Each year, most teachers are given a budget and are then to decide what would be some materials that would be beneficial and useful in their classrooms.  Sometimes, it is not always so easy to decide or determine what you need.  And of course, if you do have a wish list of things that you really want, you are in most cases stumped on ways to justify that equipment.  This week, I will be sharing with you some equipment that may be useful in your classroom as well as providing suggestions for use.

• Digital Camera
  • Great for documenting experiences in the classroom
  • Great to use for creating videos, scrapbooks, slideshow presentations, memory books, cookbooks,  and more
  • Great to use for field trips, community events, and other special school wide events
• Photo printer
  • For instantly printing photos to be used in projects, cookbooks, etc.
  • Useful when printing photos for bulletin boards, presentation boards, etc.; especially when participating in Star Event
• Cricut Expression or Silhouette
  • Great for creating bulletin boards, presentation boards and more
  • Can be used to make stencils to make class or CTSO tee shirts/tote bags/aprons
  • Useful for creating labels, posters and signs to be displayed throughout the classroom
  • Can be used to personalize projects, create games, class activities, make paper crafts and more
• Laminator
  • Great for making student products look more polished
  • Adds durability to paper projects/products/crafts
• Tee shirt printer (Yudu)
  • Great for printing your own class and/or CTSO tee shirts/tote bags/aprons
  • Can also be used to make professional looking invitations, cards, gift bags, etc.
  • Can also be used to make products to be used for fundraising events
• Embroidery machine
  • Great for making your own class or CTSO tee shirts/tote bags/aprons
  • Great for personalizing items belonging to the teacher and/or the FACS classroom
  • Can also be used to make products to be used for fundraising events
• iPad
  • Helps to incorporate technology in the classroom
  • Great for using as a way to make presentations within the classroom that are interactive
  • Useful for classroom management –tracking behavior, homework, and loaning of class materials/equipment
  • Documenting classroom events with the camera/video recorder
  • Use as a resource or reference guide with books, magazines, dictionaries, apps, videos and more

Of course, all of this equipment is great for teaching your students new hands-on skills that they can use in the real world to obtain jobs, volunteer positions, and more.  Got more ideas for equipment that you think is useful in the FACS classroom, head over to the CAFE to share!