10 Must Have Classroom Essentials- Part 4

Problem: Students have a difficult time calming down.

In Kindergarten and First Grade especially, there are a lot of BIG feelings that come up in school, whether that be getting along with others, frustration over not being able to do something, or just plain feelings with no event attached!
I wanted to create a space in my room where students could go to get calmed down if they got frustrated so that we could speak when they are ready.

Here is what I have in my cool down corner:
-bean bag to sit in
-cards that show different ideas to cool down
-mirror
-feeling pictures
-Magnetic calm down cards
-Small, medium and big problem
-Zones of Regulation
-Sand timer so they don't stay too long!

 -Calm down bottle
I found the idea from Preschool Inspirations.
I ordered everything off of amazon:




I love my magnetic feeling choose board. I got the idea from Conscious Discipline, but I wanted a magnetic board instead of the felt board they have. I printed the pictures on magnetic paper, cut them out and used a simple magnetic whiteboard. The kids (and my three year old who has one at home) love using this board!

How do you keep your kids calm in your classroom? What do you use in your calm down corner? Let me know in the comment section!

10 Must Have Classroom Essentials- Part 3

Problem: The horrible fluorescent lighting in my room.
It seriously drives me crazy, I find the lights to be so overstimulating and if I could I would ditch them entirely! That being said, I found a solution is to turn half of them off and use lamps around the classroom to create that warm, cozy feel. I like ikea lamps but I found they haven't held up very well, so I found some other more sturdy lamps.

I have three in my room, but I would like to add a few more and am always on the lookout for a new one. What kind of lighting do you have in your room? What would you change if you could.