Made it Monday

It's Monday, so I am joining up with 4th Grade Frolics to showcase what I made this week.

On Tuesday, I was able to do a little retail therapy.  During that outing I got some cheap clipboards from dollar tree (five of them @ $1.00 each) and some decorative duct tape from Michael's (on sale 2 rolls for $7.00).

So I got to work, wrapping tape around the boards and then added a bow at the top.  Here is how they turned out.

I think they turned out great!  Isn't the duct tape very beachy?  I can't wait for the kiddos to use them in the classroom.  

Next up, my table supply baskets.  I finally found some at the Dollar Tree (4 @$1.00 each) and got some ribbon at Hobby Lobby (2 rolls at $1.99 each).

These were simply adding the ribbon to fancy them up a bit. Nothing major!

Again, I think they will work out fine this year and I love the colors!  Doesn't ribbon make anything look like you spent a million bucks.

Lastly, I am very proud of my table signs.  I blogged about them on my Saturday post, but in case you missed it, here is an image of them:

These were the best find yet!  Only a $1.00 at the Dollar Tree.  They had them in hot pink and blue.  They had luau images to be attached but I just made my own images.  I can't wait to hang them in my classroom.  As a matter of fact, I have to stop by school today to drop off some of my retail therapy finds (my pile is getting mammoth), so I may just take a few minutes to hang them.  

So what have you been making?  Go link up and share.

Happy Blogging!

Ann

Saw it on Pinterest Saturday

How many of you have heard of Schoolgirl Style?  If you haven't...OMG, you must go check her out!

Her classroom designs and decorating ideas are....let's just say, INCREDIBLE!

So I truly have spent hours just looking at all of the different ways she has decorated learning environments and I was inspired by these cute, little signs...

click here for link

So....

during one of my retail therapy outings, I was casually walking the isle's of our local Dollar Tree and stumbled upon these:

Of course, my mouth just dropped.  Does the Dollar Tree realize that they are sitting on a goldmine here?  Obviously not!  They are only charging a dollar for these cutie, patooties.  

Now the good lord above must have had a hand in this find because not only is my classroom beach themed, but my colors are hot pink and blue.  WOW!

So these signs would be cute just as they are but then I discovered something upon further inspection.  Check it out...

Notice anything?  The tiki decor (which is awfully cute) is not attached to the blue puff prior to assembly.  OMG!  My mind started racing!  I realized at that moment that I could attach anything I wanted to the blue puff!

Next, 

I looked around to see if anyone was staring at me because I was jumping up and down like a little kid in a candy shop. 

I eagerly grabbed every one that was displayed and stuffed them into my shopping basket that was already overflowing with too many classroom purchases.

 I got my wits about me and decided that I could reasonably purchase four of each color.

I was so excited about this purchase that I came home immediately started playing with my new found decor.

Here is what I created...

These adorable puffs are going to be my table signs for next year.  You can't see from this image, but I put the table number circles on both sides.  I adhered them with hot glue.  Are't they cute?

Here is another image!

So go check out Schoolgirl Style and see how her creativity inspires you to create a beautiful learning environment.  Oh, and let me know if you hear about her doing a classroom makeover giveaway.  I would so LOVE to win that one!

Happy Blogging!

Ann

Birthday Winner!

Hey Ladies!  Thanks for all of you who played along with me on my birthday.

We have a winner...

Karmen

@ 
Karmen's Kinders of Room 103

Karmen was the first to guess my correct age of.....  42.  Congrats!!!!

However, I don't feel 42.  I feel more like I am 33...or maybe 35....how about 18.  That's what they told the waiter at dinner last night....he just laughed!  I don't think that was very nice of him.  How does he know my true age?

Anyway, I got some FABULOUS gifts for my birthday.  So I thought I would share...you don't mind, do you?

I must preface with...teacher's ask for the most interesting gifts for their birthday...don't we?  Often, we forgo the normal birthday gifts and ask for stuff to help make our lives easier....hence, you know where this is going...stuff for our classroom.  Well, I did get a few gifts to help me in the classroom and then a few just for the fun of it!

So here is my first gift...

