Old School: Open House Bunting

This year I am going with apples, pencils, school buses, and chalkboard decor. After 27 years of teaching and many different themes, I call this one "Old School."  I love bunting and these clipart freebies from Creative Clips were perfect for back-to-school!  I printed and laminated these and will use dry erase markers to write student names on them. I am going to connect them with cute green ribbon and hang them in the hallway for open house.  Click here to download this file.  There are blank flags for adding your own grade level.  It's going to be a great year...I'm just saying!

Target Dollar Bin + Pinterest + Freebie = Cute Goodie Bags!

So I found myself back at Target today. I wasn't going to stop at the dollar bins, but they are located at the front of the store and I just couldn't look away. I found goodie bags that look like notebook paper and snatched them up right away.  Earlier, I found a back-to-school freebie on Pinterest and knew that the kraft tags would be perfect for the cute button clip art included in this download.  As soon as I got home, I started printing and cutting and glueing and this is what happened!

 I am going to use these tags with the "notebook paper" goodie bags to hold these cute apple pretzels that I also discovered on Pinterest.  

These will be a fun treat at open house...

I'm just saying!

I'm Baaaaaaack!!!

      It's been a while, almost two years, since I have posted regularly on this blog.  Many things, this blog being one of them, came to a screeching halt when I began graduate school.  But now I am happy and proud to say that I have completed graduate school and have earned a masters in reading from Appalachian State University, Boone, NC.  It was an amazing journey!  I am excited to implement all of the amazing strategies and that I learned and collected in graduate school.  I am also excited to share all of these things with you.

     My first graders finished school on June 12 and this is my first week of summer vacation which means it's time to hit the dollar bins at Target!  I went early this morning and was not disappointed.

     I love the clips!  (top left) I plan on gluing magnets to the back of each clip and use them on my white board for displaying anchor charts.  And what about this mini-school house chalk board?!? (top right)  I will definitely use this for open house, stations, word or math problem of the day...the possibilities are endless!! I like the simple black and white design of these name plates. (bottom left)  The labels are dry-erase! I bought lots of these.  I will be using them all over my room.

     As you can see, it was a successful shopping trip and only the beginning of back to school shopping...I'm just saying!
 

Back to School "I Spy" Bottles

I spent this afternoon at the movies and am going to spend the day tomorrow at a nearby museum.  Teachers in my district return on Monday, so I am spending my last few days of summer with my husband and boys before we all go back to school.

 I had a busy summer.  I am getting my masters in reading and took three summer classes.  I also worked on a special project for my new "firsties" who will be joining me on Aug. 25.  I have seen many versions of the "I Spy" bottle on Pinterest.  I looked at many versions and decided to try something a little different...Back to School "I Spy" Bottles!

Step 1:  I drank a lot of ICE drinks!  The bottles are a little sturdier than regular water bottles and I like the smooth, elongated shape.  I used Goo Gone to get rid of the stickies.

Step 2:  I dyed rice.  In a gallon sized ziplock bag add one Tablespoon vinegar and food coloring (more drops for brighter colors) for each cup of rice.  Add rice and shake until rice is completely colored. Pour into a tray until dry, about one hour.  I dyed five cups of rice at a time. I ended up dying 10 cups each of red (which turned out pink), green, yellow, and blue.  This made 24 bottles.

Step 3: I used Detective Kids Clip Art from Creative Clips to create bottle tags.

Step 4:  To the bottle, I added the items explained on the bottle tag.  I hot glued the top to the bottle to avoid any messy spills.  Then tied the tags onto the bottles with ribbon.

I will have these on the desks for open house.  I hope my new students enjoy them as much as I enjoyed making them.  I'm just saying...

There Was An Old Lady...Retell

I host a K-2 book club ("Wee Read") on the second Saturday of each month. This month we celebrated reading with, "There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Books!"  Before reading, we colored, cut out, and assembled our "old ladies."  As I read the story, the children added each item to the snack bag tummy. The children took their "old ladies" home to share and retell.  A good time was had by all!  I'm just saying...

Spray Paint & Duck Tape to the Rescue!!!

I spent Sunday afternoon giving my old classroom bookshelves a new look. I was tired of the faux wood look so I purchased glossy black paint and green-gray-black-white chevron Duck tape. I had to paint in the garage because of the threat of rain showers.  After painting both feet (probably shouldn't wear flip-flops when spray painting!) and my right arm, I got a little help from my sweet husband.  Two bookcases done and one to go!! I am so excited to get them back in my classroom and load them up with baskets of books. Spray paint and duck tape are amazing! I'm just saying...

Apples for the Students

I started setting up my classroom today. I brought along my husband and two sons to help. We arranged furniture, put up new bulletin board paper/borders, and did a whole lot of dusting! My brain was in still in school mode when I got home so I got busy and made these apple place cards for open house. The chevron apples are a freebie from the Hazel Owl Graphics on TpT.  I purchased the chalkboard journal tags from Erin Bradley Designs on Etsy. I printed, cut, and laminated the apples. The erasers came in a 6-pack from Dollar Tree. I used an X-Acto knife to cut across the center of the eraser. The apple slid right in! I don't have a class roster yet, so I used my boys' names for the "prototypes." I hope I get that class roster soon! I'm just saying...

The Cutest 10-Frame Ever!

