Forget the snacks and soda, this N.H. school installed a vending machine for books
Students in the elementary school earn gold coins from their teachers for exhibiting good behavior. Each month, the school focuses on a specific behavior that they're trying to promote: like collaboration, self-control, or being a good friend. Once they've won a coin, the students can cash it in at the vending machine for a book of their choice.
'It is wildly popular with students, teachers and parents,' said Thompson. 'It's really kind of created this hype at the elementary school.'
Thompson said the school used federal Title IV funds for the initial purchase of the machine and for one refill of books. A Hampstead mothers' club has raised additional money for purchasing more books, and the school has an Amazon wish list where parents can buy books to restock the machine, according to Thompson.
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Located by the school's main office, the vending machine for books looks much like the kind that distributes snacks or soda, with over 20 different colorful titles visible from behind a pane of glass.
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Thompson said teachers and students weighed in on the most popular titles to make sure the selection of books is as irresistible as possible.
'It checks two boxes,' he said. 'One is it supports literacy and gets kids
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This story first appeared in Globe NH | Morning Report, our free newsletter focused on the news you need to know about New Hampshire, including great coverage from the Boston Globe and links to interesting articles from other places. If you'd like to receive it via e-mail Monday through Friday,
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Buzz Feed
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Good for putting those extra items that are the last lonely product in the box, ie., granola bars, fruit snacks. Good package deal." —DaisyGet four baskets from Amazon for $ check out more pantry organizing tips. Use some moldable glue to hang hooks, repair wobbly shelves, or secure charging cables to the wall so they stop living on the floor. Pro tip: mold it into tiny bumpers to keep cabinet doors from slamming. Promising review: "I've used it to mount things, organize wiring in stereo cabinets, stop rattles (license plate rattled when closing trunk, two little balls of Sugru to back of plate did the trick). Even made tool hangers in the garage with it. Wonder if I could build a boat with it." —fastrnuGet an eight-pack from Amazon for $26.35 (available in several color combo pack). Make the most out of an unused corner in your home with a corner bookshelf that can hold a surprising amount of stuff. Use it to display your favorite photos and knickknacks or store all those books that are currently piled high on your nightstand. Promising review: "I just bought this corner shelf for my bathroom and am so happy with it! It's very sturdy and doesn't take up much room at all (my bathroom is tiny). It's in a corner by my stackable washer/dryer and holds detergents for the laundry and towels and tissue for the bathroom. Perfect!" —Debra L. KellyGet it from Amazon for $103.35+ (available in black or white). And check out a similar, cheaper option. Show off your favorite books with a wall-mounted floating bookshelf. Now your most beloved reads will be on display for everyone to see. Promising review: "These are so much fun! We ordered the small size, which fits standard hardback books (approximately 5–7 hardbacks in my experience). They're a great way to add some extra storage to our very small home, and we've placed them in our hallway so people ask us about them all the time. I'd highly recommend!" —LaBuenaVidaMereGet a set of three from Amazon for $30.99. Display your pretty stemware and free up space in your cabinets with an under-cabinet wineglass rack. And because the glasses hang upside down, you needn't ever worry about dust collecting in the glasses when they go unused for a lil bit. Elizabeth lucked out with some similar racks already mounted in her apartment (like these!) and she adore them. Get three rows (enough for nine glasses) from Amazon for $17.91 (available in black, brown, and white). If your nightstand is cluttered beyond belief or you literally don't have room for one, consider a bedside storage caddy to hold all your essentials. I have one of these and it holds a few books, a pair of reading glasses, a portable charger, and a pair of headphones. All the things I need to relax in bed. Promising review: "One of the most useful items I have ever purchased. The pockets are the right size to hold a tablet, phone, remote, or book. My bedroom is too small for bedside tables so I use this organizer to hold anything that I might need right by my bed. I was surprised at how well it stay in place just by sliding the flat end in between the mattress and box spring." —HannahGet it from Amazon for $8.99+ (also available in several styles and colors). Get your mattress up off the ground with a metal platform bed frame. It requires zero tools to assemble, creates valuable and usable space underneath it, and is sturdy enough that you won't need to use a boxspring. Elizabeth owns this and loves it: Cover it with a bedskirt and no one'll know your clever secret. I own this and love it. It's super easy to assemble and very sturdy, and has plenty of space for me to store all my luggage packed with out-of-season clothes and spare it from Amazon for $94.27+ (available in seven sizes). Or give your current bed frame a little more height with some adjustable bed risers. This eight-piece set can rise your bed three, five, or eight inches, which will create just a little more space for you to cram stuff under your bed. Pro tip: If you don't like the look of these, consider a simple bed skirt that hangs low enough to cover them up. Promising review: "These blow my mind. They've added so much storage under our bed. I worried about them being durable enough to withstand our weight but there was no need to worry. Just this past weekend, both my husband and I were on the bed when two of our teenage sons ran and jumped on the bed with us. I didn't even hear a creak from these bed risers. There must have been close to 800 lbs. on our bed at that point and these risers held up like champs." —Kelly McHoneGet them from Amazon for $21.99+ (also available in brown and white).Here are some handy under-bed storage ideas. Streamline your kitchen setup with some 3D-printed KitchenAid