Can I sharpen my pencil?

Is pencil sharpening off limits in your classroom? I can’t stand students using my electric sharpener even if it’s for a quick second. The electric ones are too loud and my wall sharpener is always falling off into the trashcan. Well, today I tried out a new pencil sharpener called The Quietest Classroom Pencil Sharpener. It’s AMAZING! Troy Decoff is a fellow teacher and the owner of Classroom Friendly supplies. He was kind enough to let me test out this wonderful sharpener. I ordered on Saturday and it was sitting on my doorstep Monday afternoon. This sharpener was so easy to use. It sharpened the pencils perfectly each time. I have never seen pencils get this sharp. It has a clamp but I tried it out without the clamp. I would definitely recommend this sharpener to other teachers. My favorite part is how sharp the pencils are after sharpening. My kids love sharp pencils so I can’t wait to show them in the fall. I know that this sharpener will be enjoyed by my students for many years. Thanks again Troy!

This sharpener can be purchased online from Classroom Friendly Supplies. You can also find additional videos, reviews, and pictures on their website. 

Fun Ways to Manage Behavior

Click here to download my positive approaches to discipline. :)

Monday Made it

Wow! Where does summer go? I'm linking up with Tara this week. Yesterday I spent the day making clothespins cute! I have decorated some clips for two different purposes. 

 Wooden or plastic, clothespins can be very useful for displays. You can buy them cheaply by the dozens and use them with plain. I choose to paint them and add some embellishments. They're a great investment as they're reusable, and they don't do damage to writings, artwork or posters. Of course I use clothespins for my clip chart, but I also love using them as a visual reminder for students. During stations, I  put an "EYES on YOU" clip to anyone who needs a visual reminder to get focused for stations. I  hand them the clip to clip to their shirt. My students really respond to this method. Some of my students need this visual  instead of just a verbal warning. It has worked wonders during station time. Have you seen the quiet cups? You could use colored clips instead! 


I also love using clips for displaying student's work. You can glue them to the wall or use tacks. Most of my walls are cinder blocks so I have my clips hot glued to the wall. It's great if you don't have a lot of bulletin boards. Another trick I've done in the past is hot gluing a tack on the back of the clothespin. Check out the ones I made for the upcoming year. If you can't tell I"m doing using SchoolgirlStyle's black and white theme  with a pop of yellow. 

Stache Finds

Hey Guys! Just got back from shopping at Target and a little shop in Seaside, Florida. Farley- I hit the motherload of mustache gear. I even found a bike stache and car stache. Target had some cute straws and other mustache goodies but this store had it ALL! I think the little cookie cutters and sandwich cutter would be so cute at your class parties. I just had to post these goodies for anyone who is planning on doing a Mustache theme. How did they become so popular? They are EVERYWHERE!
Happy Saturday!
Michele

Giveaway

I need a fun vacation spot. Any ideas? I'll be giving away 3 of these packets today. Leave me a comment of a great vacation spot. You may be the lucky winner just by leaving me a vacation spot idea. I'm open to ANYTHING!

Organizing Tips

I'm linking up with One Extra Degree to share with you some organizing tips. Let’s start with some of my MUST have supplies for organizing- Binders, Page Protectors, and Packing Tape.

Binders- They are great for organizing teaching units, lesson plans, and more. This year I have filled 4 huge binders with all of my favorite tpt/blog worksheets. Before this system, I had papers stuffed in filing cabinets and folders. It was one huge mess!  I am such a visual person so this system has been wonderful for me. Binders are not only a great way for teachers to stay organized but my students love them too! Each student has their own BEE binder. It keeps them so organized. To check out more on how I organize my BEE binders, click here.

Packing Tape- Have you seen this cute pin? I use so much packing tape. The best tip is to use packing tape for your Books on CD. I use packing tape to store all of my CDs for the Listening Station. Instead of using ziplock bags, you can tape the CD cover directly inside of the book. I usually tape it where the slot is facing up to prevent the CD from sliding out.

Page Protectors-They work wonders. The possibilities are endless and did you know you can still make copies even if the originals are in page protectors? I love page protectors as little cheat sheet necklaces. Here is a cute alphabet one. They are great for wearable signs and posters. My students love to be "green" by using them in my word work station with dry erase markers. You can also cut them and make them any size!

Meet Someone New

Who doesn't love freebies?At the beginning of the year, I always love having the parents fill out this Getting to Know You Sheet. Sometimes it even comes in handy for documentation and advice for situations that arise in the middle of the school year. It's also fun to gain insight through the eyes of the parents. Click on the picture to download. The next freebie is for the students to fill out the first week. It makes a great class book.

Learning to Listen

I'm linking up to the Learning to Listen Linky Party hosted by Erica. I find that listening is an area where my students have struggled in the past. I now know that some of my students have never had the chance to practice or learn good listening skills. Before I started practicing whole body listening in my classroom, you would find kids rolling around on the carpet. Most of my students thought that you could only listen with your ears. This year I found a really cute story on Growing Kinders about the day a monster came to school. My students loved listening to this story and really learned some valuable information about listening with your whole body. I have the cute sign up front as a daily reminder of our listening expectations. I also enjoy using the Whole Brain Teaching techniques. My students are trained to use Hands and Eyes which creates instant silence. My class also responds well with the Class, Yes technique. I highly recommend you checking out Whole Brain Teaching. They have a wealth of strategies and techniques that truly work. I have made this poster of attention grabbers, feel free to download.

