Monday Made It!

I finally have a few finished projects that I can share for Fourth Grade Frolics amazingly popular Monday Made Its!

Project #1: New Teacher Gifts

This year I am starting in a whole new school, with a whole new team. They have been very welcoming and helpful this summer as we prepare for a new year with new nuggets! (How many times can I say the word new?!?)

Well my old teammate gave me a great idea when my student teacher was leaving. I made her a clip board with scrapbook paper and ribbon! She LOVED it! I also gave her a bag FULL of "Teacher Essentials" to help get her through her first year teaching. Here is how I made the clip boards...

Step 1: Paint the clip board the color of your choice. (TIP: On the back only paint around the edges since it will be covered with scrapbook paper).

Step 2: Measure and cut scrapbook paper to fit on the back. I use two different pieces and then tie them together with a ribbon. (I used cute little puppy paws because our mascot is the bulldog).

Step 3: Mod Podge the paper down. Let it dry. Mod Podge over the top to leave a nice finish!

Step 4: Measure and glue ribbon to tie the two papers together to give it a finished look! VOILA! You have some cute clip boards!

The colored frames with the sayings are my favorite and I may even make some for my own room if I have time! All I did was buy some wooden frames from the Dollar Store (they should name it The Teachers Second Home Away From Home! First is our classrooms!!!) and then I painted them coordinating colors with some acrylic paint from Hobby Lobby. (They just had some on sale so I stocked up!!) Then I printed off the cute signs from Technology Rocks. Seriously. and put them in the frames!

Now I have some cute (cheap!) gifts to give my new teammates!


Project #2: Teacher Toolbox

I have seen these ALL over Pinterest. I believe the original one came from Create. Teach. Share. (Awesome blog name BTW!) Then I checked out the toolbox that Reagan made over at Tunstall's Teaching Tidbits. She gave me the idea to get my toolbox from Garden Ridge and spray paint it white. Well I did just that! Then I created some labels based on the measurements and thought about what I need in my own toolbox!

Can't you tell I LOVE color and polka dots? 

Close Up!

This is going to be great since I don't have a "teacher desk!"You can grab the labels I used here!  I usually just throw stuff in my Sterrilite drawer! Which you can see how I gave that a Mod Podge/Scrapbook paper makeover here!


Project #3: Labels for Guided Reading Baskets

So I posted some labels awhile back but I have since changed my mind! (Which happens a zillion times a day!) The old ones were super cute but would be a PAIN in the you know what to cut out. I do not have the steadiest hand so I prefer cutting on a straight line! ha! So I used some cute digital scrapbook paper I found on Etsy from EssentiallySCRAPPIN' (she has the cutest designs) and some frames from Fancy Dog Studio and then added my font from the one and only Kevin and Amanda and POOF these appeared!

 I cut them out, glued them on some scrapbook paper (the pack was 50% off a Hobby Lobby whoop!) and used my brand spankin' new laminator and made some sweet labels! You can grab the chevron labels here! Now I just need to find some baskets! Big Lots has been SOLD OUT of the ones I am dying for!

OK, time to stalk some Pinterest and Monday Made Its for new projects! Happy Monday!! 

Wired for Success

If you have just started reading, which I'm sure you have since my blog is brand new, then you know that I am switching schools this year. Same grade level, FIRST!, just a different school that is closer to home! No more one hour (ONE WAY) commutes! My new school is just a few miles from my house! Wahooo! Another reason I am SUPER excited about this year is to work with a new set of wonderful teachers! We have already started planning some exciting activities and an amazing field trip!

Well with a new school, comes a new theme. I was am in love with my old camping theme that I have had for three years (even though I am NOT the best camper). It all started with an adorable tent my mom picked up for my brand new classroom three years ago and it just GREW into "Camp Lane!" I will have to post at another time to share my old room that I loved! It was so sad to rip it all down and have to start from scratch. However, starting from scratch means new ideas and my wheels have been turning! Our school theme is "Wired for Success!" and boy am I wired! (It could be that iced latte I had to have earlier to cool me down in the HEAT wave).

