Every November, when the days got shorter and the holiday sparkle started to appear, high school Courtney had one favorite after-school ritual watching Oprah’s Favorite Things.That really was a highlight for me during my high school years. I loved watching people’s excitement and waiting to see which new treasures Oprah would debut each year. I remember when the Oprah magazine came out and she would share all her gems. I would grab a marker and circle everything I needed “hoped” to have for Christmas. Spoiler alert most everything was WAY out of my budget.
While I’m not Oprah (and no, no one’s winning a car today 😅), I do love sharing things that bring me joy — both in and out of the classroom. So here are a few of my favorite things for teachers, book lovers, and humans who love a little happy.
💛 Favorite Human Gifties
We had a family tradition whenever my sisters and I did something special, spectacular, or just needed a boost we got to have the red plate at dinner. When each of us got married our parents gave us our own red plate to use with our new family.
If you ever invite me over for dinner, move into a new house, move away, tell me you like ice cream, have a birthday, or celebrate a holiday with me I am going to buy you this ice cream scooper. It is by far the best scooper I have ever held in my hand. Do I dare tell you, I have a white one (we got from our wedding), red, green, and pink.
When I wear makeup which is rounded to never, I swear by these makeup sponges. They are so good and flawlessly add foundation to my face. The pack comes with 5 colors and I always start with the red one. They are super cheap and last awhile.
🍎Favorite TEACHER gifties:
Every subject in my class has a color. These post-it notes make my organizational heart glow. They are sticky, but not too sticky. The colors are the perfect hue. When I need a sticky note on math worksheets, I grab all the blues. Yes, math is BLUE! 🙂
I could not function as a teacher without Astrobrights paper. Dramatic? Maybe. True? Absolutely. My classroom thrives in color, and Astrobrights is the heartbeat behind it. I use it for everything—Thanksgiving crafts, Halloween crafts, rainbow classroom touches, and more. Bright paper just makes life better.
Click for more Astrobright details!
The only negative about these makers is that they are not bullet tip. The colors are vibrant. The usage is the whole year plus some. At the end of the year, I will add the markers to my kid white board marker box. Some people have shared that they leak, but I am going on 7 years strong with no leakage. I also store mine upside down to keep the strong color flowing
📖Favorite PICTURE BOOK gifties:
is my favorite picture book series for upper grade. The illustrations are intriguing, the books have great tier 2 vocabulary words for instruction, and the life lessons really stick. I have made the Food Group Series my teaching partner. Every table in my classroom is named after a book, the windows are lined with the plushies, and we read the books all the time. Check a quick view of the group here. Have you seen the newest Humble Pie? If I went into my classroom right now, I would find at least 5 of the books on my 5th grader’s desks.
In my Open The Magic Headquarters, I have the cutest rainbow bookends that I purchased at Homegoods years ago, but I found these cute ones on amazon and now I want them too!
I have had my kid kindle for 2 years and I absolutely love it. Shhhh…. There is no difference between the adult and kid kindle that I am aware of….. I never thought I would be a Kindle person and …..you guys… I am a Kindle person as of June 22nd, 2024. The end. I love the ease of it when traveling or waiting at an appointment. I love a good girlie book or historical fiction. The Nightingale and The Bromance Book Club have been my favorite reads so far.
I hope a few of my favorite things bring some happiness, color, and inspiration your way this season. 💛
I read a quote this week that really stuck with me. “I hope you find time to be happy, not just strong.” This is from @the_poetry_of_being on instagram.
Don’t forget to grab your free November Picture Book Favorites list — perfect for your home or classroom library!