My mother-in-law, who is a former teacher herself, got me one of these with laminating sheets, of course!  She obviously knows from her 30 years in the classroom how important it is for a teacher to have her stuff laminated.  Yes, we have one at school, but now I can make that last minute center, that I have probably found on one of your wonderful blogs, and have it ready in the morning.  What an AWESOME gift!

Next, my hubby got me one of these...

I already had the iPad2 but I really wanted the keyboard attachment.  This one is really nice because it all fits in a case too and folds up just like my old case, very compact!  I can't wait to use this at my guided reading table.  I have lots of plans for this and I am sure I will share these ideas with you in later posts.

Next up, my seven-year old daughter picked this out for me...

Remember these?  They came out many moons ago.  Well, I had one and mine finally bit the dust (I think from overuse).  So my sweet pea decided I had to have a new one.  Yes, we are a family that likes grilled sandwiches....all kinds of grilled sandwiches:  Grilled cheese, grilled ham and cheese, grilled mozzarella,  grilled mozzarella and pepperoni, grilled salami, grilled pastrami, grilled peanut butter and chocolate chips....I think you get the idea.  That last one is one of my personal favorites...I highly recommend that you try it.  Your kids will think that you are the World's Best Chef!  And they will tell all their friends about you! And you will be the talk of the lunch room! I know you are envious!  Furthermore, I even took my old one to school several times to make grilled sandwiches with my littles.  Personally, I think whoever invented this little contraption is either a genius or a teacher who was looking for a time saver when it comes to making a quick dinner.  It was probably the teacher!

Lastly, my wonderful son, who knows I love to scrapbook, got me this...

For those of you who have no idea what this is, it is a scrapbook page holder.  This will display your 12 x 12 scrapbook pages after you make them.  I have the perfect place in my scrapbook room for this.  And...I already have several completed pages that are notable enough to earn the status to be displayed in this cutie patootie.  Yes, only my special pages will get the honor of being in this little puppy.

Now I know that a scrapbook holder has nothing to do with school, but I know I have some scrapping friends out there who read my blog and they are going to be so ENVIOUS of me because I have one of these.  Hee! Hee!

So that is what I got for my birthday.  It was a great day and we finished it with this...

This is my traditional Banana Cake.  My hubby had to search high and low this past week to find a bakery that would make me a banana cake.  We use to get it from Holiday House, but they closed down a few months ago and he didn't know how he was going to find a place who made banana cake. Amazingly, he found a sweet little old lady at a local bakery who knew exactly what he wanted because she too use to eat at Holiday House.  She did a FABULOUS job.  It tasted even better than the one we use to get.  I am going to have to stop by her bakery and thank her!

So that was my birthday!  Thanks for sharing in my fun with me and thanks to those of you who played my birthday game.  It was fun!

Until next time....Happy Blogging!
Ann

Starbucks Giveaway

Today is my birthday!

I am 29!

Or maybe I am 33?

How about 52?

Well, I am not going to tell you....you are going to have to guess.

Think of it as if you are playing a game at my birthday party and the winner get's a prize!

Don't you just love when you do this with your students?  Especially if you teach kindergarten.  I just love the ones that say "You are eight, Mrs. Greene."  And in your brain you are just thinking...

 ...Are you serious!  You must be blind if you can't see the wrinkles around my eyes.

...Awe!  Thanks for making me feel old!

...Hmmm...little Suzie really needs to work on number sense.

Anyway, you are probably asking yourself..."If I play, what do I win?"


A trip here....

Well, not really!  Although I would love to reward everyone with a trip to a beautiful, tropical, relaxing location as the one pictured above, I don't think my bank account will appreciate it (Remember, we function on a teacher salary).

Instead, I have one of these pretty, little cards as a prize!

I just love me some Starbucks!  How about you?  This one is $10 worth of Starbucks.

So here are the rules to my game:
1. Guess my age
2. Show me some love and leave a comment
3. Please make sure I have a way to contact you (blog link/e-mail/etc)

The first one to guess correctly is the winner and I will announce who won tomorrow.  Oh, and don't worry!  I won't judge your guesses like I do my students.  I know all of you are very good at number sense and who knows, your blogging research skills might even help you out a bit (Wink! Wink!)

