MANY Monday Made Its

Today was the first day that I went back to school to actually work. I got SO MUCH done! I love the feeling you get when you can scratch off 5+ things from your to-do list. For a while it seemed like it was growing longer & longer without actually getting anything done. Definitely feeling better after today. So get ready a handful of Monday Made Its! Really...I'm not kidding...I have 7 of them!

MMI 1

Paper Organization System

I desperately needed something to file papers, other than manilla folders that get crinkled and dingy looking. I've seen this idea all over the internet. These adorable pencils are by Creative Clips. Really cute and they come in several different colors. I'm really happy with how it turned out!!

MMI 2:

Graded Papers File

I got this idea from Tara at Fourth Grade Frolics, but I made it to match my paper filer {see above}. Last year I kept the students' graded papers in individual mailboxes in the back of my room. It's a great system, but 1) I wasn't able to take it home if needed. I get try to get all my grades done as we go, but sometimes things get a tad busy ;) And 2) some of my students have sneaky eyes that "accidentally" notice that bad grade someone else got on their math quiz. Having this portable filing system will *hopefully* prevent that!

{flower frame by Ashley Hughes}

MMI 3:

More Paper Bins

These were totally not planned, but they were on sale at Wal-Mart for $1 each! There was no way I was leaving without a couple. Turns out they make great bins for homework and Thursday Folders! To read more about Thursday Folders, check out The Clutter Free Classroom. 

{frames by Graphics From the Pond}

MMI 4:

Crayon Organization

My wonderful mom got me 10 of these cute flower pails at Michaels for $1 each. Six of them are going to hold crayons for each group. The other four will be used to hold other random things/manipulatives around the room.

{frames by Graphics From the Pond}

MMI 5:

Multiple Choice Rings

Another awesome idea from Fourth Grade Frolics! Tara used large popsicle sticks for hers, but I only had the skinny ones and was too lazy to trek through Wal-Mart again. So I whipped these up, printed on cardstock, laminated both sides, and clipped on binder rings. I can't wait to use these during small groups!

{frames by Graphics From the Pond}

MMI 6:

Pencil Bins

This is a MMI with a little extra somethin-somethin. At the very end of last year I started realizing that I was going through a box of pencils every week. And by "box" I mean "box of 80!!" At least four times a day I kept hearing the dreaded, "I can't find my pencil!" This lead to me giving out pencil, after pencil, after pencil until they were all gone. Don't get me wrong. I have NO problem giving out pencils to students who need them. It only becomes an issue when my pencils are 

1) sharpened to a tiny nub, and

2) lost

Maybe this new system will prevent those things from happening. Here's the plan: Each group will have a green bin with 8-12 pencils {depending on group size, 2 per student}. These pencils are for them to use during the school day, but must be returned before they leave (**obviously if a student doesn't have pencils at home I am willing to make an exception). One person from each group will be responsible for counting pencils at the end of the day to make sure they're all accounted for. I know what you're thinking...how will they differentiate between "my" pencils and their own?

BAM! My pencils have colored duct tape around the eraser! I adapted this idea from Ladybug Teacher Files. I almost didn't buy this tape at Hobby Lobby, but I'm glad I did. It's perfect for pencils. This is seriously going to save time from students getting up to sharpen pencils in the middle of the day. And the bins came in a pack of 3 from the Dollar Tree! I love that place.

{frames by Graphics From the Pond}

MMI 7 (last one):

Group Buckets

These will be used to keep art supplies/random things whenever we have group work. I got the green bins at Hobby Lobby when they were on Clearance. I think they were .50 each. And the pink ones are from Wal-Mart, $1 each. I dressed them up a bit with turquoise chevron ribbon and big chalkboard frames {Graphics From the Pond}

Phew! That was a lot, but man does it feel good to have it done! Can't wait to see what you all have accomplished!