So far, I've just been working on the random odds and ends...labels, table numbers, job labels, journal labels...LABELS! LABELS! LABELS! I love to be organized and I love when it comes with COLOR! This will be the first year I am on ink watch...My old school spoiled me with UNLIMITED color copies! (I know...I know..)

To show you how EXCITED I am I want to jump in on the GIVEAWAY fun! I am having a give away with all my latest "Wired for Success" labels!

How to Enter:

1. Follow my blog and leave a comment to tell me you are.

2. Follow my TpT Store and leave a comment to tell me you are. 

3. Leave a comment to tell me how you incorporate classroom jobs in your room. 

4. Leave a comment with your favorite iPAD app!

5. Have your own give away and link it to Teaching Blog Addicts Giveaway Galore

I will use the random number generator from random.org to announce the winner on July 1st!

GOOD LUCK!

Check back tomorrow for my new positive behavior Incentive idea! (Spoiler Alert....it's a CHEAP way to reward the wanted behaviors!) 

My New Love

My life has been full of "news" lately...a new house, a new job, a new school, a new blog, a new TpT store, a new classroom theme, and now a NEW PUPPY!!! I promised I would blog at least once during the weekends but this weekend was spent with my new little love bug. This is our new little man, Rudy! He is such a ball of fluff!

Anyway...enough about the cutest puppy I have ever laid my eyes on...back to thinking about what is happening in August. I am beyond excited about my new school and our new theme, "Wired for Success!"  I have spent the past few days getting things organized/made so that I won't be a complete basket case come August. To organize student writing journals and reading response journals I have created some labels that I will glue on. I used to use the good ol' sticky labels but I always mess them up somehow with the printer. This year, I plan on just cutting these out and using my handy Mod Podge to put them on. You can grab your labels from my new TpT store! Using the iPad labels will get the nuggets excited about writing and by connecting writing to something they love...iPads! (I mean who doesn't!) And we all know that it's about the connection! 

Putting the "i" in writing! 

Another idea that I found over at the awesome blog Kinder-Craze was this way to cutesify (is that a word?!!) your clear Sterillite drawers. Well, when I saw this, I shreaked, ran straight home from babysitting and went to work on my own drawer. I have HATED this because it is clear and I could always see my unorganized junk in it! Well, Maria just SAVED my life. So after some scrapbook paper, a bottle of Mod Podge and an evening with some Housewives re-runs, I finally had my own. Check it out here!

The INSPIRATION! 

My version (to match my curtains!) 

Also, Amanda over at Teaching Madeness is have a little giveaway. She has a new and fantastic blog. Check it out for some AMAZINGGGGGGG reading resources! 

Check back tomorrow where I will blog about my Economics Unit and don't forget to check out my TpT store for some more great (cheap!) resources and some more "Wired for Success" goodies! 

Happy Monday! 

Teaching Together, 

Sarah

Hello Blog World!

I have been stalking these teaching blogs for a LOOOONG time now and decided it's about time to join in on the fun. This is the first summer where I have had some "free time" so to fill in those few hours I have to myself, I'm going to join the teaching blog world! 


I have taught first grade for three years now and in August I will be starting at a brand new school! I am beyond excited. I have already met my new team mates and I could not be more inspired right now! This is a scary exciting time considering I have been at my previous school since I student-taught, so I'm nervous about learning an entire new school. However, everyone at my new schools seems wonderful and very helpful, so my nerves are put aside for now! (Until a few hours before open house!...) 


I have had a camping theme in my classroom since I started teaching but with a new school comes a new theme. Lucky for me I don't have to steal create a new theme because the school gives us one! This year the theme is...."Wired for Success!" Each teacher was given an amazing gift at the end of the year...an iPad and all the kindergarten classrooms have class sets. AMAZINGGGG! So we are wired for success and ready to go! 

Well in celebration of the new blog and a whole new classroom I am putting up my guided reading book bin labels that I plan on using this year. Since our theme changes yearly, I am hoping these will last a few years....(atleast I'm telling myself that until December when I feel like changing them...again!) Click here to get the labels in GoogleDocs! (Sorry for any inconvenience! I'm still learning!! =)

You can get them from my TpT store now, too! 


Have a wonderful Thursday!!  


Teaching Together, 

Sarah