The Teachers Lounge

Check Out Teacher Tube!

2008-08-17T12:26:00.005-05:00

Have you seen teachertube.com? This great website is modeled after youtube, but is geared for teachers and students. Teachers can post presentations that they have made for their own classrooms and share them with other educators. You will find videos about a variety of subjects including math, language arts, science and more. Visit teachertube.com today to see a full list of videos.

Click Here To Visit Teachertube.com

Making the Transition Back To School

2008-07-27T18:18:00.011-05:00

If you would like to make your child's transition back to school a little easier this year, there is a terrific article from the National Association of School Psychologist's website. Here is an excerpt:

"Getting a new school year off to a good start can influence children’s attitude, confidence, and performance both socially and academically. The transition from August to September can be difficult for both children and parents. Even children who are eager to return to class must adjust to the greater levels of activity, structure, and, for some, pressures associated with school life.

The degree of adjustment depends on the child, but parents can help their children (and the rest of the family) manage the increased pace of life by planning ahead, being realistic, and maintaining a positive attitude. Here are a few suggestions to help ease the transition and promote a successful school experience.

Before School Starts

Good physical and mental health. Be sure your child is in good physical and mental health. Schedule doctor and dental checkups early. Discuss any concerns you have over your child’s emotional or psychological development with your pediatrician. Your doctor can help determine if your concerns are normal, age-appropriate issues or require further assessment. Your child will benefit if you can identify and begin addressing a potential issue before school starts. Schools appreciate the efforts of parents to remedy problems as soon as they are recognized.

Review all of the information. Review the material sent by the school as soon as it arrives. These packets include important information about your child’s teacher, room number, school supply requirements, sign ups for after-school sports and activities, school calendar dates, bus transportation, health and emergency forms, and volunteer opportunities.

Mark your calendar. Make a note of important dates, especially back-to-school nights. This is especially important if you have children in more than one school and need to juggle obligations. Arrange for a babysitter now, if necessary.

Make copies. Make copies of all your child’s health and emergency information for reference. Health forms are typically good for more than a year and can be used again for camps, extracurricular activities, and the following school year.

Buy school supplies early. Try to get the supplies as early as possible and fill the backpacks a week or two before school starts. Older children can help do this, but make sure they use a checklist that you can review. Some teachers require specific supplies, so save receipts for items that you may need to return later.

Re-establish the bedtime and mealtime routines. Plan to re-establish the bedtime and mealtime routines (especially breakfast) at least 1 week before school starts. Prepare your child for this change by talking with your child about the benefits of school routines in terms of not becoming over tired or overwhelmed by school work and activities. Include pre-bedtime reading and household chores if these were suspended during the summer.

Turn off the TV. Encourage your child to play quiet games, do puzzles, flash cards, color, or read as early morning activities instead of watching television. This will help ease your child into the learning process and school routine. If possible, maintain this practice throughout the school year. Television is distracting for many children, and your child will arrive at school better prepared to learn each morning if he or she has engaged in less passive activities.

Visit school with your child. If your child is young or in a new school, visit the school with your child. Meeting the teacher, locating their classroom, locker, lunchroom, etc., will help ease pre-school anxieties and also allow your child to ask questions about the new environment. Call ahead to make sure the teachers will be available to introduce themselves to your child.

Minimize clothes shopping woes. Buy only the essentials. Summer clothes are usually fine during the early fall, but be sure to have at least one pair of sturdy shoes. Check with your school to confirm dress code guidelines. Common concerns include extremely short skirts and shorts, low rise pants, bare midriffs, spaghetti strap or halter tops, exposed undergarments, and clothing that have antisocial messages.

Designate and clear a place to do homework. Older children should have the option of studying in their room or a quiet area of the house. Younger children usually need an area set aside in the family room or kitchen to facilitate adult monitoring, supervision, and encouragement.

Select a spot to keep backpacks and lunch boxes. Designate a spot for your children to place their school belongings as well as a place to put important notices and information sent home for you to see. Explain that emptying their backpack each evening is part of their responsibility, even for young children.

Freeze a few easy dinners. It will be much easier on you if you have dinner prepared so that meal preparation will not add to household tensions during the first week of school."

If you would like to read the entire article by Ted Feinberg, EdD, NCSP, & Katherine C. Cowan, please visit the NASP website.

Helpful Information on Learning Disabilities

2008-07-16T18:09:00.005-05:00

LD Online is a great resource for anyone looking for information on learning disabilities. This website is perfect for parents or teachers who would like to help students with special needs.