Click here to download

BEE Binders

click on pic to download free labels

Do you use organizational binders? I have always had some sort of reading folder and reading bag but a couple of years ago I switched to a 3 ring binder. This was the BEST tip/Organization idea I’ve ever done for my classroom.  Before binders, I was using plastic folders. I had folders for reading, folders for spelling, folders for homework. It was complete CHAOS! It was too confusing for the kids. I have found that I really like using the flexible plastic binders rather than the hard ones. I like using all one color and have found them for under 2 bucks at Wal-Mart. The only downfall is a cute spine and cover but not to fear you can still print out cute labels. Either way a 3 ring binder is the way to go! Many teachers have short catchy names for binders. I use B.E.E binders. BEE stands for Bring Everything Everyday. My students are great at remembering to bring their binders every day. When they arrive each morning, they take out any notes/money and homework and put their binders in the filing cabinet. Now what goes in this great binder?

3 hole Binder Pouch: I always find mine at Wal-mart for around .59 cents. This pouch is great for holding money, notes, and even small leveled books.

Plastic Folders-This is where their 100 book log is stored along with their guided reading book for the night.

Page Protectors- I have their monthly lunch menu, spelling lists, class list, and any other important information in page protectors.

How do you store 18 plus binders? I have a small 2 drawer filing cabinet that stores mine but you could easily use file folder storage crates. I put hanging file folders inside of the filing cabinet so the students place their binders with the spine facing upwards. My students know exactly where their binder belongs because they each have a specific color hanging folder with their number on the front. I also put their class number on the spine of their bee binder.

Click on the picture to download my BEE intro.

More BEE items

I want CANDY!

I've been surrounded with candy the past couple of days. I made the Kiss Your Brain jar yesterday but today I made this cute Father's Day card for my DAD along with the lollipop tree for my classroom. For complete details on making the lollipop tree click here. What do you guys do for Father's Day gift ideas? It's always hard to find the perfect gift. My sisters and I are bringing steaks over to have a cookout with our Father but I still need some ideas. Tell me your gift ideas and I'll send over my Father's Day unit for FREE to the first 10 comments/ideas!

Kiss Your Brain....and a Freebie

I'm loving summer! I have been crafting all day. Today I made this cute container. It was so simple and cheap. I found the clear paint can at Michael's (2.99) and stickers at Hobby Lobby (2.49) I already had the polka dot ribbon. Michael's had two size paint cans but I chose the smaller one. I also found some large clear paint cans at Tuesday Morning for $2 bucks. You will have to wait til next week to see my next creation. 

FYI- Stickers are on sale this week at Hobby Lobby. Be sure to always ask for your teacher's discount at Hobby Lobby and Michael's. I love having the Michael's app on my phone so I'm never without a 40% off coupon. 

I also finished my brownie points for next year. I was using laminated brownies but decided to make them last a little longer by using the wooden rectangles from Hobby Lobby. I made a freebie for you all! You can find 6 different Brownie Point Headers here. 

Make it, Bake it, Sew It, Grow it Giveaway

I am really good at making fun things for my classroom and home. However, I'm not too great at cooking, sewing, or having a green thumb. This is where I need your help. I would love to have a collection of yummy recipes along with some tips for being a domesticated goddess. HA! I'm far from that! For the next 30 days if you link up with a craft, gardening tip, recipe, etc you will be entered into my ERIN CONDREN giveaway. Yes, you heard right! I will be giving a $50 gift certificate to one lucky person. You have until July 11th to grab the button and link up! Bring on the recipes and tips! You will have a total of three places to link up. (Please only one per category)

I'll go first. My sister just made me some yummy peanut butter cookies and she said I only needed three ingredients. I was amazed at how quick and easy! They were so yummy. I'm going to try using xylitol (all natural sweetener) next time.

Monday Made it

I'm linking up with Tara for Monday's Made it. My inspiration came from Pinterest, of course.

                                                                                                   ….created by Kristy at Next to Heaven

I have been wanting to make this project back when I first found it on pinterest. It's super cute and easy to make! First, I found the black frame at Wal-Mart ($10)  Here is the link to the frame. Luckily I have a huge collection of scrapbook paper and stickers so I didn't need to make a run to Hobby Lobby or Michael's. I then cut the paper and inserted in each slot.  I added the days of the week with stickers but you could use a cricut/silhouette. Am I the only one who opts out of pulling out my machine? Sometimes it's quicker to just use stickers. You can embellish with stickers, rhinestones and more!  Now I'm off to the store to make this for next week along with the cute toolbox storage/organizer.

Meet Some NEW Friends

I'm excited today because sweet Shuna is featuring my blog on her fabulous blog Pocket Full of Kinders. I have always loved reading her Sunday Posts- Meet Some New Friends. If you want to get to know me a little better go check it out! To WELCOME any new friends, I am throwing a sale until the 13th and having a really fun giveaway starting tomorrow!

Pin it to Win it Giveaway

Hope everyone is having a relaxing summer or about to! I just created some Whole Brain Teaching Signs that are pretty basic. I'm doing black and white polka dots next year but have tons of friends doing greens/blues/browns as their colors so I also made some brown polka dot ones too! I will be giving away any 3 packets from my TPT store to the first 5 people who pin one of my Whole Brain Teaching Rule Signs or my Brown Polka Dot Center Cards. Ready Set Pin! Also, I'll do a random number generator for 2 more lucky winners. Just leave me a comment with your email after you pin them.
Be sure to check back Monday as I will be having a FABULOUS giveaway for reaching 300 followers. Check out the video below for your clue to what I'll be giving away.

Giveaways

 There are some great giveaways right now and I have a big one planned for next week. My friends Kimberly at The Learning Tree and Laura at Tatting to the Teacher  are both having a 200 follower giveaway and I'm participating.  I'm giving away my Spelling and Word Word 101, 102 and 103 packets.  So head on over and check out their super cute blogs.