Recently I visited a kindergarten teacher while her children were having rest time. We looked at her classroom and how to maximize her space.
As I was leaving, rest time was over. “Watch this,” she said. She reached into her desk and pulled out a button that she pushed. It played the Jeopardy theme song which was the signal for her students to put away their mats and move to the carpet for instruction. It worked like magic! She told me she’d gotten it at Hallmark a few years ago.
She then showed me her other buttons. She had one that plays James Brown’s “I Feel Good”. For small group, she has the famed “Easy” button from Staples. In fact, I have that one, too! Do you have any buttons you use in your classroom?
Love this story of the buttons. I would love to know if there is a source for any of them now, or is it just by chance that you find these buttons. I’ve never seen any of them in stores here in Michigan. As a 1st grade reading teacher, I know how children love routine and if you can put it to music, all the better and more effective. Wish I could find some buttons. Thanks.
Hi Nancy,
If you look back at this post and click on the underlined words, it will take you to the sources I found for them. Good luck and thanks for commenting on my blog!
Debbie
I have seen the buttons at Hallmark stores in several different cities. You may want to check there. I love to see the use of novelty in calling kids to the group area. Use of these is a new idea to me though. I have seen teachers use chimes, rain sticks, songs and music. Great idea!