Click Here To Visit LD Online

Back-to-School Event

2008-07-02T07:43:00.002-05:00

Be sure to join us for our "School's Coming... Grab Your Booty" back-to-school event July 5th - July 12th during regular business hours. Pirates will be sailing in to take over The Teachers' Lounge bringing tons of new products with them! Be the first to grab the newest and cutest items from Carson Dellosa, Trend, Teacher's Friend and many others. We will be giving away over 400 prizes plus follow the treasure map for a chance to win a $250 gift card to use in our online store! This is an event you will not want to miss!

Reminder: Sidewalk Sale this Weekend!

2008-06-25T08:00:00.003-05:00

Need a Lesson Plan?

2008-06-15T21:03:00.004-05:00

Are you a teacher working to put together some lesson plans this summer? Are you a parent looking for some fun, educational activities to do with your kids? Check out the website for Teacher Created Resources. They have a section of their site that lists over 400 lesson plans!

Just type in the keyword you are looking for and the appropriate grade level. All matching lesson plans will be listed. Choose the one you like and download it. It's that easy! They have some great ideas for all subject areas for grades PreK-8. Check it out by clicking the link below:

Click Here To Visit Teacher Created Resources

FREE Things To Do This Summer

2008-06-09T11:12:00.005-05:00

Are you looking for some fun things to do with the kids this summer? Here is a list of some of our favorite places to visit during the summer, and the best part is.... EVERYTHING ON THIS LIST IS ABSOLUTELY FREE!

1) St. Louis County Library: They have tons of fun story hours planned with special guests such as magicians, musicians and more. You can pick up a complete schedule at any library. Hang out and read some books or play on the kid computer stations.

Click Here To Visit St. Louis County Library

2) Missouri Botanical Garden: Did you know that admission to the Missouri Botanical Garden is free to all St. Louis County and City residents on Wednesdays and Saturdays until noon? In addition, the Whitaker Music Festival returns this summer which means you can also visit the garden for free after 5 PM on Wednesday nights. The Children's Garden stays open for free until 7 PM on Wednesday nights as well.

Click Here To Visit Missouri Botanical Gardens

3) St. Louis Science Center: The St. Louis Science Center hosts Star Parties on the second Friday of the month at the James S. McDonnell Planetarium. Look at the night sky through telescopes and watch the live star show "The Sky Tonight" inside the planetarium.

Click Here To Visit St. Louis Science Center

4) St. Louis Art Museum: The art museum hosts Family Sundays throughout the summer. Bring the entire family and take a guided tour through one of the galleries. These tours have been especially designed for kids and always include a fun art project to work on and take home. The museum also has free admission for all special exhibits on Friday nights.

Click Here To Visit St. Louis Art Museum

5) St. Louis Zoo: The Children's Zoo, Conservation Carousel, and Dinorarus are free from 8-9 AM each day during the summer. The zoo also hosts Jungle Boogie on most Friday evenings throughout the summer where you can see great concerts from local performers.

Click Here To Visit St. Louis Zoo

6) St. Louis Union Station: Visit this historic landmark in St. Louis. Union Station also hosts free outdoor movies in the train shed the first Friday of every month through September. Be sure to check their website for a complete list of movies being shown as some are not appropriate for small children.

Click Here To Visit Union Station

7) Laumeier Sculpture Park: This cool park is filled with interesting sculptures that adults and children will enjoy seeing. The park also hosts Music + Movies on Friday nights in June. Bring the family for a free concert and a free outdoor movie. Be sure to check their website for a complete list of movies being shown as some are not appropriate for small children. (Many people misspell this park "Laumiere".

Click Here To Visit Laumeier Sculpture Park

8) Sylvan Springs Park: Visit the small water park at Sylvan Springs Park located next to the playground. The kids will have a blast running through all of the sprinklers. Bring some buckets and a towel for hours of fun.

Click Here To Visit Sylvan Springs

9) Jefferson Barracks Park: Try playing disc golf at Jefferson Barracks Park. This fun game is played similar to golf, but with a frisbee. You just stand at the tee (the red tee is for beginners) and try to sail your frisbee towards the target (a metal basket). Bring your own frisbee and start at Black Hawk Shelter.

Click Here To Visit Jefferson Barracks

10) Suson Park: Bring the family to Suson Park to see all of the animals at the barn. Bring a picnic lunch and have a fun afternoon.

