Favorite Small Business Teacher Shops

No one knows what teachers want like other teachers. 


I'm a big fan of supporting small businesses. Especially small, woman-owned businesses. You know that when you are supporting them, you are helping to put food on their table, send their kids to swim lessons, and sometimes, in really special circumstances, helping them to be able to stay home with their own kids. Below is a list of some of my favorite small businesses. I love each for different reasons, but mostly. because they are run by the sweetest humans who hustle hard to hand-make items that bring joy to those who purchase them. 


WHIMSY AND WHITEBOARDS

*Full disclosure, I am the Kelly of Kelly and Cece, but I am pretty proud of what we create!.*
How many teacher tees is too many teacher tees? Asking for a friend. Kelly and Cece have the cutest tees for teachers. And if teacher tees aren’t your jam, they also have a wide variety of handmade, lightweight leather and clay earrings. 

EMBELLISHED EDUCATION

You can never have too many glitter accessories! Jessica has the most creative handmade goodies. Whether it’s a teacher themed tumbler, a keychain, or unique earrings, this shop is sure to have something you want!

SIMPLY STAINED SHOP

Looking for the perfect homey touch to add to your classroom? Lauren is your go to! Choose from pre-made signs, or create your own custom sign, unique to your classroom. As a bonus, you might get a peek into her life as a rancher and see all her cute, furry four-legged friends!


THE HAPPY HEADBAND CO

There’s no such thing as a bad hair day! Kasey is one of the sweetest people out there. She started this shop with the goal of getting books in her students hands, and has built an empire that empowers other women. 


TBE APPAREL

I have loved this shop since the moment I discovered them. Maddie make these amazing tees, bags, and hats using a combination of positive character traits. I *might* have multiples in different colors. 

OF HANDS AND HEARTS

A beauty of the internet is that you can connect to people all over the world. Kasey lives in Australia, but happily will ship to the states. She has adorable lanyards, as well as a myriad of other unique goodies. She also sources items from other small shops as a way to support other small businesses.

TEACHING JOYS

https://teachingjoysshop.com

Just because you have to wear a mask, doesn’t mean you can’t still be cute! Shannon has created the cutest, masks, headbands, and stationary that make the perfect gifts to brighten any teachers day!

LUCKY STAMPS

https://luckytobeinfirst.com/


Oh, you think I’m punny?! I’m such a sucker for a good pun. These stamps by Molly make grading a little more enjoyable. With a huge variety to choose from, you’ll keep yourself and your students laughing all year long! 

4 THE LOVE OF PI

https://4theloveofpi.com

I’m a firm believer that an ounce of prevention will save you a pound of STRESS later in life. Amie has the most amazing Teacher Planners, sure to help take a load off as you plan out your school year, and maintain the day to day. 

TEACHER CARE CRATE

Need a little perk me up? Sarah has created the ultimate box of surprise treats, mailed to you once a month. It’s like Christmas morning, just when you need it the most! 


Have another small business you love? Share in the comments! 








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My Favorite Thanksgiving Picture Books





 My library is my favorite part of my room. I have invested a small fortune in books. If I’m being honest, I have zero regrets about spending my money in that way.

As I was putting away my Halloween books (you can read about my favorite Halloween picture books by clicking here.), I had to leave out a lot of pumpkin books to fill my shelf. I just did not have very many Thanksgiving books. I would assume that I’m not the outlier in this. Thanksgiving is often skipped over in mainstream media, and it’s easy to jump from Spooky Season to Merry Season.


But I didn’t want to just skip over Thanksgiving. So, I started with an online hunt looking for the best Thanksgiving books. I hit up my local library to review them all, and started purchasing my favorites to add to my collection. (Yes, I could just check them out from my local library, but I am the worst at returning library books on time and always end up with a huge amount of fines. Most of the time, it’s more cost effective for me to buy a book than “borrow” it, and an added perk is I get to reread it with my kids over and over again!)


Below is a list of my absolute favorites, and why I think they are a valuable addition to any classroom or home library!


Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. By ordering through these links, I earn a small commission. All opinions are my own. You can click to purchase any of the books on Amazon by clicking the photo on each (just click outside of the "Pin It" button in the middle). ðŸ˜€


1. Turkey Trouble by Wendi Silvano

This has been a classic favorite of mine for years! I love disguise a turkey activities, and this book is absolutely perfect for introducing that project! This is a must have for any primary teacher or parent of littles. It’s hilarious and book you will want to read over and over and over again! As a bonus, there are also 4 other Turkey books in this series! 



2. The Very Stuffed Turkey by Katharine Kenah

Learning how to say no is a hard skill. Especially when we have to say no to things that we want to do! Poor turkey learns this lesson through the experience of overstuffing (literally) his Thanksgiving Day schedule. This funny story is sure to stick with the grown up s reading it in a completely different, but equal, way than it does with the kids listening to it! 



3. How to Catch a Turkey by Adam Wallace

My kids can honestly not get enough of this series by Adam Wallace. They are all read over and over again! (Bonus, there are 14 books in the “How to Catch” series!). in this hilarious book a turkey is on the loose in the school and readers get to laugh at all the ways he is chased and escapes. 

 Grab How to Catch a Turkey on Amazon by clicking HERE!


