I just love paint chip crafts!!!!

I found a super cute way (on pinterest of course!) to display colors in a early elementary classroom with showing the shades of colors as well. Since I am a teacher I don't have loads of money laying around to buy things so I decided that while Michaels had scrapbook paper on sale 6 for a $1 ending last Saturday I bought every color I needed to make my own crayons. 

I made a crayon stencil 

Then I traced them onto each color

Finally I cut the crayon out

I am going write the name of the color and do some kind of stripes as well to finish off the crayon look. 

I'm so excited to send and give my friends these crafts I made for their new classroom!!!!

Congrats on all the teachers who just got jobs either at new locations or for the first time : ): ) 



I also started my classroom calendar with paint chip squares : ) can't wait to laminate the poster and look forward to creating months to go on top.

FREE and ALMOST free it is so cheap crafts for your classroom!

I am so excited to share with y'all today my bathroom passes and a name display I made for a friend for her new classroom. Michael's has their scrapbook paper on sale 6 for $1!
I found some really cute teacher-y paper!

NAME DISPLAY
Step 1
Find recycle boxes from your pantry or old spiral covers that you don't need anymore. I like to use these materials because it isn't too thick or tough to cut smoothly but thick enough that it is easy to trace and stiff enough with scrapbook paper on top.

Step 2
Draw your letters or trace if you want onto the cardboard.

Step 3
Cut your letters out.

Step 4
Now trace cardboard letters onto scrapbook paper.








Step 5
Cut out scrapbook paper and make sure that you add some paper at the end that can be folded over onto the cardboard and glued.

Step 6
Once you have the scrapbook paper cut out with the folded extension you can glue it onto the cardboard.

Step 7
I suggest you laminate it! That way it last longer and then maybe string it with some ribbon.

Now you can make a beautiful display of your name or anything else for your classroom for under $1. : )







BATHROOM PASSES
I found better homes paint chips at Walmart that have holes! I thought how perfect these could be for bathroom passes. I quickly grabbed a pink and a blue.
Then I decided to write on them and decorate them corresponding to the gender of course. On the back was a bunch of writing that I covered up with a cartoon boy on the blue and a cartoon girl on the pink. That way kids of all ages rather they recognize the words boy and girl or can connect the colors to their gender there is a visual as well. Finished product pictures coming soon! : )

Journals in the Classroom

During student teaching (5th grade math) I learned how essential it is for students to understand and learn about note taking through a math journal. As I look back, I realize that fifth grade is the last stop before junior high where they are to expected to take notes on their own for the most part.
I recently went to a training where we learned about science journals as well. I'm ecstatic! They are so interactive and engaging with pictures, colors, and Ziploc (my new favorite classroom material and tool) activities. I went during my lunch break of the training and after to buy composition books which happened to conveniently be on sale that week for all 22 of my kiddos. I was able to, after 3 stores, purchase 50 for under $13 at Office Depot thanks to star teacher rewards and crazy back to school sales!

In training they discussed ways for students to decorate their journals. I decided that since I am new to my district and my students all know each other fairly well and have gone to school together since pre-k playing those "get to know you" games wouldn't be much fun for them.

I began thinking..., how am I going to get to know them without boring them with "get to know you" games? I decided I am going to allow my students to take home the composition books (1 for math and 1 for science) on the first day of school and make it a fun and easy homework assignment. They will simply get a grade of 100 for bringing their journals back the next day decorated.
This way I can get a feel for what they may have available at home, the amount of effort they put into decorating their journal, how responsible they are, and most importantly a little insight to their personality.

Here is an example I made to show my students.

Reading

I was giving a reading training to Primrose, a private preschool I work at in the summer, and decided to take up the full hour I would do an activity with the teachers. I got a great idea from a fellow teacher to do a Ziploc bag book which can be used for all ages. As a group we made a "My Body" book I found on google (where children use pictures of themselves to help them learn body parts such as foot, hand, mouth, ear, nose, etc.) and I decided we could also do a "My Fruits" book that would be great for early preschool ages. I then created my own version that would be great for a Pre-K class or a Kinder class. This ABC Ziploc bag book creates a great opportunity for the students to take home their given letter from the alphabet and find an item to place in the bag to bring back the next day to share with the class. Then you can create a class ABC book! : )

My Classroom Theme

Well I have decided to start a blog to organize my own ideas and Pinterest pins that I am using for this school year. I have decided on a classroom theme of "The Sky is Not the Limit" since I am teaching Math and Science this year. I found a great quote by Paul Brandt "Don't tell me that the sky's the limit when there are footprints on the moon" and I am SUPER EXCITED to decorate!! 

I found a great classroom door idea from Pinterest and this is when i decided I would have a second theme idea "Reach for the Stars!" 

I will post pictures of my door when it is all done with MY students hands. : ) They are going to write a goal for the year on their hand and then we are going to hang all of them on the door together.

At North Zulch we send a newsletter home telling the parents and students what we are going to be learning the following week and important dates. As a fifth grade team we decided on "Fifth Grade Flyer!" I am considering a plane across the top with the smoke saying the title.... template hopefully coming soon!