Vegas Conference Sale!

I'm having an awesome time in Vegas at two awesome teacher conferences!  First I''m attending the I Teach 1st Conference. The Teachers Pay Teachers Conference starts on Friday!

Here's a picture of the binder I put together - 

and my super cute t-shirt my husband made for me!  

(The Honey Bunch Blog Design did my logo for me. I love it!)

I am meeting so many inspiring teachers that I want to celebrate with a SALE!

I've got so much to share with you when I get back.  In the mean time, check out my store and others that are also on sale!  Head over to Surfing to Success for the Vegas Sale Linky!

Classroom Overhaul -- Step 4: Make Milk Crate Seats

One of the challenges of having worked in education for 20+ years is that I have a LOT of stuff.  I have tubs of materials stored above my cabinets (which are also stuffed full). The result is that my classroom looks cluttered (even though I know exactly where everything is).  

A big goal for the summer is to sort through those tubs and purge! I'm planning on reducing the amount of tubs and storing my most essential materials in seat crates.  My students will use them as seats during reading groups.

You've seen the images of seat crates on Pinterest! So cute!  Mine turned out great!  

Step 1: Go shopping!  

• Fabric:  The fabric was 50% off at Joanne Fabrics, and I bought a yard of each (which was too much). I spent about $10 on fabric and ribbon.

• Foam: We selected a 2" high density foam that was also 50% off at Joanne. We chose the high density foam because we thought it would last longer and be more comfortable for my students than lower density foam.  I bought an entire sheet because I have some other projects for which I'll be using the leftover foam. I spent about $15 on the entire sheet of foam. (My dogs really liked the foam!)

• Plastic Crates: I bought 5 turquoise plastic crates from Target. They were $3.99 each, so I spent about $20 (with tax).
• Plywood: We had 5/8" scrap plywood so that was free.
• Tools: We used a staple gun, scissors, circular saw, measuring tape and other measuring tools -- all of which we already had.
• Total Cost: about $45 for 5 seat crates.

Step 2: Measure and cut the wood to fit on the interior rim of the crate.

Step 3: Measure and cut the foam so it is the same size as the wood. I traced the outline of the wood onto the foam.

Step 4: Measure and cut the fabric.  We used 2" foam, so we measured the fabric to be 4" wider (all the way around) than the foam/wood seat.  On the first one, we actually measured and cut the fabric pretty precisely. On the others, we just put the seat in the middle of the fabric and cut it so there was a 4" border of material.

Step 5: Staple the fabric onto the foam/wood seat.  

• First, we folded the fabric so it would be extra strong.

• For the corners, we folded them into triangular shapes (like we were wrapping a gift).

 Step 6: Staple on the ribbon. I wanted to have a handle to make it easier to pull the seats up. This was optional because I can easily stick my fingers though the crate to pop the seat up.

All Done! The entire project took about an hour and a half!

I Wish I Had Known! (Student Transportation on the First Day)

Confession time...My first day of my first year of teaching was an absolute nightmare.  (Actually, the whole experience was a nightmare, but we'll save that sad story for another time).  I was singularly focused on creating a great impression that would set the tone for the rest of the year. I made a critical error. I didn't even think about how my 3rd graders were getting home. I guess I sort of assumed they'd know, though honestly, it didn't even cross my mind.

You can imagine what happened.  One of the kids did NOT know how to get home and got lost.  The principal called me well past 6:00 pm, and asked me if I had put the boy on the bus.  Uhhhh....no.  Was I supposed to do that??  Apparently, the family was new to the area, and the little guy had no idea how to get home, so he just set off walking.  It all ended well -- his parents found him.  But, I tell you, that was one of the most terrifying experiences of my life.  23 years later, the memory still makes me squirm.

Now I know that I have to find out how my kiddos are getting home before school even starts! At "Meet the Teacher" night, I put out a survey question board, and before they leave, parents and students have to answer "How Are You Getting Home on the First Day of School?" Occasionally, a parent will tell me that they don't know which bus their child rides. I direct them to the office so they can get that figured out.

On the first day of school, I write each child's transportation mode on their name tags so I can sort them into groups quickly and easily. I also use this transportation display. I keep it up for several weeks -- at least until we ALL know how the kids are getting home!

The transportation display is available on my TpT store for $2 in several designs. I sure hope they keep another child from getting lost on that first day of school (and keep another teacher from going to bed in tears on the first day of school!)

