Anyways, I LOVE the style of this poster. Your students’ futures are BRIGHT (and so is yours).

Click HERE to download the FREE poster.

The post Free Inspirational Poster for Teachers & Students appeared first on The SuperHERO Teacher.

If you’re reading this, you’re likely wanting to capture a milestone with your family! Hand prints are an incredible way to do just that, and OOLY makes it super simple with their Lil’ Paint Pods. PS: they are washable and smell delicious, so they’re definitely kid friendly!

Here’s what you need:

• OOLY Lil Paint Pods
• OOLY Paintbrushes
• FREE name/year template (download here)

Directions:

1. Edit the free name/year template with your last name and the year you’re documenting.
2. Parents will paint and style their hands first to ensure there’s enough space on the paper.
3. Paint your children’s hands and press down firmly on the paper.
4. Use the paintbrush to add any touch ups.
5. Display and/or store your masterpiece!

This is the perfect activity for new families and established families! Make it a family tradition each year.

The post DIY Hand Print Craft for Families appeared first on The SuperHERO Teacher.

I’m back again with another fun DIY student craft inspired by OOLY products! This time, students will design their own hat and mittens to turn into festive garland that will brighten anyone’s mood, no matter where they’re displayed in you classroom. I especially love this craft because it allows for creativity, and it doesn’t center only one holiday, but rather the season of winter.

This craftivity is surprisingly simple. Below, I’ve listed the items needed and linked a FREE template for the winter hat and mittens.

Supplies needed:

• OOLY Smooth Stix
• OOLY Watercolor Pods
• Scissors
• Yarn (chunky is best)
• Hot glue gun or stapler
• FREE hat/mittens template

Directions:

1. Print off the number of hat/mitten sets you’ll need for each student in your class.
2. Prompt students to use their OOLY Smooth Stix and watercolor pods to design and decorate a matching set! Encourage students to be creative and make their hat and gloves unique.
3. Cut out the hate/mittens.
4. Attach the chunky yarn to the bottom of the hat and add the mittens.
5. Using a hole punch, put a hole in the top of each hat and create garland with the chunky yarn.
6. Display beautifully in your classroom space!

I hope you’re loving these fun winter crafts! If you’re looking for holiday gifts or stocking stuffers, be sure to check out OOLY’s amazing collection to inspire kids to find a love for art.

The post DIY Winter Hats & Gloves Craft for Elementary appeared first on The SuperHERO Teacher.

Britt here with another fun craftivity for you to do with your students during the winter months! But this isn’t just a craft– it’s a learning opportunity for students, too. I’ve titled this activity Snow Globe Winter Habitats and I used OOLY paints and craft supplies to complete the project!

The goal for this craft is to encourage students to learn about the habitats of animals that thrive in cold atmospheres. Students will create a snow globe for an animal of their choosing (or one that you assign them) and then research interesting facts about the habitat to share with their peers.

Feel free to download this FREE worksheet to help students brainstorm their project.

Supplies needed:

• Two paper plates
• OOLY lil’ poster paint pods
• OOLY Smooth Stix Watercolor Gel Crayons
• Construction Paper
• OOLY paint brushes
• Popsicle Stick
• Scissors

Directions:

1. Prompt students to paint and decorate their paper plates based on the habitat of their winter animal. They’ll paint the background on 3/4 of their first paper plate and then paint the bottom of their background on 1/3 of the second paper plate.
2. On the first paper plate, cut a slit 1/2″ below the line of the second paper plate.
3. Place the second paper plate on top of the first paper plate and adhere it to the first paper plate along the edges.
4. Then, create your animal using the construction paper, scissors and popsicle stick.
5. Finally, show students how to insert their popsicle stick into the paper plate slit to make it interactive.

I hope your students LOVE this activity as much as I do! Huge thank you to OOLY for supplying all of the best craft supplies for teachers and students!

If you do this activity, we’d love to see it! Tag us on Instagram — @thesuperheroteacher and @weareooly.

The post Winter Activity for Elementary Teachers and Students appeared first on The SuperHERO Teacher.

As you know, I love ALL THINGS classroom design and décor. For years, I’ve been hosting classroom makeovers for incredible teachers all around the United States, and I love including unique DIY projects like the one I’ll be sharing here. I’ve teamed up with OOLY to design these watercolor paper fans that you can easily create with your students and display around your classroom!

What do you need to create these beautiful, hand-crafted paper fans with your students? Check the supply list below.

1. Watercolor paper— I used OOLY’s Chroma Blends Watercolor paper and it worked beautifully. Find it HERE!
2. Watercolor paints— I used OOLY’s Watercolor Pods and am obsessed with the quality of color. Find it HERE!
3. Watercolor brush markers — I used OOLY’s Chroma Blends Watercolor Brush Markers and they helped make the fans stand out. Find it HERE!
4. Watercolor mechanical pencils— I used OOLY’s Chroma Blends Mechanical Watercolor pencils for fine details. Find it HERE! 
5. Paint brushes– I used OOLY’s lil’ Paint Brush Set. Find it HERE!
6. Scissors
7. Glue (I used hot glue and would suggest making the paper fans for your students before hand if hot glue is not an option)
8. String
9. Beads (optional)
10. Hole punch
11. Water for blending and rinsing

Now that you’ve gathered your supplies, it’s time to start crafting! Follow these simple directions to get the most out of your paper fan experience.