Click Here To Visit Suson Park

A Great Website for the Summer

2008-05-26T21:42:00.004-05:00

We have had a lot of customers in the store recently who are looking for ways to help their children work on their reading skills over the summer. One of the best websites I have found to help early readers is Starfall. This website allows children to select an early reader on-line story. They can then read the book on their own, or they can have the computer read it to them. Kids can also click on the illustrations to see a fun animation appear. This is a great way for pre-readers and early readers to practice crucial reading skills over the summer. Check out Starfall today by clicking on the link below:

Click Here To Visit Starfall

End of The Year Activities

2008-05-18T17:36:00.014-05:00

The challenge for most teachers during that last week of school is the same for everyone no matter what grade level or subject you teach. How do you keep your students learning up until the last day of school?

I always found that I had to plan some engaging activities for my students during that last week of school. I had to find things that we normally wouldn't do during the rest of the year. This was a great time to bring in a group project that would last a couple of days or a creative project that students could work on individually and then share with the class. Here are some tried and true end-of-the year activities that I have used in the past:

•Reader's Theater: Break your class into small groups and give each group their own script. Have them spend a few days creating props and simple costumes from the art supplies you have left. Let them rehearse their play and then have them preform it for the class or for a younger grade level. There are some really great reader's theater scripts that you can download for free at Education World. Just click on this link and scroll towards the middle of the page:

Click Here To Visit Education World

•Take A Virtual Field Trip: Use your classroom computer to sail around the world with the modern day explorers at Reach the World. This sailing crew takes several journeys throughout the year, and they bring all the details to your students through their website. You can map out their journey with the latitude and longitude clues that they give in their logbook. You can read their field notes which give a ton of information about the places they have visited. You can also read each crew member's travel journal. Visit this website by clicking the link below:

Click Here To Visit Reach the World

•Make a Fun Review Game: Create a game to review all of the skills your students have learned over the past year. Here's a terrific website that has tons of Power Point game templates. Just type in your own questions and answers, and you're ready to go! Play Jeopardy, Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?, Deal or No Deal, and many more. This website also provides sound clips from each of the shows so you can play the theme song and sound effects. Just click the link below:

Click Here To Visit Game Templates

Have fun during these last days of school!

Outdoor Fun

2008-05-04T22:52:00.007-05:00

The weather is finally getting warmer, so we've been spending a lot of time out in the backyard at our house. Here are some fun outdoor games and activities that you can try while you're hanging out in the yard this week:

1) Make sidewalk paint: Mix 1/4 cup of cornstarch with 1/4 cup of water. Add food coloring of your choice and mix until you have a watery consistency. Use paint brushes to paint your sidewalk or driveway. This paint washes away with water.

2) Play Sardines: This is a fun game to play with a group of friends. One person is "it". This person finds a hiding place while everyone else hides their eyes and counts to 100. When the counting is over, everyone tries to find the person who is hiding. Whenever someone finds the person who is "it", he or she must hide with that person. Play continues until everyone but one last person is hiding with the person that is "it". At the end of the game, everyone is packed like sardines in the hiding spot. The last person to find the group is "it" for the next game.

3)Play Driveway Baseball: Draw a baseball diamond on the driveway like the sample below. Have children take turns kneeling at home plate and tossing a stone or bean bag at the diamond. Try to get your stone to land on one of the indicated spots for a hit. If you miss the mark, it is considered an out. Players can play as many innings as they wish.

4) Make a Nature Rubbing Book: Take a walk around the block with some pieces of paper and a few crayons that have no paper covering on them. When you see something that has an interesting texture, take a piece of paper and a crayon and make a rubbing of the object. Some interesting things to do rubbings of are: sidewalks, tree bark, leaves, etc. When you get home, you can staple your pages together to form a book.

Have fun outside this week and enjoy the sunny weather!

Join Us for Flower Story Hour

2008-04-30T20:03:00.002-05:00

Come to The Teachers' Lounge on Saturday, May 3rd or Monday, May 5th from 10:30-11:00 AM for story hour. We'll discuss May flowers after all those April showers. We will be reading a story called Flower Garden by Eve Bunting as well as discussing how flowers grow with the book called How Flowers Grow by Emma Helbrough. We will make a unique and beautiful bouquet of flowers using a variety of materials. Come join the fun!

Reservations are recommended. Space is limited. Please call 314-894-7000 to register.

Game of the Week: Amazing Animal Trivia

2008-04-29T09:18:00.003-05:00

Are you ready for an animal safari? You can learn quite a bit about wild animals if you come in this week to play Amazing Animal Trivia! This game is great for kids of all ages but the manufacturer recommends ages 6 and up. Amazing Animal Trivia is a wild game of questions and answers. It comes with 200 trivia cards, 20 animal cards, and you can play with 2-6 people.

