Monday Made It :: Pencil Drawers

It's a great Monday for a new Monday Made It!  I had so much fun with this one!  I love any excuse to pull out my Silhouette Cameo and I LOVE adding color to my classroom!

I've been using buckets for my sharp and dull pencils for the past few years.  You know, those adorable buckets you find in the dollar spot at Target?  The kind that I can't stop buying even though I already have more than I know what to do with?  Yes, those. ;)  

I wish I had a picture of what I used before, but I didn't want to drive to my classroom just for that.  My setup was very similar to this from Peace, Love, and Learning.  Even the same signs!

While they were cute, the problem I had with them was that they tipped over ALL. THE. TIME.  There were newly sharpened pencils and also dull, broken pencils on the floor every day.  My students were always good about picking them up, but it was messy and just became less and less practical with every tip of the buckets!  I needed something different for this year.  

I wish I could remember where I got this idea.  I know that I saw it somewhere before, but I can't remember where.  Anyway, I saw a teacher that used small Sterilite drawers for her sharp and dull pencils.  I loved that idea, so I set out looking for a drawer set for myself.

I actually was on the hunt for a 3-drawer set because that was the kind used in the photo I had seen, but the store I was at didn't have any.  They only had 5-drawer sets.  At first I thought that would be too many, but I quickly thought of other things I could use the drawers for to simplify my life at school.  I picked up a small 5-drawer Sterilite just like this one.

I started with this... 

 

...and then I got to work with my Cameo!  I designed and cut the words for each drawer.  I also added a star to each drawer just because they're cute!  I covered two words on the middle drawer because it gives away the name of my school, but you get the idea.

 The other drawers I added are things I have kept behind my desk before, but it will make my life easier for students to have access to them.

  The bright colors and practicality of this classroom addition just make me happy!

 Keeping pencils in these drawers will eliminate clutter and mess, and everything will still be just as easy for the students to access.  Win win.

Thanks to Tara for hosting Monday Made It!  Head on over to add your own item to the linky or to check out what other teachers have been up to!

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.

Monday Made It :: Summer To-Do List!

Hi hi!!!!

I am so happy to be checking in today!  It's been a super busy summer so far.....baseball and house projects and a wonderful Hawaiian vacation.  But I'm back home now and ready to get back on track spending more time here with my teacher friends!

Both of my kids are in day camp at our church this week, so I knew that I wanted to use some of my free time to make a plan for the rest of the summer.  A nice (cute!) to-do list makes my heart happy!  Maybe you need a place to organize your thoughts for the rest of summer break too.  If so, keep reading!  I don't go back to school until September 8th, but I want to keep plugging away at things so that I don't feel rushed or annoyed with my procrastination come mid-August!

I know this isn't your typical Monday Made It, but hopefully I'll be back next week with actual crafty Made-Its to share.  I needed this to get me started! :)

It's nothing fancy, but it's cute and it has a smiley face sun, which {almost} makes me WANT to pull it out and get to work!  Ha!

Hopefully items from this PROJECTS list will be featured on upcoming Monday Made Its!

If you're feeling the need to get movin' like me, CLICK HERE to download a copy of this to-do list for yourself.  Here's to adding a little bit of productivity into my (and your!) summer! :)

Monday Made It: Homemade Laundry Soap

 I'm linking up with Tara today for Monday Made It!

A few years ago I stumbled across THIS blog post and became intrigued about making my own laundry soap.  I do a lot of laundry, and when my son was younger he struggled with eczema and his skin got irritated really easily.  I loved the idea of 1. saving money on laundry detergent and 2. having a laundry detergent that was gentle on my little guy's skin.

I tried making the detergent once and have never gone back.  It's easy, lasts forever, and is super inexpensive.

If you want to try it, you'll need this...

...and this.

My hubby was a gem and grated the soap for me before I got started on the rest, so I didn't have it for my photo.  But, it looks like this.  You need it.  It's important.

You'll also need a way to grate it.  I use a hand-held cheese grater like this one.  Since I don't ever actually grate cheese, I use ours as a soap grater instead.  And, this isn't actually a photo that I took.  Remember that my hubby did this while I was gone?  So, it's not him.  But when we grate the soap, it looks almost exactly like this. 

This photo actually came from here.

Grating the soap is the most strenuous part of the process.  Everything else is easy peasy lemon squeezy.  Seriously.

After you have the soap grated, combine it with one cup of Borax, one cup of washing soda, a scoop or so of the Oxi Clean, and half a lid or so of the Purex crystals.  As you can see, this is a very strict recipe.  Add all of those things give or take whatever you feel like.

 I ended up with a few clumps that I had to work out.  It didn't take me long at all to break them all apart.  And if there are some small clumps left, no big deal.

After it's all mixed, I pour it into the container where I keep it in my laundry room.

 See how there are still some clumps?  Totally fine.

I use 1-2 tablespoons per load.  I add a little more if the clothes are extra dirty.

 Another recap of the ingredients:

Make sure to use washing soda and not baking soda.  I find this by the laundry items at the store.

This stuff is amazing whether you make your own detergent or not.  It's excellent for getting stains out.

In my local store, the Fels-Naptha soap is kept by the other bar soaps, NOT by the laundry soaps.  But I've seen it both places.

There are several of types of Oxi Clean.  Buy whichever you like.

If you need to stay FREE from all dyes and perfumes, just leave the Purex Crystals out.  I tried adding them in slowly because I like the freshness they add to the detergent.  They don't affect my son's skin anymore.  They are NOT a necessity and can be left out.

TA-DA!  This is a double batch of detergent and will last me 4-6 months.  I do anywhere from 3-7 loads of laundry each week.

I'd love to hear from you if you try this, or if you already make your own detergent!

Happy Monday!!

Where are they now? {POM-POM ERASERS}

I love those "Where are they now?" TV specials.  The last one I watched was on all the actors from Full House.  I loved Full House growing up, and now my own kids love watching Full House, which is really a win-win for everyone because my hubby and I have the best time watching it with them.

Anyway, this post is not about Full House.  But it's sort-of like a "Where are they now?" special on one of my Monday Made-Its from last summer.  I knew I was taking a risk when I added pom-poms to the ends of my dry erase markers to use as erasers.  

Check out that post HERE.

Here were my markers back in July.  They looked so fresh, and perfect, and adorable.

And here they are in January.  Ummm....not so fresh, perfect, or adorable.

 Some still look great.

 Some are looking a little wonky.

 And some are a resounding WOP-WOP.

I mean, seriously.

Overall, I would say that it hasn't been terrible, but I don't think I'll be doing this again.  

So, I'm back to searching for a good solution.  What do you use as erasers for your student dry-erase markers?  Old socks?  Kleenex?  Fabric or felt scraps?

I'll let you know if I discover my perfect answer!!

 Completely unrelated, but this is what I've been up to lately.  

My son, Trey, had another surgery yesterday.  We sure are getting familiar with the pediatric surgery floor at our local children's hospital!  This is his second surgery in the past three months.  He had his gallbladder removed in November and his spleen removed yesterday.  So, we're enjoying some one-on-one time with our favorite guy in a beautiful hospital room today!  Crossing our fingers that he'll be discharged tomorrow.  He sure is a trooper and we are so proud!  Hoping that this is our LAST trip to the surgical unit for a very long time!!

Another crazy winter storm on the way this afternoon and evening.  What a winter we've had!!  Wishing you a warm and cozy weekend!