally, I know that I do not have to buy “new” or “on sale” items. Today, I wanted to share how I organised the laundry.

It was actually simple. After decluttering, I then just emptied all cupboards, under the sink etc. Next, I thoroughly cleaned everything. A nice deep scrub and clean. Then I grouped my items. Washing powder together, laundry liquids, cloths, etc. Then it was a matter of creating a portable cleaning caddy. Things that I needed quickly and regularly. Then I purchased to large sets of plastic drawers. I made sure that they were on wheels in case I needed to move them.

Then I placed all the similar items in one drawer. Surprisingly, this was a quick and easy process. Finally, I made labels that I could stick on the drawers. Most importantly, at the end of it all I left feeling organised, clutter free and proud of what I had done!

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holiday declutter challenge

18/1/2015

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Alright. I need to admit something. I am slightly OCD. Nothing makes me happier than when things are in their rightful place and the house is organised. Sometimes, I cannot go places until I know that I have left things in an organised matter. I am not scared of snakes, sharks, or crocodiles. I am scared of clutter. Nothing gives me a stress attack more than when I look around and see a massive mess. The good news is that it does not have to be that way. Things can be decluttered with a bit of hard yakka. Therefore, it became my mission to declutter my house. So the first thing that I decided to do what get three large tubs. I made labels that said, “KEEP, THROW OR DONATE”. (See store if you need to purchase).

I lined them up in the lounge room. Then I decided what order of rooms that I wanted to declutter. This was important because each room decluttered has a flow on effect. For example: if I cleared the laundry then this meant more space for things that could be moved from the kitchen. Cleaning become secondary to decluttering. I could scrub later when the space was cleared.

Therefore, here was the order that I found the most successful:

Then it started. I went from room to room checking each item. This was after all, a deep clean, not a surface clean. So I checked: keep, throw or donate. This was painstaking for some items. I tend to keep things in case I need it in the future. I had to force myself to be ruthless.

Golden rule: If I haven’t used it in two years and it wasn't valuable I either donated it or threw it. This rule helped me to be more ruthless and make the hard decisions. It was often harder to donate gifts. My mum got me candlestick holders as a gift ten years ago. I hung onto them for fear that I would be ungrateful if I donated it. When I asked her she laughed her head off and couldn't believe it. She said that she was surprised that I kept them. It was time consuming but at the end I felt like I had finished and completed something. I have started the new year organised and decluttered. Now that feels like I have achieved something big!
#twocreativeteachers #declutter #organised

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planning your new classroom?

9/1/2015

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Need some ideas on what theme to choose and what to create? Look no further! #twocreativeteachers #classroomdecor #classroomdisplay #themeideas

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ENDING ONE SCHOOL YEAR AND BEGINNING ANOTHER

5/1/2015

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Getting ready to start a new school year? Here are some tips and questions to help you.

Okay it is time to stop. Relax and take a breath. You have just completed one school year. Whether it is your first or your thirtieth, it is still an exciting time. You have said your goodbyes to your class and need to get ready to welcome another. As well as rest of course. This is extensive process. One that you need to put time and effort into. If the first few weeks go wrong, rest assured it would be difficult to climb back. It is important to reflect on your school year in order to move forward to another. I always make sure I do this because it helps me prioritise as well as clear my mind. I often think about:

1.    What did I love and why?

2.   What would I have changed and why?

3.   What is the most important thing that I need to learn?

4.   What stopped me from being a better teacher and why?

5.   What professional development interests me and why?

6. What can I do to be more organised, efficient and effective?

I also find that the prospect of decorating and setting up a new classroom is exciting. The creative juices start to work on overdrive. Sad I know! So then, I start to think about the classroom displays and setup. The questions that I use to prompt my thinking are:

1.    What theme would I like for my classroom?

2.   What displays can I have in my theme?

3.   What materials do I need to buy when setting up my classroom?

4.   How will children access the materials?

5.   How will students enter and exit the room?

6. What labels will I need to help students find materials?

7.   How will I organise shared materials?

Once I have answered these questions, I direct my holiday energy into organising the above items. I hope that these questions can help some of you start to think about how to prepare for a new school year. Most importantly, remember to take the time to relax, rest and recover.

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Milestone giveaway!

back to school blues? you are not alone! three quick tips to survive.

new variety of classroom space themed resources

Declutter tip two

holiday declutter challenge

planning your new classroom?

ENDING ONE SCHOOL YEAR AND BEGINNING ANOTHER

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