Five for Friday: Summertime

Even though school is out, I’m still working. Friday has not lost its appeal! (Edited to add: I was so tired last night I fell asleep working on this post. It guess that goes to show that some things don’t change!)

 

1

I am teaching drama in our afternoon enrichment camp at school. I’ve done this for the last 4 or 5 years. We call it drama, but I really do mostly songs and games. I usually do stick puppets around week three just to mix things up a little. It is easy, fun, and the pay is good.
The biggest shock is always the kindergarteners. They are really soon-to-be- kindergarteners. This year we have several with summer birthdays, so they are only 4 right now. I usually don’t take too much notice, but next year I will be teaching K-5. It is going to be quite different!
One of the littlest girls reminds me so much of my own daughter. One of the other teachers said the same to me today, so I guess I’m not the only one who thinks so. This little girl has started calling me the “Drama Queen.” Two summers ago I was very pregnant with my son. Another pint-sized camper called me “Drama Mama.” Gotta love it!

2

My husband usually puts me to shame with gift giving. This year I bought him something he has wanted for years. He is like a child playing with it. I’m having fun just watching him!

3

Next week I am going to the Marzano Conference. Due to my participation in the case study filming this year, I am considered a “special guest.” We were told that means that we are going to an extra event with all the VIPs. Before the school year was out they also mentioned that their writer was going to interview each of the five of us from my school who took part. We didn’t think much of it. The liaison we work with said it would just be a few questions.

Last week the five of us got an e-mail from the writer. They have set aside a room and cameras to film the interview. We already e-mailed to ask about the kinds of questions to expect. I was filmed 10 times this year - four lessons, three coaching sessions, pre/post interviews for my formal observation, and a Common Core planning session.

I worked really hard this year not to duplicate outfits. I didn’t realize the planning meeting was going to be filmed and I repeated a blue sweater. My biggest problem is that my “nice” clothes are dresses. I am a dress kind of girl. For filming you have to wear a microphone. Microphones work much better with pants or skirts.

I have a couple of gift cards to spend so I am going to try to find the time to pick out something new before I go. If we do this project again next year I’m going to need a new wardrobe!

4

I made a rough plan for my room next year. Now that school is out I’ve had a chance to dig around the new room some. I’m turning the art room into a STEAM Lab. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics)



This is NOT to scale. I’m not that good. On the far left are the built in counter/cabinets/shelves/sinks. I haven’t decided on the shape of tables yet, but the brown tables will be for iPad and art projects.
I’m looking at rugs. I found several here that I have been looking at.

The polka dot thing is this cabinet:



The purple rectangles in the bottom left are some of the same cabinets in purple that look only slightly better than the before picture. I have plans for them!

The blue tables will have iMacs on them. They won’t be blue either. My dad and stepmom helped me measure things out and pick out tables to fit the space.

The big problem is I haven’t decided where to put my desk. The best place would be in front of the gate where the kiln is stored, but that doesn’t sound safe. (Though I won’t be using the kiln that often.) We’ll see how it goes!

5

I had 5 things picked out last night, but I’ve forgotten the fifth. Today was a lazy day around the house. I cleaned the kitchen. We went to Costco for a chicken. Nothing worthy of being my fifth item.
Instead I’ll end with a question: How does your school deal with saving/turning in electronic student work? I read a blog about first graders turning in assignments through Drop Box, but I didn’t get an answer yet about how that works. Suggestions? Ideas?

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Made it Monday: Polka Dot Cabinet

I’ve wanted to link up for a Made it Monday for months now. With everything that happened last week, I am going to cheat. I’m going to finally post my Made it Monday from August. I’ve written this post in my head each month since then. Better late than never!



We have a practice in my school of putting furniture we no longer want in the hallway for others to claim before it is hauled off. It is nick-named the garage sale. While things show up throughout the year, the end-of-year and beginning-of-year garage sales are the best.

Last summer I came across this beauty.



It is a solid piece and is probably older than I am. The teacher who had it originally retired 5 years ago. I’d been on Pinterest though and I decided that this would be my big project.

This scrapbook paper was my inspiration in the classroom redecoration of 2012. I made my inexpensive seat sacks to match.



Armed with an idea, I took off the doors and started spray painting. Somehow I didn’t take any pictures of the painting process so you will have to take my word for it. I did a lot of spray painting last summer. This is a filing cabinet I also picked up in the hallway garage sale.



(More on the filing cabinet another time…)

I knew I was going to cover the cabinet doors with polka dots, so I didn’t worry about making them perfect. There were some spots where the years of paint and poster tape and who-knows-what left a bump. I just made sure to cover it up in step two.