I saw this idea on Pinterest, put my own spin on it, and TA DA--the cutest 10-frame ever!!! 

I purchased the foam board and felt coasters from Dollar Tree. There was a variety of coaster colors. I found the Washi tape at Michael's Crafts. They also had quite a variety, but I thought the numbers were perfect for this project.  

The hardest part was measuring. I got a "little" help from my husband and we only argued three times! I think I might make a few more for math stations and small group math instruction. I'm just saying...

Classroom Stuff

I talked my husband into a Sunday afternoon shopping trip to IKEA and found this cute lamp for my classroom. I love the color! My best find was the 99 cent plastic picture frame. I thought it would make a great station sign so I bought one of each color. It was a very productive trip. I'm just saying...

I Made It!

I hate digging through my desk drawers or in several different cabinets before finding needed supplies. I saw Erin's post on I'm Lovin Lit and decided I needed one of these. I did take her advice and purchased the toolkit labels from This Little Piggy Reads on TpT. Then it was off to Lowe's to purchase the Stack-On 22 Drawer Storage Cabinet. My son, Jack, who is "fine-tuning" his driving skills in order to get his license soon, drove me! Then it was back home for printing, laminating, and assembly. I am so excited about how it turned out and am very excited to put it to good use in my classroom. I'm just saying...

More Chevrons...and a Daily 5 Math FREEBIE!

It's been raining a lot lately--16 days in a row, to be exact! There's not a whole lot to do when it's raining except for shopping. I ordered this great binder from Zazzle.com. The matching notebooks were found at Dollar Tree!

I have also been doing some planning for the beginning of the year. Click here to download "Dino-Mite Measuring." It's a little wrinkled because I sat on my copy. Always look before you sit! I'm just saying...

Classroom Shopping

What does a teacher do on a rainy summer day? Go shopping for classroom things, of course!  While grocery shopping at Wal Mart, I found these wonderful chevron paper products. Not sure what I am going to do with these cute table toppers but I am sure I will think of something! 

I took a short road trip with my bestie, who teaches second grade, to Garden Ridge. She saw on pinterest that a lot of teachers found their classroom rugs there.  We hit the jackpot!  Of course, the rug I wanted was on the bottom of a pile of about 25-30 rugs. Thank goodness our husbands came along. We couldn't have done it without them!  I can't wait to see this rug in my classroom. I'm just saying...

Coincidence? ...I Think Not!

          



I was browsing on Pinterest for back to school ideas when I came across a pin from "What Happens in 2nd." It was a picture of a "Jitter Juice" stand. 
I used, First Day Jitters, by Julie Danningburg last year on the first day, so I clicked on the pin to have a look. There was also a link to Babbling Abby's, "Fun With Firsties!" unit which has many activities to use with this book.

Okay, fast forward 2 hours....I walk through the front doors of Michael's Crafts, and the first thing I see--ON CLEARANCE!--is this do-it-yourself lemonade stand. I so bought it!!! All it needs a few decorative alterations. I will post a picture of the finished product soon--A Jitter Juice Stand for the first day of school.  I love it when things come together! I'm just saying...

Linky Party!

I am joining Flying into First Grade for a "Let's Get Acquainted Linky Party! I am new to blogging and this is my first linky party. I am so excited!

I attended college at McNeese State University in Lake Charles, Louisiana. I majored in Elementary Education. I received a BA in Education with K-8 certification  in 1988. I will be attending Appalachian State University (Boone, North Carolina), in the fall. I am getting my masters degree in reading education. I am so excited to go back to school, even if it will be at night and during the summer. I have already started buying school supplies!

My first year of teaching was actually the last half of a school year. I graduated in December of 1988 and started teaching in January of 1989. My first day started with walking into my new classroom for the first time and meeting twenty-four 5th and 6th graders. Yes, it was a combination class! The sub met me at the door, handed me a teacher's guide, and wished me luck. Fortunately, this school was filled with amazing teachers and staff that encouraged and supported me through that wild and crazy half-year and the next five years as I began my teaching adventure.

I have taught 1st, 4th, 5th, and 6th grades during the last 24 years. I have taught first grade for the last seven years and have to say that it is my favorite! I love this time when they are learning so much and building a foundation for the years to come. Every day is a new adventure!

What's the Password?

This will sit near my classroom door next school year. Use a dry erase marker to write a  sight word, vocabulary word, or math fact. Students must read the "password" in order to enter or leave the classroom. I used a dollar store frame and frog clip art to match my room. Easy peasy! I'm just saying...

First Grade Rocks!

What first grade classroom is complete without a special chair! My chair was painted by Sam, "The Dot Man" McMillan. He is a local folk artist here in Winston-Salem, NC.  He also painted a matching stool for my students! I love his work. I'm just saying...

Loving Chevrons!

Okay, I know that school is over, and I am so loving summer. But...if you are like me, you know that it's never too early to start planning for next year! I discovered all these pretty "chevrony" (not really a word-I checked!--but it works!) things at Target. Most of them were in the dollar bins! 

I found these wooden letters on clearance at Michael's. They came home with me for a couple of coats of black spray paint. I covered the front of the letters with green and white chevron paper and a little Mod Podge. I'm not sure where they will live in my classroom, but I am sure I can find a good place. I'm just saying...