Actual Educator Recommendation and Experiences
Faculty leaders have the tough job of stretching restricted budgets, selecting merchandise and instruments with the very best impression and worth. However as increasingly more academic merchandise hit the market every year, it’s laborious for principals and directors to essentially know what’s going to profit their academics and college students most. That’s why we created the 2026 Faculty Shopping for Information, filled with actual Instructor Picks for Ok-12 merchandise throughout the curriculum!
We’ve requested actual academics throughout the nation to check out a collection of merchandise of their lecture rooms and provides us their trustworthy opinions. You’ll discover data like:
- How every product works and helps academics and college students
- Really useful grade ranges or topics
- Alignment with academic requirements and objectives
- Instructor ideas on ease of use and classroom engagement
- Scholar suggestions and real-world impression
- And extra!
2026 Faculty Shopping for Information From We Are Academics
Our Instructor Picks cowl merchandise throughout a variety of ages, topics, and sources. Check out our prime educator favorites throughout these classes:
2026 Shopping for Information for Science Lecture rooms
Inexperienced Bronx Machine
HANDS-ON ACTIVITY
Develop a tower backyard proper in your classroom to feed college students and households.
Who It’s For: Any instructor who needs to convey contemporary homegrown produce into their classroom and curriculum
Actual Instructor Rave: “My favourite half about utilizing Inexperienced Bronx in my classroom is how versatile and immersive it’s … I may by no means return to a classroom with out the vegetation, the trickling water, the contemporary smells, and our celebration salad feasts. The vegetation, water, lights, smells, and harvest feasts at the moment are a part of what my classroom is—and what it stands for.”
—Amy Poland, fifth grade instructor
Ward’s Science Have interaction Package: Underneath Stress
DIY SCIENCE KIT
Construct a DIY barometer—all supplies included.
Who It’s For: Earth science, environmental science, or bodily science lecture rooms in grades 8 to 10
Actual Instructor Rave: “As a science instructor, I really like to include as many hands-on actions as doable into my courses. That being stated, this usually includes gathering or buying supplies and creating the student-facing supplies (procedures, knowledge sheets, dialogue questions, and so on.). Having all of those parts delivered as a package permits me to spend extra time making ready my college students with the content material that they should higher perceive the subject.”
—Sarah Donovan, center college science instructor
Rethinking Meals Waste Curriculum
CURRICULUM PROGRAM
Spark significant conversations about meals waste and its environmental impacts.
Who It’s For: seventh grade and up (ages 12+) lecture rooms or golf equipment with an environmental focus
Actual Instructor Rave: “All of the supplies in addition to the video from the Educated Decisions Program library are very intuitive. … The entire free studying bundle, from the video to the guided notes and all the things in between, offers educators with nearly a complete week’s classes for his or her college students.”
—Christine Arsenis, seventh grade science instructor
Ward’s Science OpenSciEd Kits
DIY SCIENCE KIT
Created particularly for OpenSciEd curriculum, the package has all the things science academics want.
Who It’s For: Academics who use the OpenSciEd curriculum
Actual Instructor Rave: “In case you are a instructor who makes use of OpenSciEd, this package is a good addition to your classes because it has the supplies it is advisable to cowl a number of classes. … With science kits up to now, I’ve been pissed off when my package didn’t have all the things that I wanted, particularly distinctive objects. However that wasn’t the case right here. For instance, one lesson on this package wanted a hacksaw and so they offered it!”
—Naomi Meredith, STEM educator
Plant-Ahead and Highly effective
NUTRITION LESSON PLANS
Carry essential conversations about diet, wellness, and plant-based consuming into the classroom.
Who It’s For: Grades 7+
Actual Instructor Rave: “Lesson planning is time-consuming: creating attention-getters, figuring out acceptable textual content, designing actions, creating alternatives for group work, making closing actions, and so on. It requires time, so a platform like Plant-Ahead and Highly effective [from the Educated Choices Program] simplifies that whole course of.”