Join in the birthday fun and play along with us.

Happy Blogging!
Ann

What I'm Pinning Wednesday

Hi all!

I had a great time with my girlfriends yesterday.  We had a great lunch out and then we did some retail therapy at Michaels, Dollar Tree, Hobby Lobby, and Target.  I finally got to use my gift cards that I have been carrying around in my purse FOREVER!

At each store, I got some goodies for school and I am sure I will be sharing pics with you in the near future.

In the meantime, I want to share with you what I have been pinning.  I am linking up with Kinder Kraziness to share what has inspired me on Pinterst.

First up... I know!  I already made my birthday balloons for this year, but aren't these really cute?

You can find this free printable at Once Upon A First Grade Adventure.  Of course, I pinned it for next year but I thought I could share it with you too!

Next, I liked the following alphabet assessment sheet.

You can find it at Heidi Songs.  What I like about it is that the children simply are focusing on letter formation.  I am going to adapt this one to meet our teams needs.  We assess letter formation four times a year and we have to assess upper and lowercase letters.

These table signs are awesome!

These signs belong to Erica Bohrer's First Grade.  I am going to make something similar but I found some cute hanging decorations at Dollar Tree yesterday that I am going to repurpose to beef them up a bit.  I am sure I will post a pic after I make them.

I found these as I was pinning just this morning.  All I can say is WOW!

They are Common Core "I Can" posters that were made by Mrs. Fulbright.  She did a fabulous job on them and I can't believe they are a FREE DOWNLOAD.  Again, WOW!

Lastly, I am always looking for some good humor when I am pinning.  Here is my latest find.

Really, If only we were paid for pinning!  I would be making a fortune and could afford that "Dream Home" that I keep pinning about.

Well, that's what I'm pinning these days.  How about you?  Go link up and share.

Happy Blogging!
Ann

Teacher Tip Tuesday

Today's a happy day for me!

Why?

I get to go out to lunch with my favorite girls...my co-workers....my team...my besties! 

We are going to Red Lobster.  Yum!  Well, actually it is not one of my favorites, but.....

it is right next to  Michael's, Hobby Lobby, a Dollar Tree and the "ultimate" TARGET!  You know we strategically planned that meeting place, don't you?

Whohoo!  I know I am going to do some purchasing today!

Especially because I still have my two Target gift cards and one to Hobby Lobby.  Yes!

I am really hoping that Target has filled their Dollar Spot with the new teaching items that I am seeing circulating around blogs.  Especially that Dr. Seuss stuff that I saw over at Hanging with Mrs. Cooper's Blog. So cute!!!!

Anyway, here is my tip for Tuesday.  It is simple, but it is all my ADD brain could think of this morning (remember, I am in a funk).

Have you seen these little cuties at the Dollar Tree?

If you can't tell what they are, they are birthday paper plates shaped just like a monkey's head.  So stinking cute!

Well, of course, when I saw them, I had to have them because my brain automatically thought "Five Little Monkeys!"  Actually, I had to purchase four packages because I had to have some for me and my besties.  I am such a giving person.

I am sure you have figured out what I am going to do with them.  I am going to add some craft sticks or paint sticks to the back.  I prefer the paint sticks, they are more durable.  But I am going to have to bribe the nice man at Lowes for some.  I am currently out!

Then I will use these little monkeys with my students when we do our Five Little Monkey's book/retelling.  I can just visualize my little cuties right now with their monkeys in their hands.  They are going to love it and Mrs. Greene is going to run and get her camera for a picture.

I am always looking for those special, animal shaped paper plates.  I have a bunch of these that I use for a variety of fingerplays/songs/stories.  They are so easy, cheap, and durable.  I have had some that I have used for the past five years that still look practically new.

Here is an image of other's that I have seen on the market.

So keep your eyes open when you are walking through the birthday/paper plate isles.  You never know what gems you will find that can be used for your retelling center.

I hope you enjoyed my simple tip for today.

Don't worry!  I am sure I will post pics about what I get today during my shopping spree outing.