When you answer a trivia question correctly, you can then try to locate animals hidden on the game board. If you find 3 cards that match you win the set and keep the cards and get another turn. Play continues until you get and answer wrong.

Here is an sample question: A zebra's stripes help it to:
a) confuse predators, b) distinguish males from females, c) keep cool
The answer is.....a) confuse predators!

Want more? Well come on in to the Teachers Lounge the week of April 28-May 5 and receive 10% off the purchase price when you play with a team member.
Our Team Members are roaring to play!!!

Try This Storytelling Website

2008-04-25T21:38:00.006-05:00

I was searching online today for some story hour ideas for the store, and I ran across this great reading website. It is a website developed by the Screen Actors Guild where they have recorded some famous actors and actresses reading children's stories. My daughter and I watched Sean Austin read A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon, and we really enjoyed it. He used lots of different voices to portray the characters, and we were able to see many of the illustrations from the book. This would be a fun website to use during reading class at school, or you could share it with your kids at home. Check out all of the stories by clicking on the link below.

Click Here To Visit Storyline Online

Game of the Week: Sequence for Kids

2008-04-22T09:26:00.004-05:00

If you love the original version of Sequence, you will love our game of the week: Sequence for Kids! It is played just like the original game of Sequence (which uses playing cards on the board). In Sequence for Kids, Alice the Alligator and Zelda the Zebra and many of their friends are the stars as players win by making a sequence of four connected characters by matching cards to the animals!

In the original game, the jacks are wild; in Sequence for Kids the wild cards are Unicorn Cards. There is also a Dragon Card that allows the player to remove any chip! There are also four free spots on all the corners of the game board.

Sequence for Kids is great for ages 3-6 and suitable for 2-4 players. It teaches the kids strategy, and it is a great matching game.

Come on in during the week of April 21-April 28 and play with our Team Members and receive 10% off the regular price of $17.99 !

Earth Day Story Hour

2008-04-16T17:18:00.004-05:00

Did you know that Earth Day is April 22nd? We will discuss how we can take care of our earth, and we will make Earth Day crowns. We will also plant “grass heads”, and we will read Earth Day-Hooray by Stuart J. Murphy and Renee Andriani and My Earth Day Surprise! by Mercer Mayer.

Join us Saturday, April 19th or Monday, April 21st from 10:30-11:00am for this story hour. Reservations are recommended. Space is limited. Please call 314-894-7000 to register.

Game of The Week: Zoob 125 Piece Set

2008-04-14T10:05:00.003-05:00

This week at the Teacher's Lounge we are featuring our 125 Piece Zoob Building Set! Our Team members will be snapping and clicking the pieces together all week to show you that there is no limit to what you can build.

Chris, one of our team members, built a really cool motorcycle and Emily made the rider to go with it using the Zoob 125 piece building set. It will be featured at our demo bar all this week.Each set comes with a instructional booklet to use or you can just let your imaginations soar. Zoob is fun for boys or girls, and it really encourages kids to learn, explore and create.

Why don't you come on in to the store the week of April14-21 and build your imagination with one of our Team Members and receive 10% off the retail price of #34.99 for our 125 piece set!

Turtles

2008-04-09T17:42:00.003-05:00

Who doesn’t like cute little turtles? We will read two Franklin the turtle stories, Hurry Up Franklin and Franklin is Messy by Paullette Bourgeois and Brenda Clark. We will also make a turtle craft using some simple shape cutouts.

Join us Saturday, April13th or Monday, April 15th from 10:30-11:00am for this story hour. Reservations are recommended. Space is limited. Please call 314-894-7000 to register.

Game of the Week: Rush Hour!

2008-04-07T09:41:00.002-05:00

Is the drive home from school and work not crazy enough for you? Come on in to the Teachers Lounge and play our game of the week: Rush Hour by Thinkfun Games. Rush Hour includes 40 mind challenging cards with the solutions on the back, 15 cars and trucks, and 1 red escape car. You get your very own traffic grid and storage bag to take the game wherever you may go.

The object of the game is to set the board up using one of the challenge cards and try to slide the red car off the board without taking any of the blocking cars off. You simply slide the cars out of your way, sounds easy? Well, I don't think so! The challenge cards all range in level of difficulty from beginner to expert!

Come on in and give Rush Hour try with one of our Team Members during the week of April 7-14 and receive 10% off of our regular price of $16.99!