—Patrick Danz, highschool educator and coach
DIY SCIENCE KIT
Excellent for educating advanced biotech subjects by lively, inquiry-based studying.
Who It’s For: Highschool biology, physics, or anatomy and physiology
Actual Instructor Rave: “Total, this lab was extraordinarily straightforward to implement in my classroom. There have been/are so many locations this exercise can match inside NGSS and our native curriculum necessities. Directions for establishing the lab for college students had been clear and made the method a breeze. And the coed directions had been straightforward for them to observe.”
—Allison Dalton, highschool science instructor
Ward’s Science Have interaction: Cell Cycles Package
DIY SCIENCE KIT
This NGSS-aligned package helps academics rework their biology classes.
Who It’s For: Highschool biology courses
Actual Instructor Rave: “I like that this can be utilized for ninth grade labs the place the fabric is comparatively easy. Then it may also be used for a extra advanced superior biology class. … I additionally love the flexibility of the mannequin. I can use it to show processes for plant and animal cells. Plus, I can use the mannequin with the particular assignments that include the fabric, however I can even use it with my and my college students’ imaginations.”
—Selim Jemil, highschool biology instructor
Faculty Expertise Shopping for Information for 2026
Digital Citizenship Initiative
CURRICULUM RESOURCES
College students go from skeptical to engaged with this interactive method to digital duty.
Who It’s For: Grades 6-12
Actual Instructor Rave: “What stood out was how naturally my college students engaged with it. They weren’t simply listening to me, they had been analyzing posts, debating dangers, and even competing to give you the most secure however nonetheless partaking variations of a social submit. For me because the instructor, the most important win was that it didn’t really feel like I used to be pulling enamel to get them to take part.”
—Kim Lepre, center college instructor
The Henry Ford inHub
EDUCATOR RESOURCE
This platform prepares college students to be world-changing innovators, inventors, and entrepreneurs.
Who It’s For: Grades Ok-12
Actual Instructor Rave: “Utilizing this inHub platform helps break down boundaries as a result of the teachings are straightforward to make use of and implement. … I particularly valued the clear directions and ready-to-use supplies, which allowed me to combine these ideas into my educating with minimal prep time or additional coaching.”
—Amanda Dover, 4th grade instructor
Ari the Ozobot Robotic
CODING ROBOT
Ari helps college students join with STEM ideas in a playful and significant method.
Who It’s For: Grades pre-Ok to 12
Actual Instructor Rave: “I’ve not used an Ozobot earlier than so this was very thrilling for me and my college students. My college students had been visibly impressed, with their mouths open, oohing and ahhing! They giggled when Ari would decelerate and a snail would transfer throughout the display screen, and so they laughed when he spun in a circle like a twister. I believe this can be very partaking for college students.”
—Hilary Statum, instructor, literacy advisor, and studying interventionist
Khanmigo
AI TEACHING ASSISTANT
Designed to assist educators with lesson planning, scholar engagement, and differentiated instruction.
Who It’s For: Academics, grades Ok-12
Actual Instructor Rave: “Khanmigo is just like the educating assistant you don’t have the finances for. Khan Academy’s free software helps academics plan each facet of a lesson. From hooks and connections to the true world, to step-by-step agendas, and even exit tickets, Khanmigo saves academics time to allow them to truly TEACH.”
—Emily Wilde, secondary math instructor
2026 Faculty Shopping for Information for Math
Snakebird (PlayMath.org)
ONLINE MATH GAME
This free math recreation requires actual problem-solving, technique, and collaboration.
Who It’s For: Grades 3-5 math college students
Actual Instructor Rave: “The sport sparks full of life classroom discussions, encourages a progress mindset, and makes math enjoyable. My college students had been genuinely engaged, usually saying issues like ‘I lastly obtained it!’ and serving to one another by the tougher ranges. For me, Snakebird isn’t simply one other math recreation, it’s a robust software for constructing confidence, collaboration, and mathematical pondering in my classroom.”