tool holders that hold attachments. You install these handy mounts beneath your upper cabinets, keeping everything tidy and within reach — no need to sacrifice precious drawer or shelf space. Keep unruly cords organized in your garage with some heavy-duty bungees that connect anywhere with a simple hook. Now your hoses, cords, tire tubes, and tools will have a home of their own. Promising review: "I really like this organizer. I used them in my garage to hang two 150-foot outdoor electrical cords, and folding patio chairs. Great idea and much stronger than bungee cords." —Ann LajuanGet it from Amazon for $14.97+ (available in six color combos). And for inside your home, use a wall-mounted rack you can put on an empty wall to keep all your cleaning tools neatly organized and off the floor. There are five slots and six hooks, so you can really fill it up with your cleaning essentials. Promising review: "It's a broom rack and it performs its job well. The springs holding the mechanisms are strong. The plastic feels durable and like it would last. It came with mounting hardware but the screws were too long for my hollow core door, so I used toggle bolts instead (some folks call them 'butterfly' screws). As you can see in my images it can be loaded full of various tools and holds everything in place, feels sturdy once bolted to the door. The fold away hooks are a nice turned our unused hot water tank room as an efficient use of space to store vacs, brooms and mops. I plan on adding a small shelf in here for some cleaning detergents and whatnot like extra filters and mop heads etc." —JakobeGet it from Amazon for $14.99+ (available in two colors). Attach some fishing rod racks to the back of your garage door to make sure all your rods are organized and easy to find. Hardware included for easy, no tool installation on standard garage doors. If the door is a hard insulated or wood door, self tapping screws are not included but can be shipped at no cost. Promising review: "I love these racks. They work just like they say. I have two sets with all of my best poles. It works with my surf rods and with my casting rods wonderfully. I did have to move my hurricane braces down a couple of inches from the top edge of the panels. That was my door installer's fault for trying to save on screws. I have no problems with mine falling out and I use my garage like a front door." —amoGet them from Amazon for $39.99. Try a T-shirt roll holder if you have a lot of T-shirts but no place to store them. It can be hung anywhere, so it won't take up valuable closet or drawer space. Easily install an outlet shelf so tiny electronics that live in your bathroom don't crowd your countertop. FYI, it installs like a regular outlet cover. Of course except with the wonderful shelf. Can also be installed so the shelf is below the outlet. Promising review: "I absolutely love this thing! I have much less clutter on my sink thanks to this. If there's anyone not sure if it will fit due to an object, all you need is 1.25 inches of space between the edge of your existing outlet plate and the piece of furniture. I have a GFCI with a standard wall plate." —Amazon CustomerGet it from Amazon for $14.99+ (available in four colors). And add a touch of bohemian elegance to your kitchen storage with a macrame fruit hammock. This handcrafted piece not only maximizes space but also allows air to circulate around your fruits, keeping them fresh, all while adding an artistic flair to your kitchen. macraYAYmacrame is an Indianapolis, Indiana-based shop that makes a variety of cool macrame accessories. Promising review: "Beautiful and functional! This is the perfect addition to our beachy kitchen. We spray painted the hooks matte black to match our other hardware. It's so cute!" —Melissa WilkesGet it from macraYAYmacrame on Etsy for $33.


Buzz Feed
12 hours ago
- Buzz Feed
This Oven Cleaner Can 'Remove Four Years Of Neglect'
Your oven's interior is a catchall for cooked-on grease and caked-on grime. Combine that with the reality that it's also probably the most neglected appliance in your home in terms of cleaning, it's safe to say that scrubbing the interior of your oven can be an overwhelming process. We present to you a $9 solution that can finally make cleaning your oven a truly painless experience. The makers of the Easy Off professional oven cleaner fully appreciate that, for many of us, getting on your hands and knees and sticking half of your body inside an oven to scrub it is a fate worse than death. Thankfullly, it uses an advanced cold-oven technology that penetrates tough grease and old food remnants so well, that it can be just wiped away clean in as little as 30 seconds for spot cleaning and two hours for tougher jobs, according to reviewers (though a few users claimed to leave it on over night). 'My oven looked just like the day I bought it,' one Amazon reviewer wrote after using Easy Off on their 'embarrassingly dirty' oven. '[I] let it sit overnight. The next morning, [I] wiped it all clean with a gentle wipe with a paper towel. I did literally zero scrubbing,' they claimed. The mess-dissolving formula also works well on stovetops, broilers and broiler pans, grills and other stainless steel surfaces. Several reviewers even say it does wonders for cleaning bathroom grout, tubs and showers. 'I will NEVER buy another bathroom cleaner again,' one Amazon reviewer wrote after claiming they used Easy Off on a particularly stubborn bathtub stain that couldn't be removed after nearly a year of trying every other product imaginable. 'When I wiped it, I was so shocked that I started laughing hysterically in disbelief. Mind you, I didn't use a cleaning scrub. There was no manual labor, just the wipe of a paper towel. I couldn't believe my eyes,' the same reviewer wrote. Another major part of this professional oven cleaner's appeal is that it's made without lye and other corrosive ingredients. This means no noxious and throat-singeing fumes that are often associated with most professional oven cleaners. Granted, many reviewers still say that, even though they experienced no smell while using the product, they still kept windows open and allowed their oven to 'burn off' and potential chemical smells before cooking in it again. Others suggest covering the heating elements with tin foil prior to spraying. If you've been holding off on this one overwhelming household task, let the incoming first-person testimony for the Easy Off oven cleaner instill in you the confidence you need. Or skip above to grab yourself a can for $9. Get it from Amazon for $8.98.