*V.I.P. CADDY!* The Best Student Motivator E V E R !

*THIS BLOG POST WAS UPDATED ON JULY 31, 2017 under my new brand name, The Enthusiastic Class! 

(I was formerly Miss V's Kinder Kraziness)

Hey everyone!  How has 2016 been treatin' ya? It's been a very busy year for me so far. There are so many things that I'm doing in the classroom that I'm eager to share with all of you.  Here is the first one!

Want to know how I to get my kiddos motivated to stay focused, always try their best, and be model students?  It's something they really work hard to earn...V.I.P. CADDY privileges!

Mr. Sketch Scented Crayons smell DIVINE! Every scent is true to its name.

 My V.I.P. Caddy has every Scentos  and Mr. Sketch scented writing tool you can think of: crayons, colored pencils, gel pens, regular ink pens, and markers.  It also has Crayola twistable crayons, construction paper crayons, scissors, glue, and pencils- with erasers!

*Side note: This should be a whole other blog post, but let me tell you really quick why having a pencil with an eraser is a HUGE deal.  I don't allow erasers in the classroom.  The only person that is allowed to have and use an eraser is myself and my assistant for two reasons:

1. So they don't become obsessed with erasing EVERY. LITTLE. MISTAKE. and then make holes in their papers from erasing so much. It's also distracts them from finishing their task in a timely manner.
2. I think it's important that my students see their mistakes and not be fearful of making any.

How do I choose my Student of the Month (SOTM)?  I do not solely base it on grades.  The SOTM has to show growth in all areas: academics, behavior, effort, attitude, and character.

The SOTM is allowed to use the caddy for the ENTIRE MONTH.  Yes, friends.  The ENTIRE month.  Every day, the SOTM may choose two friends to sit with them at the V.I.P. Table and use the V.I.P. Caddy.  There are rules to follow when using the caddy.  If the rules are broken, bye-bye caddy!

V.I.P. Caddy Rules

• If the supplies are not put back correctly, you may not use the V.I.P. caddy for the rest of the day.
• If the SOTM chooses someone who I had to take many fuzzies way from that day because of misbehavior, they need to choose someone else.
• If an argument breaks out about between students about supplies, V.I.P. Caddy is shut down for the day.
• If you steal anything from the V.I.P. Caddy, bye-bye forever.

Luckily, I've only had to shut it down once, when the students left it a mess. They were devastated. Not gonna lie, I've been blessed with an amazing bunch this year who love to make their teacher happy!  

So far, this caddy has worked miracles! The SOTM picks different classmates everyday and makes sure that everyone gets a chance to use the caddy.  It has allowed them to interact with other students in the class that they might not normally hang out with, thus opening an opportunity to form new friendships!

I love the VIP Caddy so much that I have one for myself! Isn't it amazing?! My co-workers love borrowing the scented gel pens for note taking when meetings are held in my class.

*The rotating caddy was purchase at the Target Dollar Spot for $3.  FREE editable labels are from Learning in Wonderland's Teachers Pay Teachers store (click here for the labels).

UPDATE: It's 2017 and a new school year is among us.  In addition, the world of scented writing tools has expanded ten-fold! There are SO many different kinds of scented crayons, markers, etc., from all different brands.  I recently have come to love the Silly Scents [affiliate link] that Crayola has recently released. They have scents such as cherry, cotton candy (my fav), fruit punch, coconut, root beer, just to name a few!

Also,  you know that cute rotating caddy I got from Target that you see in the photos above? Yeah, the kiddos dropped it a bunch of times this past year and it cracked. BOO! This summer, I was on the hunt for the perfect caddy that could be easily replaced if it happened to break again. Enter Lakeshore Learning to the rescue! For under $20, I found a sturdy caddy organizer that is almost indestructible. What I love about Lakeshore is that all of their store brand items have a lifetime guarantee and if anything breaks, you can bring it back to the store for a replacement at no charge, FOR REALS!  Here is what my VIP caddy will look like for the 2017-2018 school year:

Rainbows make my teacher heart so happy! <3

I love this new VIP caddy so much, that I am hosting a giveaway RIGHT HERE AT THE END OF THIS BLOG POST so you could win one of your own for your classroom! Included in this giveaway are:

• Lakeshore Learning Tabletop Supply Caddy ($16.99 value)
• Crayola Silly Scents Colored Pencils (12-count: $4.99 value)
• Crayola Silly Scents Chisel Tip Markers (6-count: $7.99 value)
• Crayola Silly Scents Slim Markers (10-count: $4.99 value)
• Crayola Silly Scents Twist Crayons (12-count:$3.99 value)

That is a grand total of almost $40!  If you want to win this scentsational prize, make sure you enter below.  There are opportunities to earn more entries, too! The giveaway will begin promptly at Midnight EST August 1, 2017 and end at Midnight EST August 4, 2017. I will announce the winner on all my social media accounts. Best of luck and have a wonderful school year!

*This giveaway is not affiliated with Lakeshore Learning, Crayola, Facebook, Amazon, or Instagram. Must be 18 years old to enter and live in the USA.*

Since it is the start of a new school year, take a look at my Teachers Pay Teachers shop and grab some low-prep, independent activities for your kiddos! Here are some favorites:

 

Best wishes,
Erica

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