—April Archer, 4th grade instructor
Prodigy
MATH PLATFORM
A free, partaking, and curriculum-aligned math platform that adapts to every scholar’s studying wants.
Who It’s For: Grades 1-8
Actual Instructor Rave: “The primary day I launched Prodigy in my classroom, it took college students a couple of minute to resolve they cherished it. I heard exclamations like ‘I like this one!’ and ‘Can we play this once more tomorrow?!’ That afternoon, after college students went house, I acquired a number of father or mother messages asking how their youngster may entry the maths recreation with ‘the orange P’ icon to play at house.”
—Kellie Barragan, 1st grade instructor
Slice Fractions (PlayMath.org)
ONLINE MATH GAME
Assist college students visualize how fractions work by partitioning shapes, evaluating sizes, and understanding elements of an entire.
Who It’s For: Grades 2-6
Actual Instructor Rave: “One factor I cherished about our time enjoying video games on PlayMath.org is that my class started investigating and speaking about what different math subjects PlayMath.org may gamify. They shared concepts about how one can gamify decimal studying. That is thrilling stuff! … My class loved the sport a lot they requested once we may play once more.”
—Kristen Acosta, math educator
2026 Shopping for Information for Social Research Lecture rooms
Historical past Smashers by Kate Messner
BOOK SERIES
A enjoyable, partaking, and factual sequence that smashes the myths we have now ALL been taught.
Who It’s For: Higher elementary by center college
Actual Instructor Rave: “My college students had been instantly engaged. I requested them what they preferred concerning the books, and so they stated they cherished that it’s not simply textual content on web page after web page. … College students preferred how numerous everybody was all through every ebook and felt they may see themselves represented. … They by no means realized that nonfiction could possibly be so attention-grabbing.”
—Amy Brownlee, center college instructor and librarian
TCI Historical past Alive
SOCIAL STUDIES CURRICULUM
Make social research partaking by interactive classes and inquiry-based initiatives.
Who It’s For: Grades Ok-12
Actual Instructor Rave: “TCI could be very versatile. The studying voice on this program was straightforward to know. I’m additionally a sucker for video games. College students love evaluation video games and competitions. The entire program units out to show college students into historical past detectives and resolve the thriller.”
—Valarie Rapp, center college instructor
The Week Junior
NEWS MAGAZINE
A versatile educating software that brings real-world subjects into the classroom in a method that’s partaking, age-appropriate, and straightforward to make use of.
Who It’s For: Grades 4-8
Actual Instructor Rave: “We get numerous tales and voices in an extremely partaking method with The Week Junior. … Center college college students are inquisitive about all of it as a result of they’re, in spite of everything, determining who they’re and what they consider in. … The tales are offered in an unbiased method, which suggests college students get to formulate their very own opinions and concepts about well timed subjects. This opens up the chance for academics to mannequin respectful discourse.”
—Steffy McCourt, center college English instructor
2026 Shopping for Information for ELA/ELL Lecture rooms
Decoder Youngsters
PHONICS PROGRAM
This program makes educating phonics easier, smarter, and simpler.
Who It’s For: Grades pre-Ok to 2
Actual Instructor Rave: “The kits are aligned to the Science of Studying, and that’s one thing academics are actually on the lookout for. Apart from that, the lesson plans make it straightforward to implement and the pacing is ideal. One other factor is the connection between phonemic consciousness and phonics, which is included in each lesson. The kits embrace comprehension, fluency, vocabulary, and even suggestions for multilingual learners.”
—Hilary Statum, instructor, literacy advisor, and studying interventionist
ThriftBooks 4 Academics
FREE AND DISCOUNT BOOK PROGRAM
The simple-to-use program helps educators construct classroom libraries with inexpensive, high-quality used books.