4. T is for Turkey by Tanya Lee Stone 

This is probably one fo the very first Thanksgiving books I ever added to my collection when I started teaching kindergarten over a decade ago. The illustrations in this book are just beautiful. Through an alphabet story, readers are introduced to various terms used at Thanksgiving. This book is great for little learners to expand their vocabulary with practical, seasonal terms. 


 Grab T is for Turkey on Amazon by clicking HERE!


5. Gobble, Gobble Mr. Wobble by Becky Cummings

Turkey is invited to Thanksgiving dinner. All the other animals on the farm seem to know what this means, but not Mr. Wobble. He is ecstatic to sit at Farmer Joe’s table, and works hard to look and be his best self for this holiday. As Thanksgiving dinner draws closer, the other animals are increasingly worried. This book is a cute way to introduce the idea that not everyone eats turkey for Thanksgiving, and is especially inclusive of any students who may be vegan or vegetarian to feel included in this holiday. 


6. Balloons over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy's Parade by Melissa Sweet

Watching the Macy Thanksgiving Day Parade has always been a favorite holiday activity of mine. There is something, even as an adult, that is magical about those giant floats. This book introduces Tony Sarg, the original puppeteer whose talent, dedication, and creativity inspired the giant balloons that we still continue to enjoy almost a century later! The unique illustrations in this book are equally as captivating as the story within it. A fun, informative, unique read. 



7. Squanto’s Journey: The Story of the First Thanksgiving by Joseph Bruchac

This book is a unique Thanksgiving story in that it is written from Squanto’s perspective, as opposed to the pilgrims. It does include some of the negative realities of the white mans treatment of natives (including selling Squanto in to slavery), while also not detailing the realities in a way that is too difficult for young minds. The storyline allows you to go into more detail or not, depending on the age and understanding of your reader. This book is a great introduction to teaching not only the highlights of thanksgiving, but also some of the bad things that were done.



8. A Little Thanksgiving SPOT by Diane Alber

Okay. Full disclosure, I LOVE Diane Alber. I have been following her on Instagram since she was just a tiny little account and I have loved everything she has created since! This book is a perfect reminder for kids and adults abut what is really important at Thanksgiving and is perfect for introducing any “thankful” activities. Bonus, there are a TON of SPOT books in her series, and every single one lives up to the hype!



9. The Leaf Thief by Alice Hemming

This is a newer book and has gained popularity rapidly, for good reason! The story is an absolutely adorable charming read for fall! Follow squirrel on an adventure as he learns about adapting to change. The book is also a great story to use when teaching about the changing seasons. 



10. In November by Cynthia Rylant

I think this book is on my list mostly because the beautiful illustrations paint the most beautiful imagery in my mind. The sweet story perfectly compliments the illustrations and this book creates a sense of peace, both visually and emotionally, to readers. 




You can access all of these books by clicking the links below each book description, or by visiting my Amazon storefront HERE.  

I'm always on the hunt for great books. Are there any Thanksgiving books that I don't have on my list that you love?


As always, I would love for you to help me spread the word about these amazing books by re-pinning the image below. 😀




My Most Common Teachers Pay Teachers Technical Help Questions Answered!

 


Hello Teacher Friends, 

Below I am going to address a few common questions I receive from teachers after purchasing products on Teachers Pay Teachers, so they are all in one place, and have visual representations of how to fix them.

 

Before I even delve into various issues and how to fix them, I'm going to say this. If you are opening a PDF, please open it in Adobe. You can download it here. Just trust me. It is free, and it is a program you're going to want!

 

 
Macs especially like to default to opening files in Preview. Years ago, I couldn't get clickable links to work in a PDF I had purchased and I spent an embarrassing amount of time trying to figure out why. It was because my computer kept defaulting to opening the file in Preview. Everything worked perfectly when I opened in Adobe instead. Here is how: 

 
I love adding embedded fonts to my files. It's a beast to set up on my end, but I believe that it allows users to edit files quickly and easily, and saves so much time on their end. However, I often get questions about the fonts disappearing. Again, this is because the file is being opened in a PDF reader that does not support editing. 

 
 Adobe Pro used to be pretty expensive, and because of that, only sellers purchased it. Adobe now includes Adobe Pro in their "teacher/student discount" and I've had an increase in questions asking why the file asks for a password when they go to edit. The "edit" tab is there for creating form fields, not for editing pre-existing form fields. Simply go to the page you want to edit, and fill in the pre-existing fields!
 


 
 Did you know that different countries print on different sizes of paper? Yep, not everyone is A4! If your file is printing outside the margins, it's an easy fix! Here's how:
 

 

Occasionally, you may print a file and some fonts are missing. What a pain, I know! Luckily, it's a painless fix that takes approximately 5 seconds to fix. Here's how:



I know there are many issues that arise with files. These are the most common questions that I receive. If there are other issues that you encounter, feel free to send me an e-mail and I will try to address it, if I can. 💌

Please note that there is also a FAQ section on the Teachers Pay Teachers website. You can find it by clicking the picture below! 

Occasionally there are issues that we, as sellers, cannot recreate or figure out. If this is the case, please contact the Teachers Pay Teachers Tech Team, as they have a whole team of tech savvy employees that will likely be able to help you! You can find them by clicking HERE.

 

 Thanks for reading. I hope that was helpful!  ❤️







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My Most Common Teachers Pay Teachers Technical Help Questions Answered