April Showers

2008-04-02T17:42:00.002-05:00

It's the time of year for April showers! Let's read about the rainy weather with the stories The Rain Came Down by David Shannon and A Rainbow of My Own by Don Freeman. We will make a cool "drip drop raindrop" painting and we will color a beautiful rainbow.

Join us Saturday, April 5th or Monday, April 7th from 10:30-11:00am for this story hour.
Reservations are recommended. Space is limited. Please call 314-894-7000 to register.

Game of theWeek: I Spy a Mouse in the House

2008-03-31T09:45:00.002-05:00

I Spy a Mouse in the House is a great picture rhyming game by Carson Dellosa. The game is similar to the popular I Spy books where children have to locate hidden objects in the story.
I Spy a Mouse in the House includes 36 game cards and a colorful game board. No reading required! Each player takes a turn by picking a blue mouse card and finding the object on the game board. When they locate the item , they keep their card. At the end of the game the player with the most cards wins! Three different variations can be played, use the green mouse cards to spy objects on the game board that rhyme with the object on the card.

Do you want to play with older kids? Just set a time limit for finding objects on the game board.
I Spy a Mouse in the House is a great family game! Recommended ages for the game is 4 and up, and it is fun for 1-3 players.

Come in and play a game with our Team Members the week of March 31-April 7 and receive 10% off the retail price $9.99. I Spy a Great Deal!!!

Kites!

2008-03-26T16:55:00.002-05:00

March is a great time to talk about flying kites in the windy spring weather. We will be reading Curious George Flies a Kite by Margaret Rey, and Berenstain Bears: We Like Kites by Stan and Jan Berenstain. We will of course be making a decorative kite to hang at home.

Join us Saturday, March 29th or Monday, March 31st from 10:30-11:00am for this story hour. Reservations are recommended. Space is limited. Please call 314-894-7000 to register.

Game of the Week: Cogno

2008-03-24T09:36:00.003-05:00

Our game of the week is an exciting game that will send you to space and beyond! Cogno is a awesome game to play with your kids, ages 7 and up. The game has 8 wild alien characters that have different capabilities, and personalities. The game board consist of planets, a black hole, tunnels and a space elevator!

Will we learn anything you may ask? Why of course you will! Cogno comes with Chaos Cards! Each card is full questions that are way cooler than trivia questions! When you get stumped on a question, don't worry, Cogno comes with a Book of Y. (explains the how & why for the chaos cards)

Cogno also has a Parallel Planet board. Anything can happen when you leave the main playing board and enter the parallel universe!

Play continues with a roll of the die and a correct answer. On the way you can collect fuel cells, and gear to make your travel easy.

Visit the Cogno web site and you can watch a easy to follow video for directions.
www.cogno.com

I played the game with my 10 year old son and he loved it! Come in the week of March 24-31 and play the game with some of our far out Team Members and receive 10% off the retail price of $29.95

Game of the Week: ABC Match and Learn Game

2008-03-18T15:47:00.004-05:00

Help children master their ABCs with this easy-to-play, FUN-tastic game! Kids identify upper- and lowercase letters and learn their sounds as they match each letter with a picture that begins with the same letter. A super way for kids to build important letter-recognition and phonics skills independently! Includes a bright and sturdy game board, spinner, 26 skill-building cards, four playing pieces, and easy-to-follow directions. Perfect for learning centers, choice time, small groups, and more!

Includes: Game board, spinner, 26 skill-building cards, playing pieces, easy-to-follow directions, & storage box

Come on in and play with one of our Team Members anytime during the week of March 17-24, and receive 10% of your purchase price of $10.95!

Free Giveaway From Learning Resources!

2008-03-16T18:32:00.003-05:00

I was reading my latest issue of Instructor Magazine and saw that Learning Resources is giving away one of their newest products, Word Swatters! Word Swatters allow you to isolate words on your chalkboard, whiteboard, or pocket chart to draw students' attention to any word you choose. Just visit Learning Resources' Website and fill out a simple form for your free Word Swatter. This free gift giving will only last while supplies last, so be sure to visit their website today!

Click Here To Visit Learning Resources

P.S. You will see Word Swatters in our store this summer!

Dr. Seuss Teacher Contest

2008-03-15T14:02:00.003-05:00

Hey everyone! Don't forget to enter our BEST Dr. Seuss activity or display contest. All entries should be turned in by March 28th so we can choose a winner. The winner will receive a $25 gift card to The Teachers' Lounge. All you have to do is take a picture of your display or activity, leaving any students out please, and turn it in at the store along with an entry form. You can obtain the entry form at the front desk in the store. It's your chance to show off your creative ideas! Enter now!!!