Who It’s For: Grades pre-Ok to 12
Actual Instructor Rave: “I’m at all times looking out for books so as to add to my classroom library, and that is the place to look. Books can get costly when bought brand-new, so ThriftBooks goes to avoid wasting me some cash when buying. I additionally like their assure of satisfaction so I don’t need to be involved a couple of used ebook not being as much as par.”
—Adam Peterson, kindergarten instructor
Lingolift
ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS RESOURCES
Chunk-size video classes that assist newcomer and emergent English learners construct language expertise and acquire confidence talking in school.
Who It’s For: English language learners in grades 2-12
Actual Instructor Rave: “The development from watching the video to filling within the vocabulary phrases to talking particular person sentences was an incredible idea. I believe it retains it quick and easy sufficient to maintain college students’ consideration whereas nonetheless getting more durable and more durable for them to perform based mostly on their degree of expertise.”
—Kelsey Cardenas, eighth grade ELAR instructor
Social-Emotional Studying Faculty Shopping for Information for 2026
Ask, Hear, Be taught
UNDERAGE DRINKING PREVENTION PROGRAM
These underage consuming and substance-use prevention sources spark superb classroom discussions.
Who It’s For: Grades 4-8
Actual Instructor Rave: “Ask, Hear, Be taught focuses on neuroscience and talks about elements of the mind and their capabilities. It offers college students science-backed the explanation why alcohol and marijuana use usually are not efficient methods to alleviate stress and provides them instruments to discover ways to cope with stress in a wholesome method, preserving their psychological well being. There are additionally father or mother parts to ship house so the scholars can proceed these conversations with their households.”
—Amy Brownlee, center college instructor and librarian
Maintain Georgia Protected
ROAD SAFETY PROGRAM
Free academic sources and video games from Georgia DOT are the right mixture of training and leisure.
Who It’s For: Grades Ok-12
Actual Instructor Rave: “Total for the supplies, college students had been so engaged as a result of they had been so instantly relevant of their lives. As they be part of the group of drivers, my college students preferred spending time fascinated about issues just like the science behind why secure driving habits are so essential and steps they will absorb their very own lives. I cherished listening to the considerate conversations that got here up whereas they had been working collectively.”
—Emily Wilde, center and highschool instructor
VAI Educator’s Studio
SEL EDUCATOR RESOURCES
Construct the talents that assist your college students succeed with these ready-to-go quick classes.
Who It’s For: Grades Ok-8
Actual Instructor Rave: “I cherished having all these superb sources proper at my fingertips. As a busy instructor and self-proclaimed sort B individual, I cherished that the sources had been available, straightforward to implement, and I didn’t want a lot prep time. I’d completely inform academics it’s nicely definitely worth the cash to pay for this membership to provide you nice sources for constructing essential expertise.”
—Cara Vega, 4th grade instructor
Extra Educator Favorites for 2026
Music Ok-8
MUSIC MAGAZINE
Music Ok-8 stands out as a useful, time-saving useful resource for music academics all over the place.
Who It’s For: Grades Ok-8 music academics
Actual Instructor Rave: “This useful resource is nice for offering a one-stop store for all of the supplies music educators have to efficiently train songs. When educating a number of grades, it’s usually tough to arrange all of the supplies wanted for every degree, and Music Ok-8 makes all of the preparation a lot simpler!”
—Katherine Myszewski, elementary music instructor
BBC Studying Hub
EDUCATOR RESOURCES
A free, story-driven academic platform created by BBC Studios to assist academics, college students, and households.
Who It’s For: Grades pre-Ok to 12
Actual Instructor Rave: “I’m shocked this can be a free useful resource for academics! There’s a nice mixture of nonfiction and fiction sources which can be trendy and related for academics to make use of of their lecture rooms. I loved the choice of having the ability to print sources but in addition share them digitally. Academics usually want each choices all through the varsity 12 months, and simply accessing each was nice.”
—Naomi Meredith, STEM educator
