Budget cuts to education leave many schools strapped. When school districts have less money to spend per student, the burden often falls on teachers to provide supplies and materials for their classrooms. Spending money wisely and deciding what to buy for the classroom has become a challenge many teachers face. When you draw up a shopping list for items for your classroom, use your judgment to determine which items to purchase.

Flash Cards

Many children enjoy learning with flash cards.
Flash cards are a relatively inexpensive resource that provides a big return. You can allow the children to work with them in pairs or groups to drill each other on their skills, or use them yourself to play games with the class. Have all the children stand up at their desks. Start at the front of the room and work your way around showing a flash card and having the first student answer. Whenever a student gets an incorrect answer, have them sit down. Proceed until there is one student left standing. Award a prize to the winner.

Globe

A globe is a useful classroom resource.
A globe is an essential for any classroom. Each time you present a location in your lessons, ask one student to locate it on the globe and show the class. Choose a random locale, and ask the students to write a short story about their adventures in that country. A globe offers a concrete, three-dimensional way for kids to learn geography and broaden their horizons -- no matter what subject they are studying.

Fiction Books

A good book will capture a student's attention.
One way to foster a love of reading in children is to give them good books to read. Choose riveting books that they'll find hard to put down in order to entice them to read more. Place a bookshelf in your room, and create a classroom library. Allow students to pick up a book to read after their work is done and they're waiting on other students to finish up. Choose books to suit all reading levels.

Reward Items
Reward items are small, fun prizes that you can give students for a job well done. Stickers, bookmarks, colorful erasers, decorative pencils and award ribbons are all items that can be used incentives to encourage students to try hard and do their best. While other rewards such as praise and encouragement obviously need to be a regular part of the classroom, tangible rewards add a sense of fun.