When I came back from maternity leave last year I discovered that they’d purchased this machine I can only describe as an industrial sized Cricut or Silhouette. It is fantastic! You can cut out words, phrases, shapes, and more. I pulled out construction paper in the colors I wanted and cut out several hundred circles in all difference sizes. I love that thing!



A couple of layers of Mod Podge later and I was feeling good about the whole project! I had to get help putting the doors back on. They are solid wood and HEAVY.



I love the finished product. It now houses all my science materials and other assorted supplies. It is also the background for any pictures I take of my students.



Every once in a while I just stop and look at it. That cabinet makes me smile!



The only downside was the size. I’d measured the height before I took it in, but it was a bit of a “can’t get it here from there” situation. I had to change where I’d planned to put it, but after all that work I didn’t mind too much!



(This picture above is from the first day of school and shows those seat sacks I made from Home Depot aprons. I’ve also used the polka dot theme to paint paper boxes for storage. I’ve got a lot of polka dots going on this year!)

Hopefully next month I’ll have a new, non cheating Made it Monday!

Painted Copy Box Storage

I had a pretty big parent conference yesterday. It went well, but it lasted over two and a half hours. By the time I got back to my classroom it was 10am and I was worn out.

I needed a brainless activity after school so I finally decided to tackle this bookshelf.

I did a lot of work in my room this summer and I ran out of time to finish this shelf. I had the office staff save some paper boxes for me. After the day I had, I needed to do something relaxing and fun. I put on my Kokomo station on Pandora and started painting. When the internet went down I pulled out my Phantom of the Opera CD. My student teacher was making fun of my music choice, but that’s okay!

I used acrylic paint. I bought the foam stampers from Michaels. They make it easy! This morning I took my overflowing drawers of center activities/task cards/games and organized it into my newly painted boxes. They are now organized by subject and topic.

The polka dots match my $1 seat sacks and this cabinet I painted over the summer. (More about that another time!)

I still have some work to do, but I am happy with how it came out!

In other news, I am working on my 100 follower giveaway. I think I’ve almost got it all figured out. If you would like to take part, leave me your e-mail address and I’ll send you the Google Form to fill out. My Math QR Code Game giveaway ends Friday. Be sure to check it out!

Chalkboard Paint on the Classroom Table

I mentioned the chalkboard table in my post on Friday. I got a few e-mails about it, so I thought I would post more information.

 

 

I read a blog last year about a family that painted their dining room table with chalkboard paint. I pinned the blog post and started thinking about my reading table.

 

My school is older. The teachers go “shopping” for furniture by looking at what others have discarded. My reading table is two trapezoid tables that are worn and stained. I have used table clothes to hide the table tops for years. Paint would be a better option.

 

I talked to my friends at Home Depot who recommended this paint and a small roller. I sanded and the applied three coats over the course of a few weeks. I used the brush on the edges.

 

 

We use the chalk all the time. We write 10 word summaries and draw graphic organizers during reading groups. We draw diagrams and work out math problems. The kids beg to write on the table.

 

 

To erase the chalk I use water and sponges. My kids used to complain if the mist of water got them wet. Then I renamed it “Smart Spray.” Now they try to get a little spray. I control the smart spray which helps!

 

 

Every week we wash out out sponges and clean the table with a bucket of water. It really isn’t that big a hassle.

 

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My principal is awesome. I had left over paint so I asked if I could paint the connecting door. She happily went along.

 

The chalkboard frame was a class gift from a couple of years ago. I love the way it looks posted on the door. I post a question of the day on the door. They are usually just getting to know you questions, but we all enjoy it!

I know a lot of people are anti-chalk, but it works for me!

Seat Sacks for Under $1

I saw this link on Pinterest last year and loved the idea. I bought a few to use at my reading table and they worked well. As much as I love Home Depot though, I was not crazy about the orange logo in the middle.

This summer I bought a class set for 77 cents each.



Then I consulted my mom and grandmother for ideas. Most people would have come up with a plan first. I like to pretend I live on the edge. (Just kidding!)

I ‘d thought about covering it in fabric. I thought about spray paint. In the end I used acrylic paint and painters tape. It was in my (non-existent) budget.



It took 3 coats of dark blue to cover the logo. I also bought stampers from Michaels and added accent polka dots.



I had 20 of these things spread out all over the room and went around assembly style stamping each color.



Here is a finished product in front of my inspiration scrapbook paper. I love the polka dots!



I’m happy with how they came. I’d had this project on my to do list for months!



The seat sack is just the right size to hold the student’s independent reading book and other small items. They are usually lower on the chair because some of the students didn’t care for the knot of the apron to sit at the top of the chair against their backs.



We have to stack the chairs at the end of the day, but it is easy to slide the empty apron seat sack into the desk for the next day. I’ll count this one as a success!