Monday Made It!

I have a few things I whipped up on Sunday afternoon to share with you today! I am linking up with Tara from 4th Grade Frolics for her Monday Made It linkup.

Before I could start making anything, I had to run a *few* errands! Knowing Monday would be my first day to get into my classroom to start setting up, I needed to get some of these...15 to be exact!

I know I could have found them cheaper somewhere else, but in the grand scheme of things, how much would I have really saved? Probably not enough to warrant me going shopping in this disgusting heat wave we seem to be having! Anyhow, I bought 15 so that each pair of students would have one. I plan to use these as my INB supply boxes. I am going to work on labeling this this week and be back with a post of what goes in them later!

Next up was Target. A friend of mine told me how inexpensive Five-Star Notebooks were at Target and I had to scoop some up. I bought 6, one for each class period so that each class has their own "model notebook." I had trouble keeping up with 3 last year, so I certainly hope I do a better job of keeping up with 6! If you are using these instead of composition books, run--do not walk--to Target. These babies are $1.89!

Also, at Walmart I picked up these deals. The index cards are neon (my fave!) for under $1 per pack. I know the white ones are on sale everywhere...but I love the colored ones! I also found post-it notes cheaper than the dollar store (not much...$0.97) but hey! Every cent counts! Plus, the colors were way brighter...and that makes me want to use more of them.

 I was going to get some plain magnet tape, because I am always putting it on the back of posters that I want to stay on the board, but I hate how it always curls. I found these packs of magnet strips that are pre-cut, and they come 18 in a pack for less than $1! $0.97 seemed to be the magic price at Walmart! I got 3 packs. I have no idea what I will use it for, but I like to be ready :)

Last but not least...my clothespins. I went looking in my craft room for my bag of clothespins the other night and couldn't find them ANYWHERE. Seriously, I know it is a mess in there...but it's like they had runaway from home. Had to buy a new bag. Why? Keep reading :)

HOME MADE IT:

I made this lotion in March and it went over so well with my mom and some friends that I had to make more! I love to use lotion, but hate when it is greasy...and this is perfect! It is light, but thick at the same time and feels so luxurious when you use it. And, it makes 24 ounces of lotion! I did not come up with this recipe on my own...I adapted it from this pin. I swapped the Vaseline for Coconut Oil because I thought it might be greasy...I never tried it, so it may work for you!

Here's what you need:

15 oz of baby lotion (any scent...any brand--mine is from the Dollar Tree)

Twin pack of Vitamin E skin care cream (only found at Walmart on the bottom shelf of the lotion aisle)

2/3 cup of coconut oil (any brand will do...mine is from Sprouts, but I have used from Whole Foods, too)

Pour all ingredients into a bowl and whip with a hand mixer for 2-3 minutes making sure that all is incorporated and evenly blended. I periodically stop and scrape down the sides to be sure that there aren't any chunks of coconut oil floating around.

Then, I store it in airtight containers and pass it out to family and friends! I filled 3 of these today, and my mom was most appreciative of her lotion! In case you are wondering, I get these precious glass jars from Hobby Lobby in the glass section. They are normally $4, so just make sure you go when glass is 50% off, which is every other week!

 SCHOOL MADE IT:

I did make these supply labels to put on my storage containers at school. Well, I actually made them two weeks ago...but, I finally got around to printing and laminating! Like them? You can actually find them in my TPT store here

Also, I decorated my clothespins with some washi tape to go along with another project that will have to wait for next week's Monday Made It!

Aaaaaaand, I just realized how very long this post was! Sorry about that--if you made it to the end, you rock!

Favorite Pins Friday

I've found some pretty spectacular things on pinterest lately, and I am super excited to join in and share them with you courtesy of:

Let's get started!

Here are some of the things that I cannot wait to use in my classroom:

This would be great to use for behavior management, but also as a random number generator, name generator, etc!


This would be so much cuter than those boring red SSSH! signs :-)


 

I think I may have shared this before...but this is in the lesson plans for the second day of school. I cannot wait to see what the responses are!

My Teacher's Toolkit!

Last summer, I saw a bunch of pins on Pinterest of how to make a "teacher's toolbox". Every time I went to Home Depot and Lowe's, they were either cracked or sold out. I forgot about it throughout the school year, and vowed that this year I would find a better way to organize my school supplies in a way other than cramming them into my desk drawer...not as efficient as I'd hoped it would be!

So, last night, I went it search of my toolbox, and I found this at Home Depot: (click the picture to buy it!)

I love that it is gray! I was thinking I would have to spray paint it like some other people have, but that seemed like too much work with the constant rain the past few days. This matches my decor for this year...so I left it gray.

I went in search of the perfect labels for my toolbox. I saw PLENTY for sale and for free on TPT, but nothing that would match my room perfectly. I thought about just downloading some free ones and being done with it...but no, that would have been too easy :)

So, I sat down and went to work. Did I mention I started this at about 10:30 last night? Not that I go to bed super early, but I had no idea how long it would take! Glad it only took about 30 minutes for me to put these beauties together:

I sent them off to office max to be printed since it is seriously cheaper to print there when it is full color then at home, at least on my printer! They were ready this morning--and I was so excited!

The longest part was cutting them apart...I have never been so careful in my life! After using some double sided tape to attach them to the inside, I was left with this:

Oh. Em. Gee. I am in love!

I have put the labels in my TPT store and you can find them here. I included my labels, but also a set of blank editable labels just in case your needs are different than mine :-) In order to edit, all you need to do is insert a text box over the frame and type! 

If you decide to make one of your own, I would LOVE to see pictures!

 

My Classroom 2012-2013

If you are new to my blog, be sure to enter my HUGE giveaway happening here!

