Vinyl in the Classroom

Well, hi!!  

I'm so happy to be back on this little old blog!  I had such a busy and wonderful summer.  Posting here just hasn't been a top priority.  BUT...ready or not...school started on Tuesday!  Our first week of 2015-2016 is in the books, and it was great!  My kids came home excited every day and woke up happy every morning.  My Kindie cuties are easing into a routine, and they worked hard this week!  I didn't lose my voice (for the first time in 13 years, I think), and I'm not exhausted this weekend like I was expecting to be.  All in all, it's so good!  Summer is amazing, but having a job that I LOVE is pretty amazing too.  I'm thankful!

I didn't get many photos to share of first week fun this week (not much time for a camera on days 1-4 of Kindergarten!), but I do want to share some of the fun ways I'm using vinyl in my classroom this year.  I had so much fun with my Silhouette this summer!

My teaching partner asked me to make this crayon organizer for her.  I used the same mini 5-drawer Sterilite that I used for my pencil drawers.  Didn't it turn out cute???  I hope it helps to keep those extra crayons nice and organized for her this year!

I don't have caddies on my student tables, but I do have two other tables in my classroom for small groups to meet and work at.  I like to keep caddies at those tables with pencils, crayons, glue, etc.  I decided to add some inspiration to the plain caddies!  

Since I teach Kindergarten, not many students are able to read these.  Of course I tell them what they say, but honestly....I love having positive words around to inspire ME throughout the day!  I think that a text-rich classroom is key for our little learners!

This was a bit spur of the moment.  This school bus clip art from Whimsy Clips was begging to be used! ;)  Nevermind that this cute vinyl is covered by my bus information sheet...  Still adorable!!

I've had these buckets on my desk for a couple of years.  They hold my markers, pens, scissors, etc.  I love that they are all uniform, but they needed a little something.  Aren't these Melonheadz kids the cutest???  I love the fun that they add to my desk!

At the last minute before school started, I decided to simplify my life a bit by labeling the drawers and cupboards that students have access to.  The blue words pop and make it easy for students to find what they need.

I also added labels for a choice time cupboard and the band-aid drawer. (PS about band-aids....it literally took me a decade of teaching to realize that band-aids are something kids can apply on their own.  Having to stop instruction to put a band-aid on totally disrupts the flow of a lesson!  In Kindergarten, kids need band-aids A LOT, and 9 times out of 10, it's not for anything that requires my assistance.  Teaching independence is a beautiful thing!!)

HOORAY for a successful back to school week!  Next week we dive into more instruction.  My kiddos are ready!!

Monday Made It :: Washi Tape Name Sticks

Happy Monday, friends.  I'm so happy to be back again today with another Monday Made It!  This one is super simple, but such a big part of each day in my classroom.

If you're like me, your name sticks are in a prominent location in your classroom.  They get used every single day, over and over again to call on students, put partners or groups together, etc.  They are a small, simple thing....but they make my life as a teacher so much easier!

I've tried several different types of name sticks over the years.  Most recently, I've painted one end....

...and used star stickers.

I LOVED the look of the spray-painted name sticks, but the reality of me painting sticks each summer just isn't going to happen.  Why?  I don't know.  I'm lazy in the summer.  Admitting that I'm too lazy to spend a few minutes spray-painting the ends of craft sticks is a little embarrassing, but it's the truth.  Grace, please.  

The star stickers didn't stay put.  Most of them fell off by the end of last year.  Also, I tried numbers on the sticks last year instead of names.  It was the first time I'd tried that, and I realized that I like having names on the sticks better.  Numbers would allow the sticks to be used from year to year, but made it less convenient to call on kids (especially early in the year when I was still trying to learn their numbers or when guest teachers were there).  I'll do names from now on.

Anyway, as I was brainstorming what I could use this year (planning to go back to the spray-paint), my stash of washi tape came to mind.  Washi tape is fabulous -- so easy to work with and so super cute!!  I had these three options in my collection that are wider - more the size of masking tape.  I knew that they would be a cute and easy solution, so I decided to give it a try for this year.

 I had these three colors to choose from.

 I thought that the orange didn't stand out enough against the wood of the stick.  I liked the pink and blue, so I tried them both in my name stick cup to see which I preferred.

This is the cup I keep my name sticks in.

I loved the way the pink tape looked, so I wrapped one end of 30 sticks. 

(Always make extras at the start of the year for those newbies that will come in throughout the year!)

 Pretty adorable in the cup, huh???

My student names will go on one end once my class list is finalized.

And that's that!  Easy (simple, actually), but they will be used SO MUCH this year!

