{Monday Made It} Ribbon Rules & Initial Lantern

I've been loving seeing all the ribbon signs on Pinterest and in teacher supply stores. I knew I wanted some classroom rules posted at the front of the classroom. I have a skinny space to the left of my SMARTboard that I knew would be the perfect space.

I printed the rules using a  powerpoint template that you can find here. I then laminated them and hot glued them to 2.5" ribbon. Too easy!

My DIY home project was inspired by a Pin as well. I knew I had to make it this week when I saw that all lanterns were 50% off at Hobby Lobby. So, I got my lantern, some potpourri, and a wooden letter 'H' that I spray painted and ta-da! I feel like it's the perfect addition to our guest bedroom!

Hopefully, I'll share the full guest room with you soon...still have a few more finishing touches I'd like to add.

I am so in love with Pinterest! I can't believe how it has inspired me to do so much this summer. What Pinterest projects are you working on?

{Monday Made It} Birthday Treats

As a part of my efforts to build community in my classroom, I thought that birthdays provide an excellent opportunity to celebrate my kiddos. Our students always let us know when it's their birthday. My normal response is "Well, Happy Birthday!" and I keep on rolling with math. Why not have a little acknowledgement, a little celebration, or a little token to let them know I care. Of course, I'm not trying to go broke, but a 50 pack of giant pixie sticks from Sam's Club got me more interested in this pin, so I went for it!

I bought giant pixie sticks, balloon cut-outs, birthday stickers, and a galvanized tin to hold it all together. Now, when a student tells me it's their birthday, I'll have a sweet treat to offer!

A few other pins I have on my to-do list are below:

What Pinterest projects do you have your eyes on?

{Monday Made It} VistaPrint Frenzy

When I saw a Groupon for $70 of VistaPrint products for 17 bucks, I immediately started building items that I've been wanting for my classroom! I didn't go too crazy, but here are the items I ordered.

My first purchase idea comes from Shae @ Kindergarten Cupcake Crumbs. On orientation night, she had cute litte gifts for her parents.

Source

You can download these tags for free from Shae's TpT store. I'm not completely positive that I'll do this, but I am very tempted. I imagine that lot of 6th grade parents will attend open house since it's their child's first year in middle school. So, I went ahead and made a similar tag using business cards from VistaPrint. I think it would be a great last stop during my open house stations I hope to do. For an idea of what I mean, check out this post by Kim & Megan @ KinderGals. Of course, I'll be making open house stations appropriate for a 6th grade class.

I hate to admit it, but if a parent doesn't have email, I'm horrible at communicating. After reading a parent communication post by Tina @ Drawing on Math, I was encouraged to make these simple postcards and I hope to send notes of kudos and concerns home to parents.

I always have trouble with allowing students to use the restroom during class. I imagine that 6th graders will need to go more than my 8th graders who I rarely let leave the classroom. I saw a teacher who used a punch card to allow students three bathroom passes per grading period. Thanks to Mrs. Hester's Classroom, I'll be using free VistaPrint business cards for my restroom passes. Each edge of the business card will be for a different quarter i.e. left side will be hole punched during quarter one, the bottom during quarter two, etc.

This Facebook Like stamp is courtesy of Sarah @ Everybody is a Genius. You can head over to her blog to get the picture I used to upload and make this small self-inking stamp.

Source

I also ordered a small self-inking stamp that says "Checked for completion only," which was free!

I really want to send home a brochure to all of my students' homes before school begins, but all the information provided is on my classroom website. I really want to promote the classroom website this year. I've decided that instead of getting brochures printed, I am doing magnetic business cards. I figure they have more chance of not being lost if they're magnetic and parents/students will have my contact information and website at stuck something metal (hopefully the refrigerator or a file cabinet). I'll include these in a welcome letter that I hope to send home before school starts.

I'm super excited about these items and can't wait for them to be delivered!

What items have you purchased from VistaPrint for use in your classroom?

{Monday Made It} Teacher Toolbox

So, this teacher toolbox has been all over Pinterest for the past year or so. While, I loved the idea from the moment I saw it, I was not compelled to make one because it looked too tedious. That is the furthest fromt the truth. This project took me about 20 minutes and $20 and I'm so glad I did it!

I bought the Stack-On 22-Compartment Storage Cabinet from Home Depot. I'm not going to post directions because you can find them multiple places. I used the directions provided by Leslie @ Jack of all Trades and printed my labels from a free template provided by Elizabeth @ Fun in Room 4B. I used scrapbook paper that I already had at the house and inspired by my current classroom crush from Melanie @ Inspired In Style.

I debated on painting the frame of the toolbox and I'm glad I did! Here's the final product!

As I'm cleaning out and packing up, I've been dropping things in the appropriate drawer of my toolbox and it makes me even more excited about this project.