Also, I spent an enormous amount of time cleaning my scrapbook/craft room yesterday?  Would anyone like me to post pics, since it is clean?   Just thought I would ask to see if there are any takers.  My hubby allowed me to transform one room in our house into "my" room but it seems to be a favorite place for the entire family since my daughter loves to create too, my son likes my computer the best and so does the hubby (They say my computer is the fastest in the house.).  I guess I have to share.

Until next time, Happy Blogging!
Ann

Made it Monday

It's Monday, so I'm linking up again with 4th Grade Frolics for her Made it Monday Linky Party.

I just love linking up with her for several reasons...

1. It reminds me to share pics of all those cool things I have made for my classroom (Remember, I'm ADHD,  I make and make and make but often forget to share!).
2. I get to see images of what others are doing and then I have a reason to go shopping (I personally love any reason to go shopping!).
3. I don't have to think "What should I blog about today?"  (Sometimes I get in a Bloggers funk...does this happen to anyone else?).

Anyway...here is what I have been working on this past week.  

First, I saw these on Pinterest and it was love at first sight!

They are birthday balloons made with crazy straws.  The best part, Amy over at Step Into Second Grade has the free downloadable balloon.  So of course, I had to make me some.

I got my straws at the Dollar Tree and I was ready.

Here are mine.

Aren't they just the cutest!  I can't wait to give one to my kiddos on their birthday.  Don't you just love the red solo cup (Yes, you can thank me because now the song is playing in your head, isn't it)?  I am going to try and find something as cute to put them in, something as cute as Amy's (see pic above).  I just haven't found the right thing yet.  I saw a cute hot pink tall basket at the Dollar Tree...Oh no, now I might just have to go back and do more shopping!  Hey!  It's only a dollar!

Next up...I purchased this locker crate from Walmart the other day.  It looked like the perfect size for my daily folders and, even better, it was hot pink!

Here is what I did to it so far.

That is a blue polka-dot ribbon added to it (I just love my colors this year!).  I do need to make a label for it, but labeling always seems to happen later for me.  I think I always have to see how everything fits into my classroom and then I make the labels.

Here is a pic of my next project.  I am sure you have seen people do this on Pinterest.  You know the one, where you take a picture frame and make a "To Do" list out of it.  I got the frame at the Dollar Tree as well.  Can anyone guess how much I spent?  And, how come when you go up to the front to purchase and your cart is full the cashier automatically says..."You must be a teacher."  I think the Dollar Tree is starting to stereotype us.

Well, here is mine.  Unfortunately, I didn't write down who I go the free printable from.  I apologize for having one of my adult ADD moments.  If you know who did the download, please let me know so that I can give them their shout out because I just love mine.  I need to find a cute hot pink bow to add to it, but that will have to come later.

Lastly, I found these cute baskets at Dollar Tree as well.  I already have a few in my classroom (Which my seven year old daughter had to mention as I was purchasing more...she is so observant).  I also got the ribbon from there too but it was way back at Easter.  I remember driving to several different Dollar Trees at Easter time to purchase as many of these as possible because I knew I would use them this summer.  I have quite a collection now...but I still think I am going to run out! Ugh!

Here is what I did.  These are going to be my work table baskets.  I have four tables in my classroom and each table has a shelf at the end of it (another Pinterest idea).  I have them place their completed work in these baskets as they rotate through the tables.  That way they are not coming up and bothering me during reading groups.  Of course, a label is forthcoming. I am envisioning something in black and white maybe.

Oh and remember my treasure box?  The one I found at Walmart for a whopping $4.97?  Here is how it turned out.

I added letter stickers and then used my plethora of "O" stickers to accentuate the grommets on the container.  Of course, I had to add some bling (which I had on hand in my scrapbook room as well).  I think it turned out cute.

Well, that's it!  I have been busy creating but, unfortunately, I am not keeping up with my purchasing.  If you could only see the amount of stuff that is sitting on the floor of our game room (That is where everything seems to pile until I can get it to school).  The pile needs to find a new home soon since we have company coming in town on the 17th of this month.  

Which means I will be making a trip to my classroom.  

Which means that I will be bringing home even more projects.  

Which means that the pile probably won't be shrinking much.  Oh well!

What have you been creating?  I can't wait to see!  Go link up!

Happy Blogging!

Ann