• Set up stations in your classroom with watercolor paints, paint brushes, paper, glue and water in cups for rinsing.
• Fold four (4) pieces of the watercolor paper in an accordion fold and glue them together.
• Prompt students to blend colors and decorate their paper fans.
• On the back side of one of accordion fold, create a hole punch and attach the string for hanging.
• If using beads, ask students to add their beads and tie a knot at the top of the string.

I would strongly suggest giving students creative freedom and allowing them to design a paper fan that represents them. This is a great way to include your students’ work around the classroom so that they can make the space truly their own. Try encouraging students to try a mixture of watercolor paints, watercolor pencils, and watercolor paint pens for the optimal experience!

If you’re looking for all of the materials I used in one location, you can check them out HERE on OOLY’s website. They truly have the best art supplies for kids. The quality is unmatched and the options are endless! How can you make these paper fans unique to your students?

I’d love to see your creations! Tag us on Instagram: @thesuperheroteacher and @weareooly

Have fun crafting!

The post DIY Classroom Decor Paper Fans Using OOLY appeared first on The SuperHERO Teacher.

My favorite books for spooky season:

• The Little Ghost Who Was a Quilt by Riel Nason
• Wolfboy by Andy Harkness
• Ten Little Jack-O-Lanterns by Robert Dunn
• How I Met My Monster by Amanda Noll
• Pig the Monster by Aaron Blabey
• Poultrygeist by Eric Geron
• Pop-Up Peekaboo Monsters by Clare Lloyd
• I Love My Fangs by Kelly Leigh Miller
• Gustavo the Shy Ghost by Flavia Z. Drago
• Creepy Pair of Underwear by Aaron Reynolds
• Moldilocks and the Three Scares by Lynne Marie
• She Wanted to be Haunted by Marcus Ewert

I would love to hear what you think of the books (and which you’d recommend)! Share on IG @thesuperheroteacher or TikTok @brittanyjeltema.

The post My Favorite Children’s Halloween Books appeared first on The SuperHERO Teacher.

If you’re reading this, it means you’re ready to help your students become a stronger advocate and ally. That can be a challenge, but it’s so important, which is why I developed this free activity for you! All you need to do is gather your supplies for students to create their own advocacy bracelets and start a discussion with your students about what characteristics create an ally. Students might come up with words like: courage, strength, dedication, etc.

Once your students create their lists, ask them to choose 1-3 words that represent themselves as an advocate! Encourage them to create their bracelet and wear it as a reminder that they, too, can be an advocate and ally for their peers.

Teaching students how to be an advocate and ally can be engaging and creative with this activity!

Be sure to grab all of your favorite multi-colored and alphabet beads for kids at your local Michaels stores for this project with your students! If you do this activity, tag me on Instagram @thesuperheroteacher. I’d love to see it!

Click HERE to download the FREE printable.

Best,

Brittany Jeltema
The SuperHERO Teacher

The post Teaching Students About Advocacy (FREE Activity Included) appeared first on The SuperHERO Teacher.

This concept took me a long time to understand and I still struggle with it today. As someone who puts a ton of pressure on herself, it’s important for me to slow down and recognize the progress I’ve made, too. I think a lot of students feel the same way. They feel the weight of school, sports, and life after graduation on their shoulders and forget to see how they’ve evolved.

And I KNOW teachers feel this way. There are unrealistic expectations to be the perfect teacher. But here’s the thing– you know you’re making improvements each year, your students know you’re making improvements each year, and your friends/family know you’re making improvements each year… the rest is just noise. Especially this year.

So this is for the teachers, the students, and the staff who need help seeing the beauty in their progress. Cheers!

Download the FREE poster here

Have a fabulous day!

The post Progress Over Perfection Classroom Poster (FREE) appeared first on The SuperHERO Teacher.

I will add more to this blog post when I’m feeling better, but here is the link to download the Pantone style LGBTQIA+ posters! If you run a GSA or teach upper grades, this is a fantastic opportunity to talk about the symbolism and meaning of the colors in each flag.

Download the posters HERE.

I’ll work on adding pictures and more of a description this week.

Thanks for understanding.

The post LGBTQ+ Free Pantone Posters appeared first on The SuperHERO Teacher.

Please download this poster, hang it in your classroom, and then brainstorm other ways to take action so that we can

• Protect trans kids
• Protect trans youth
• Protect trans teachers

Each week of April, Skye from @growingwithmxt and I are going to be sharing different ways to support the LGBTQ+ community in your classroom, because change begins with us!

Click HERE to download the FREE “Protect Trans Kids” poster

Best,

Brittany

The post Protect Trans Kids FREE Classroom Poster appeared first on The SuperHERO Teacher.