Thanks to Tara for hosting this fun linky each week.  I love being inspired by all of the other teachers that link up.

Star-shaped Crayons :: a tutorial

I had a thought last Spring that I would love to use all the broken crayons in my room and repurpose them into something fun for my students.  I saw the images of heart-shaped crayon valentines floating around Pinterest and knew that I could do something similar with stars that could be a really fun gift to give my new crew this year.  It really was so easy, and very fun!   

I ordered this star-shaped silicone mold from Amazon and it worked awesome!

I started with this tub of broken, peeled crayons.

For each new, star-shaped crayon, I chose which colors I wanted to use.  I tried to stay in the same color "family" for most of them, but a few I just threw in a random combination of colors.  Both ways seemed to work fine!  I chopped them into small pieces on a paper towel.

And then I filled the molds about half full.

I popped them into my oven which was preheated to 300 degrees.  I covered a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and them placed the silicone mold on top of that.  It provided a nice, firm surface for when I removed the melted crayons from the oven.  Most of the batches were in the oven for 8-10 minutes, but I just kept an eye on them and watched for when the crayons were completely (or almost completely) melted.

I let the hot, melted crayons sit on the counter for about 5 minutes before sticking them in the fridge to harden.  I left them in the fridge for an hour or so and then I took them out and carefully pulled the sides of the mold away from the crayons and popped them out.  Every one came out perfectly!  

So, so fun!!  My kids couldn't wait to check out each new batch.  No two crayons were exactly alike!

I set them out at my Open House had the students choose one to put in their pencil boxes as part of the scavenger hunt they did in the classroom that night.

I made this sign to put by the crayons.

It has been so much fun watching my students use these crayons at school during the first weeks!  They are big and chunky and will last forever!

This really was a super fun, inexpensive, and EASY thing to do!  Pretty sure I'll be doing it again and again...I want to check out different shapes too! :)

My favorite back to school purchases!

I'm linking up with my fellow Michigan gal, Kimberly, for a fun linky!

Back to school shopping is so much fun!  I just love planning and preparing for a new year -- continuing things that work well and tweaking things that could be done better.  And, of course, finding inspiration to try brand new things as well!  First day with students is 2 1/2 weeks away, so I am right in the thick of plans and preparations right now!

Here are some of my new classroom favorites!

1.  I actually purchased these last Spring, and I blogged about them once before too.  These were recommended to me by my teaching partner and are the best containers I've found for my classroom.  I LOVE them because they are so neat and organized.  They stack, and the covers are easy for my kindies to get on and off by themselves.  

2. I think of this as a back-to-school purchase because I use Pandora One in my classroom every single day.  I love the instrumental/piano stations for writing time, and I use lots of other stations in my classroom too!  Too many to list!  Pandora One is a must because you don't have to deal with commercials.  This was honestly one of the best things I purchased for school last year.  I love incorporating music into my classroom.  

3. These just came in with my supply order.  Mr. Sketch in a skinny marker?  Yes, please.  I can't wait to use these cuties!

4.  I ordered these lowercase letter beads this year too.  Instead of string, we'll be stringing them onto pipe cleaners.  I think this will make a really fun new literacy station activity.  My own kids loved playing with them on our last visit to my classroom, and that's usually a pretty good sign that my students will love them too! 

5. I just had to include this photo because I think I have a problem with the little metal buckets from the Target dollar spot.  I have SO many and I keep buying more!  They are just so stinkin' adorable!  I have them all around my classroom holding anything and everything.  Love.

These are just a few of the fun new things my students and I will enjoy this year!  Hop on over to Kimberly's blog to check out other fun favorites or link up with your own!

Five for Friday {August 1}

Happy Friday!

1.  My hubby and I spent last weekend in Chicago with our small group.  It was a fabulous, adults only weekend.  We had a blast!

2. My hubby started back into coaching football this week in the mornings, so I had some good mommy/kids time.  We went to feed the ducks at a local park yesterday.  The ducks were as cute as could be, but the geese were crazy!  I actually went to hide out in the car because I was afraid that they would bite me!  My kids were much braver than I was. Ha!

 3. I got my swag bag yesterday for this weekend's Color Run!  I'll be running with a team from my school.  Eeeee!  So excited!  

 4. I've spend some time this week preparing these cuties for a back-to-school bulletin board display.  Check out yesterday's post to read more.  

5. Today marks 13 years since my little brother passed away.  He died from cancer when he was 16.  August 1st is always a day of remembering.  Today I am remembering my brother and thanking God for His unspeakable goodness and grace.

Enjoy your weekend, friends.