Back-to School Bargains

Shavuah Tov. In this post, I had intended to describe a cumulative wall display. Then, I brought in the Sunday paper. WOW! Loads of ads with totally cheap school supplies!
Your Question: "So what? My school supplies chalk, pencils, paper. What more do I need?"
My answer: How about a protractor - only $.05 at Office Depot. A protractor?! For religious school? If you're good at drawing free-hand, skip this section or read it and scoff. For teachers, like me, whose drawing genes never jumped in the pool, a protractor is a pattern for tracing - leaves! C'mon, chevre, use your imaginations. A protractor is sort of leaf-shaped. Cut the protractor shape with zig-zag edged scissors and the result looks positively tropical. Remember the All Purpose Tree display (post "No Dinos Here! Interactive Classroom Displays 7/29/10)? Rely on the protractor for leaf shapes.
A series of larger and smaller shapes traced and cut from inside and outside the protractor make flower petals. "Brachot in Bloom?" anyone?

Crayons (4 boxes for a dollar at Toys R Us); pencils (24 for a dollar at Walmart); erasers (3 for a dollar at Staples); construction paper ($1.49 for 96 sheets at Walgreens)...
Your Question: "Can't I get all those things from the religious school art room or supply cabinet?"
My Answer: Maybe. But, within a few weeks, some of the pencils will be lost, broken in half,chewed like trees around a beaver dam, or have erasers worn to a nub. It's easier to replace those supplies on the spot and worry about asking your religious school director for additional supplies later. And, by the way, cut the erasers in half for an added bargain.
Crayons and construction paper are often the province of the art teacher. The art teacher may not be around on the Wednesday that your Hebrew class masters the Yotzer Or prayer so quickly that the students have time to draw an illustration expressing their interpretation of the prayer. You need a few art supplies on hand to instantly take advantage of such creative opportunities.

Invest a very modest amount and stock up on back-to-school bargains for your class. It will really pay off in time and effort saved during the school year.

Note: Please see my post "Transparency" 8/1/10 which addresses my inclusion of store names in my posts.

More to come...Cumulative Displays - a real teacher's aide!