5 Things to Take to a Teaching Conference

As the school year is winding down, and summer is heating up, it is now time for Teaching Conference Season! For the last five summers I have been SO lucky to go to a conference of some kind. There are SO MANY options! I have gotten to go to the two biggies, I Teach K in Vegas and Frog Street SPLASH in Dallas!

This summer I am going to be going to SPLASH again! And as I am prepping for all the great sessions, I thought I would share with you what I will be taking with me!

1) Bag:

I am a bag hoarder! I have like 20 bags I learned my lesson the first year I went to Vegas for I Teach K. DO NOT TAKE A HUGE BAG! Sometimes you are treking across a huge hotel, and after a while the bag gets heavy. I love my Retro Metro bag from Thirty-One. Sad news is, they don’t sell them any more. But that means you can get them cheaper on eBay! (Or you can get them on Amazon?!)

2) Notebook:

I always buy me a new pretty notebook from Target before I leave. Polka Dots, Chevron, Stripes, Flowers, ANYTHING that just screams Buy Me Kaci!! I take notes in the notebook, and since I am a little ADD, I also like to doodle while I am listening to the session. (It also is helpful to keep a running todo list, I always think of things I need to do when I am sitting in a workshop!)

3) Pens:

Hi, My name is Kaci, and I am addicted to pens. When I go to a conference, I have to buy a brand new pack of Flair Pens. And by the time I get home, I will have lost over half… You can’t just have one, you have to have multiple colors. This way you can color code your notes and doodle cute pictures in the margins! (They are also on sale right now at Amazon for $10, I might have bought two sets….)

4)Laptop/Tablet:

My laptop fits perfectly into my Retro Metro bag, and it goes with me every where! I like to have my laptop so I can type notes during sessions (when I get tired of writing notes, I like options!) I also can use it to look at Facebook if I get to sessions early. Some people like to bring their iPads or Tables, for the same reasons and they are lighter. But I prefer a full keyboard.

5) Snacks:

I am not a size 4 by any means, and I like snacks. I make sure to bring something sweet (peanut butter twix) something salty (trail mix) a bottle of water AND a Dr. Pepper!

I hope that you enjoy your conference this summer! If you are at SPLASH in Dallas, be sure to say HI!!!!

This post does contain affiliate links to Amazon. However, there is nothing in here that I would not purchase myself for my classroom. I hope you can find something that you need for your room.