Monday Made It and a New Link

Many of you that I follow are going back to school next week, and I just have to ask....What's up with THAT!? I still have 3 1/2 more weeks people. That's 3 1/2 more weeks of crafting, procrastinating, and just being plain lazy. Ok, I'd be lying if I said that I enjoy being lazy for that long. I'm actually looking forward to school starting so I can get back into a solid routine. I loove summer, but I'm ready for some hustle & bustle. 

Alright, time to link up with Fourth Grade Frolics for some Monday Made Its.

Library Helper Book Bags

Next year I am implementing a new classroom job: Library Helpers. I had one of these last year, but their only purpose was to keep our classroom library organized & clean. Confession: I was NOT always a good role model for proper library etiquette. There were many times when we were rushing out the door and I would throw place a book in some random basket to save time. But this year will be different! I read The Book Whisperer by Donalyn Miller this summer and have a completely different perspective on my classroom library.

Our Library Helpers will have an important job. Not only will they keep our classroom library organized, they will also be responsible for taking everybody's books to the library during Specials on Thursday. Instead of wasting time for the kids to get out their library books on Thursday {which is usually panic mode for a few because they can't find them in their black hole of a desk}, the kids will drop off their books Thursday mornings in these books bags. 

And the library helpers will carry them to the library :) I got these bags for $1 each at Michaels and dressed them up with some leftover ribbon from my small group bins. 

Monster Themed Daily 5 Posters

Here's a freebie for all you monster lovers out there. It's a pack of Daily 5 posters for your room. There are two types in here, depending on what system you use: full-size posters for a clipchart and smaller cards for a rotation board. Click the picture to download.

I'm also linking up with The Teacher's Chair today for something new :)

Today's theme is lesson planners. This is actually the first product I ever made for my TpT store! Since then I've completed another planner, so I'm attaching both of them. The first is a gray/pink chevron theme and the second is rainbow/bright colors. Click the pictures to download a preview and/or purchase at my TpT store.

Make sure you check out both blogs for some last minute inspiration. Enjoy the rest of your week!

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!

Monday Made It

Happy Monday!

Today has been a very exciting/busy/productive day. Since summer vacation started I've been hoarding storing various things for my classroom in the trunk of my car. It was getting kinda packed so I decided to head on over to my room and drop some things off. A "quick trip to the school" turned into a 3 hour trip! (isn't that how it always is?) I popped into my principal's office and she told me some exciting news.....(cue the drumroll).....I will be moving from 4th to 2nd grade next year!! I cannot tell you how EXCITED I am about it! Of course as soon as she told me I started mapping out next year's curriculum. Any 2nd grade bloggers out there? I'd love to link up with you and share ideas! And yes, this does mean that I will have to move classrooms (AAAHHH!!) But it will be refreshing to organize and tidy-up :) I can't wait to post pictures of my new classroom!

So this brings me to my Monday Made It...

I created this ELA Cursive Alphabet Set under the assumption that I was going to be teaching 4th grade Reading, but I'm sure it will come in handy for you wonderful reading teachers out there. ;)

I have a print and cursive (thanks for the suggestion!) version for sale at my TpT store. It's only $1 so check it out! My next project will be to create one that is more "2nd grade friendly" for my new kiddos. I'll share that soon. Make sure you head on over to Fourth Grade Frolics and check out some other great Monday Made Its :)

Well I'm off to prepare for Bible Study this evening. I only had 2 days to read about 15 pages...yikes!