Better late than never, right? Ha! I spent the better part of last summer planning out the decor plan for my classroom. I spent more money than I care to admit at Hobby Lobby, and after all was said and done, took pictures of about 20% of the cutesy things in my room! I had every intention of posting this when I started this blog last summer, but life got in the way and I never got around to it. Now seems like the perfect opportunity to reflect on what I liked and didn't like about how I set up my classroom last year since I am moving campuses and will be able to start from scratch. Oh, how I love a clean slate!

First up, my bulletin board:

I am proud of this for several reasons. I had to hunt down this fabric in several locations because I couldn't find enough for one continuous piece! Also, for the first year, I stayed away from typical teacher border and bought tulle to frame my bulletin board! I was more difficult to get up, but it stayed. all. year! (In middle school, we don't change them multiple times.) Love the Audrey Hepburn quote as well...one of my favorites for sure! 

You can also see that I numbered my desks! I did that for several reasons, but one in particular was so that I could use these Order of Operations Seating Cards the first week of school! 

Next up, is something I don't really have a name for :)

At the top of the picture, I have my expectations. I like to keep my class rules short so that they look attainable!

In the middle, I have my 4 passes hanging. I got the rack from hobby lobby in the unfinished wood section and painted it pink (we have a theme going in my room!) and then made the passes by mod podging scrapbook paper to unfinished wood door hangers (again from Hob Lob). I used scrapbook papers that I already had lying around and letters that already had an adhesive backing. I am all for multipurpose. I put my name and room number on the back so that if they were lost, they could find their way home.

Sitting on the table I have 3 different trays for the 3 different classes I taught last year. In these trays I would place handouts (if there were any) for that day's lesson. Since we had 50 minutes per class, I didn't want to waste time passing things out. Students picked up on this procedure quickly and would pick up handouts from the trays before the bell rang. I instituted this in my room 2 years ago and will never go back to passing papers out again! The only exception are tests and quizzes.

 Close up of the passes

Over to the left of that "Command Station," I have file folders for make-up work. They are separated by class period, and I usually would have a student write the names of absent students on any handouts that were picked up that day. This put the absent student in charge of getting missed work and I didn't have to remember who was absent out of 160 kids!

Right above these folders is this beauty:

I have now blogged about this twice, and it is posted for free in my Teachers pay Teachers Store until July 15, 2013! Grab it while you can!

This idea was floating around the blogosphere and on Pinterest and I, too, had to have it! I used a $4 cookie sheet from Walmart, some 50% off ribbon from Hob Lob and some adhesive backed magnets! 

Each student was assigned a number and would move the magnet to the appropriate box when he/she left the room. This way, in case of an emergency, I could glance and see who was missing and where they were!

Having 3 preps, I knew it was going to be a challenge to stay organized! I needed to separate my chalkboard so that students would know exactly what they were doing in class, what assignments they had for homework, and anything upcoming that they needed to know such as quizzes, dates, projects, extra credit, etc. This was extremely useful!

Here's how I did it:

I made the letters from adhesive backed vinyl that was easily removable with a razor blade. They stayed put ALL year! I used my cricut to cut the letters. Hot pink, duh! Then, I got two colors/patterns of contrasting ribbon from Hobby Lobby. I used way more than I originally intended! If you do this, measure first! I didn't account for the two bordering columns on the far left and far right and had to make another trip. Also, wait for it to be 50% off...every other week!

Phew! glad I got this out before I start to think about next year's class! I guess I should get on that...I go back to work in 5 weeks :)

Ten Math Pin Linky Party!

This is the first time I am "linking up" with another blogger...because I couldn't resist that the theme of these one was to share your 10 favorite pinterest pins related to math! Let me clarify that I am a middle school math teacher, and most of the other posts I am seeing are for elementary...so mine look a bit different that others. So, here goes!

**Disclaimer--I seriously have no idea what other people are doing when they "link up" so if I did it wrong or look like an idiot...please tell me!:) **

Ok, now we are ready:

1. I love this way to store dice for a game. I did this last summer (it did take me FOREVER to find the perfect size containers), BUT it ended up being fabulous for classroom management when kids were playing games and I no longer had dice flying throughout the room--remember--middle school!?


2. I LOVE the idea of a "movie trailer" to show before you introduce a new unit. I have only previewed a few...but it is worth a look, right?


3. If you know me at all, you know I (as well as my students this year) LOVE to play Bazinga...Of course, I use it for math--but it is general enough that you can use it for any subject since you create the questions you want to review your kids with. The Bazinga board part is just a way to keep them engaged:)


4. The next thing I love is this word wall. This blows away the one that I made myself...need to purchase!


5. If you use interactive notebooks in your classroom, you need this...anytime a student would ask, "Do I have to write this down???" I would just respond with, "What is Rule #6?" By October, the kids would answer that question for me. They own their work when they have their own notes and things to refer to. This goes on the inside front cover of their notebooks and they sign it the first week of school.


6. I saw these at the training I attended this week. LOVE them. These are for pre-algebra, but they also have a set for basic facts as well...let me warn you--these puppies are not cheap! I actually found them cheaper on amazon...it is a very kinesthetic alternative to flashcards and the kids love it.


7. Like many of you, I have purchased Jen Runde's Interactive Math Journal from TpT...it is phenomenal for incorporating more writing in the math classroom as well as facilitating good note-taking. Here is a pin that leads to her blog with tons of good ideas!


8. This is a poster that I have in my classroom - and I love it!


9. I have already blogged about these...but I don't care. I can't wait to use these--would be GREAT for sub plans!


10. And, last but not least...task card organization!


I hope you find some of these pins interesting!