"Ribbons and Stripes" Theme

Chevron Theme

Apple Theme

Chalkboard Theme

Classroom Overhaul -- Step 3: Too Many Books!

I have too many books! They spill out of shelves, baskets, boxes and cabinets in my first grade classroom.  Don't tell me I need to get rid of them -- that's not an option! Instead, I needed to get them organized!  Here's what I did to get a handle on thousands of books I have in my classroom.

Step 1: Acquire new shelves.  

I had been storing my books on a huge bookshelf I got from a store that was going out of business. The problem was that I frequently take sections of books out for thematic units. The remaining books would fall over, creating a mess.

My son had a huge set of the white "cube" shelves from Target.  I confiscated them and took them to my classroom.  He was using the shelves to store collections of Bionicles and Legos that he was pretty much done with, so it all worked.

Step 2: Make new genre markers.  For years, I used tags I had made out of cardstock. They were pretty beat up. I made a new set out of a cute "circle badge" design I got for free from The Hazel Owl. I laminated them and glued them onto paint sticks that I spray painted green.

Step 2: Move the books and insert the genre markers.  The books seemed to all fit into their sections!

The final result is so much neater and easier to manage!

Classroom Overhaul!

My classroom needs a facelift. It's cluttered, busy, and not as "cute" as I imagine it could be. I look at pictures of classrooms on Pinterest and want the cute factor, but then I question how practical many of these classrooms are. I mean, let's face it, I need a fully functional classroom to accommodate messy first graders, lots of paint, glitter and glue, thousands of books, and 20+years of teaching supplies.

First, I need to think about what works, what doesn't work, and what I want.

Things That Don't Work:

• Ugly File Cabinets --> Problem Solved!  Paint the File Cabinets!
• Ugly Tables --> Problem Solved!  Make Table Skirts!
• Messy Storage Areas --> Problem Solved! Make Milk Crate Seats!
• Too Many Books! --> Problem Solved!  Too Many Books!

Things I Want:

• Reading Area --> Accomplished!  The Big Reveal
• Consistent Thematic Decor --> Accomplished!  The Big Reveal!

Things I Can't Change:

• Furniture
• Limitations on hanging stuff from ceiling
• Lots of STUFF!

Join me this summer as I undertake a complete classroom overhaul!

Classroom Overhaul -- Step 2: Make Table Skirts

My classroom tables (like much of the furniture in my room) are not pretty. In fact, a couple of them are downright ugly. I got at least two of them from the salvage department for our district. Like my file cabinets, they need a makeover if they are going to have a place in my new "pretty" classroom.

After looking around for ideas, I decided on making table skirts. Not only would they hide some of the ugliness of the tables, but they would also hide the tubs I tend to stash underneath.

The issue: how to make them?  My teammate Heather over at Worf's Wiggle Worms has a cute table skirt, but she has had mixed results when she used velcro tabs. They keep falling off.  Our teammate Jenney had her mom sew table skirts. She stapled them into the edge of the table, and they've stayed up really well. But I don't sew, and I want to be able to remove mine for messy art projects.

My super crafty husband came to the rescue!  He offered to make table skirts for me!  The results look awesome!  Here's how he did it.

Step 1: Measure the tables. 

Get the length and the width, and then figure out how much you want the fabric to hang over the table. Add that on to your measurement.

Step 2: Find the material.

We got my fabric from Hobby Lobby for 50% off. We chose a heavier fabric so it would hang properly. I selected this particular style because the colors go with the colors that I already have on my classroom walls. This also matches the file cabinets I just repainted.

Step 3: Iron the fabric.

We ironed the edges of the fabric to create 3/4" folds for the hems.

Step 4: Hem it on the sides and bottom.

On the bottom and sides, he did a wide, long zig-zag stitch.

Step 5: Sew on the Velcro.

On the top, he sewed the Velcro on as he stitched it with a straight stitch.  We used sewing Velcro, not sticky Velcro. Sticky Velcro makes a mess with the needles.

Step 6: Attach sticky Velcro to table.

I had a couple of big rolls of Velcro at school, so we just wrapped it around the front and sides of the table.  We experimented with how high we wanted to attach the Velcro to the table so the table skirt would align with the edge of the table.

Step 7: Attach the table skirt.

Once the Velcro was on, we attached the skirt.

The final product!

It needs to be ironed one more time, but I'm thrilled with how it looks!

Two Freebies to Share!

For today's Freebie Friday, I've got two freebies to share with you!

African Animals Count and Tally

Main Idea and Details Foldable

Enjoy!