PENCIL PILLOWS! I just love them! They are pretty tall (long?), and absolutely adorable. I wish I would have gotten two, one to decorate with and one to let the kids ruin, I mean, use. They are also just $14!

My goal for this year is to make my room more homey for my students. Fake plants are great for giving a space a cozy feel. I grabbed 3 fake plants, and I don't even have to worry about watering them! #bestpart

I'm sticking the plants in these metal tubs, but these would also be amazing for pencils, markers, pens, clips, anything to help organize your classroom! They are also just 99¢! 

Another of my favorite finds was the Torsby frame! They are only $1 and so versatile. I spray painted mine to match the colors in my classroom. Some I am using for posting directions for groups (and open house), others I am taking out the plastic holder using a loose leaf ring to hold flash cards. Students can easily flip through the cards for practicing our sight words. 

OHHHH this was a great find! These chair tops (SNILLE) are like scoop rockers for bigger kids. I actually got these for our 3rd grade teacher, but they are too awesome not to mention. They were $6 and feel very sturdy and durable. The only part that isn't my favorite is the white color. I'm sure with the group we are handing up, they will have very pretty crayon decorations through the year. ;)

Book boxes! These are 4 for $1. They are so cheap so you won't even feel bad letting students decorate their own and then taking it home at the end of the year! 

This is another storage tub that I just love! They are adorable and come in different sizes. I can put these in cubbies, on the counter, bookshelf, or use them on my desk to help keep me organized! 

1. Memory Foam Mats

These mats are probably supposed to be used in some college dorm bathroom. They are soft, and so comfy...but are amazing to write on! These mats can be a fun change in the word work practice routine. They just swipe clean after the word is written. No other items are needed, just the mat and fingers! 

The same goes for these fun "mermaid" pillows! These smaller pillows would be great for PK and K rooms for letter and number practice too. 

2. HUGE Dice

These dice are HUGE! (I mean, check out my arm!) This dice specifically is like a Magic 8 ball. It has yeses and nos. It has a maybe and a try again later. I use this dice for those questions kids ask and it really doesn't matter either way! "Can I read in the hall?" Usually I don't care one bit! I do sometimes get annoyed being asked, and say no anyway... Now the kiddo asking can just roll the dice, and we can let the dice speak! This is a fun way to help make decisions! 

There are also number dice. Obviously these are great for math groups or math activities, but have you ever tried them for whole or small group reading?! Assign each number a category.

1. girls

2. boys

3. tie shoes (any kid with tie shoes on has to read)

4. Teacher (they love having a teacher category)

5. Blonde Hair (any kid with blonde hair has to read)

6. Short Sleeves (any kid with short sleeves on has to read)

You can make the categories whatever you want! They roll the dice, and those students who fit the category read the passage, paragraph, or sentence together! 

3. Emojis

Oh those silly faces! I love Emojis as much as my students! Five Below has a whole Emoji section!

Hello Treasure Box! But my favorite thing I found in this section was large Emoji stickers! These are perfect for papers or just handing out at random for classroom management!

I love that they have letters too! This can be used to make a fun word work game!

4. Camping Light

How many of you have seen {Lucky Little Learners' Camp Read-a-Lot}? Kids would love to get under a cabinet, desk, or inside a tent to read with these LED lights! LED also lasts (or is supposed to) a LONG time! 

There are also SO many decorative, fun pillows for kids to use around the classroom. Cuddle up with a pillow, a book, and a camping light! Minutes of entertainment! HA!

6. Ice Trays

For holiday's, I like to make crayons for my kiddos from ice tray molds! Peel the crayons and break them into smaller pieces. Put the pieces in the trays. I use aluminum foil on a cookie tray and then put the ice trays on those to catch spilling. Heat your oven to 350, and leave them in for about 20 minutes. Once they are all melty, carefully take them out and let them cool completely! When you bust them out, you have multicolored crayons in fun shapes! Cheap and super easy gifts are totally my favorite.  

7. Baskets

There is such a variety of basket sizes at Five Below. There are also separated organizers too! They have my favorite blue/green color, but you can always spray paint them too!

These are only $5.00 and really last! I have 5 that I use in my own room and they have been perfect all year so far! Some stores also have purple and pink colors! 

9.  If you are one to one or even just have a few iPads, these stylus pens are awesome! We use Google Classroom for so many things. Sometimes I have the kids type, but sometimes I want them to practice writing on the iPads too. They are also great for drawing pictures in apps. Oh did I mention they have the rubbery tip...that is so fun to pick off!? It's nice to find styluses that are cheap and not so painful to replace! 

10. Timers

This timer is one of those sand timers. It lasts two minutes and would be more fun than just the timer on your phone. It's also a great visual of how much time is left!

11. Gummi Candy

This gummy candy is LETTERS!!! Hello making words! 

12. Play-Doh

I use Play-Doh at the beginning of the year to entertain the kids while I deal with school supplies. I also like to make words with the Play-Doh. These are also great gifts for young students. 

13. Where's Waldo

I just LOVE Waldo! This would be a fun way for kids to get to know their new classroom. Find Waldo! Tell where he was and what could do there. This could also be a fun writing activity to use similar to an Elf or Leprechaun. 

14. Bean Boozled

WARNING: These are DISGUSTING. I would not use them in my room...but they sure are entertaining! {Two Teacher Friends} have a writing activity they use with these oh so gross jelly beans.  

I would suggest borrowing other trash cans and placing them in easy to reach locations all around the room before playing! 

Whew! There are just too many good things at Five Below!

I was all ready to exchange, and did you notice how my whole bag matches my blog and business card!?! I didn't even do this on purpose, and believe it or not, I'm the worst at matching!! We all got in groups by grade level. We played a left/right story game to do the exchange! This is what I do to exchange Christmas gifts in my classroom! It is pretty fun! We went in a circle and unwrapped our gifts. Here's what I got! 

{Drum roll}

The first thing I pulled out was the measuring tape masking tape! I said, " Oh my husband is gonna love this!!" Well I guess it wasn't for my husband, because I got some funny looks!(HAHA!) But it just popped out! He is always looking for a tape measure when we are working at the new house, I just couldn't help it! It will come in super handy when we get to our measuring unit! I really can't wait to use it! 

UMMM do you SEE that big green Post-It pad!?! I'm totally in love with the big Post-It's! I have those sticky monsters everywhere! I also got two packs of the smaller Post-Its, these always are useful!

I also got a super cute notebook...which I began using immediately! I kept some great notes from the sessions that attended, made notes about my cousin's baby shower that I am planning next weekend, and made notes about what needs to be fixed in my new house before the final inspection!!! I never realized how useful a little notebook is! I was so caught up in all my new goodies, I just can't remember who gave it to me... But thank you so much! I love it all! Check out the other tools that were swapped over at {Second Grade Sugar and Spice!}

What would you share as your favorite teacher tool ($10 limit!)? I'd love to know!