Paper Clip Tutorial

Happy Sunday!

I would like to point out that I am blogging two days in a row.

TWO DAYS.  IN A ROW.

I feel like I should take a bow or something.

I am here to give you a Paper Clip Tutorial.  I was under the impression everyone knew this trick until I went to my friend’s classroom (hello, Natalie!) to help her set up and she said that she had no clue what I was talking about.  So then I had to show her.  Because, if you ask me, it’s brilliant and I use it ALL THE TIME.

My second grade master teacher, Mrs. Wallace, taught this to me so it’s been around for a really really really long time.  Mrs. Wallace was amazing and I couldn’t believe she let me take over her class because I literally had no clue what I was doing.

NO CLUE.  Not to mention, when I walked the halls, I was stopped by a teacher who wanted to know where my hall pass was.  I’m giving that teacher the benefit of the doubt and thinking she thought I was a fifth grader.  Not a second grader.

So anyways!

I made this poster the other day for my Guided Math groups and I used the Paper Clip trick because I know that these groups are going to be flexible.  They won’t always stay the same based on the Topic we’re covering so I knew I didn’t want to use velcro or magnets.  Because, hello?  I’ve tried both before and, sometimes, I am too lazy to go to wherever you have to go to buy velcro and magnets and, most of the time, I don’t just have any lying around.  Not to mention, then you need velcro FOR THE POSTER, plus ALL THE INDIVIDUAL CARDS that you’ll be using.  That’s a lot of velcro.  Or magnets.  And all of your cards or whatever you’ve got get bulky when you’re storing them!

But I can always find a paper clip.

Because my kids are always finding them and returning them to me.  And, sometimes, they are returned to me without looking like a dangerous weapon that could be used to stab someone.  So that’s a bonus!

Here’s the tutorial IN PICTURES.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s the BRILLIANT part of the Paper Clip trick.

You don’t mess up your cards or whatever it is you need to switch out all the time.

They don’t have velcro or staples or magnets or push pins or anything on them.  They just slide under the paper clip all-protected-like.

I use the paper clip trick on my big calendar on the wall.  I just slide the calendar numbers under the paper clips.  I also use this for my Teacher’s Pet, too!

So there you go.

That’s my tip for the day.

Or the week.

Or the year.

And it’s free.

So enjoy.

🙂