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A gift is a wish for happiness. Jonathan Bach
The 2006 Edition of Gifts for Literacy Geeks was our most popular article last year, so we've decided to make it an annual feature. I hope some of this year's recommendations can be passed along as a "wish for happiness" to the friends, families, and colleagues who love learning as much as you do.
As always, Choice Literacy receives no compensation from the companies whose gifts we recommend. These are just items our contributors have gifted or received this year that stand out as especially fun or useful. Enjoy!
Brenda Power
Editor, Choice Literacy
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Your classroom is all decorated and ready for students -- clean rug, lovely wall displays...and you're stuck with that ugly beat-up file cabinet in the corner. Can't live without it (and besides, if you throw it out the window it might flatten small children).
Magnetic channels to the rescue! I read about them on contributor Katie DiCesare's blog a few months ago. These are magnetized sliders that hold enough weight to display books -- in effect, you change the side of your file cabinet into a book display. They aren't easy to find online, but Calloway House carries them - click here to access the link.
Other less expensive dress-ups for a file cabinet that are terrific for storing a few pens or post-its are are these mini magnetic file folders from Gartner Studios. These are getting impossible to find, so I fear they are no longer being manufactured. You can occasionally find them in Target stores, too.
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I was walking with contributor Mary Lee Hahn at a conference in Ohio a few years ago on a crisp fall day, and she remarked that the leaves had turned early, based on the notes she read in her ten-year journal that morning. Ten-year journal? I was intrigued. The design of this journal is compact and ingenious. Each single page has ten years of one date, with room for about a paragraph of notes each year (for example, if you bought the journal this year, November 17th would be on one page, with spots for 2007, 2008, 2009, etc. through 2017). There are "carry-on" pages included at regular intervals if something amazing or important happens and you need more space to write.
If you or a friend is the type of person who faithfully sticks to a routine, but lacks the energy or impulse to write a full page each day, this is a wonderful gift. I gave one to my mother five years ago, and everyone in the family loves flipping through her notes on everything from mundane activities to what she was doing when she heard the news of a birth of a grandchild. The journals use acid-free paper, so they are a keepsake to pass down - click here for details.
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Expanding file folders and portfolios are such an elegant way to keep track of projects, and have them with you when you are on the go from school to home. This is one of those items you see and want right away, and then have a tough time finding online or in stores. See Jane Work carries a few different options,
including a purse or accordian styles.
See Jane Work is also a terrific spot for virtual window shopping on the web if you are crazy for stylish office supplies. Check out my favorite feature, the "Desk of the Month" -- if you discover a desk there that fits your style or that of a colleague, chances are there will be an accessory on it that is the perfect gift.
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Stationery
In a posting earlier this fall, I mentioned a new line of notecards with illustrations from children's book characters. These are inexpensive and small - just right for a quick note to a colleague, parent or child. Current offerings include Curious George
If someone on your gift list is a fan of New Yorker cartoons, you may not realize you can have a favorite printed as stationery. Information on creating custom notecards with New Yorker cartoons is at this link.
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Here are some small items that aren't terribly expensive if you are looking for stocking stuffers or lots of gifts for a staff party - Mari-Mi's striped weekly to-do list is great for a fridge at home or in school.
If you're always clipping short text in the newspaper or cartoons to share with students or pass along to colleagues, a single-sheet newspaper clipper from Levenger's is tiny and tidier than scissors or razor page-cutters.
Every year someone comes up with a clever new bookmark - I like these leather photo bookmarks with a charm attached which are only $2.22 each plus shipping. At that price, I'm keeping a few on hand this year to use as gift tags with personal photos.
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These are the gifts that made me smile this year, and they might be just right for a seriously silly literacy geek in your life - pen nib earrings from Pendemonium, crossword puzzle pajamas from Homeroom Direct, and Scrabble cufflinks from Tokens & Coins.
That's all for this year -- Happy Shopping!