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Apple Chalkboard Winner and Saturday Snapshot tips

Love Your Camera


I sure hope you all are snapping a few shots this week. Don't worry about getting the perfect shot... sometimes grabbing your cell phone and shooting away will save a memory you will never forget. I also want to encourage you to snap some photos of yourself because sometimes as family memory keepers we forget. I am EXTREMELY guilty of this one. Get out of the mindset that pictures of you aren't as important. Also, don't just take photos of the important people in your life, take pictures of your everyday happenings. Things that are important to you will be great for documenting your life. 

Some picture ideas


Photograph your routine
Capture the milestones
Your favorite hangout spot
A favorite piece of furniture
Favorite school snack
Projects
Favorite piece of clothing
Your purse/teaching bag
Self-portrait
Inside your car
Work outfits
Books your reading
Your city’s landmarks
Food photos
Pet portraits
A current love


Be sure to check back Saturday for some more photography tips and apps.

I'll leave you with this:
Here is a wonderful pdf that explains ISO a little more in depth. Before I learned about ISO I liked to keep it on 800 because it was a faster snap of a picture. I've since learned that it's best to keep it low. Using a lens that has a wide opening (aperture 1.2-2.8) allows more light so you don't need to bump up your ISO in low lighting situations.

My favorite lens of the moment is a 50 mm 1.4. It is wonderful in low lighting and really allows for a shallow depth of field.

DSLR 101

Love playing around with presets! I'll share with you on Saturday my favorites.




















Chalkboard Winner


Thank you Dawn at LaDeeDah art for donating this cute chalkboard apple! 
Vicky check your email so I can get your mailing address.



Winners Behavior Beads and Homework Tags



Thanks for entering the contest! I'll have another one on July 4th! 

So what is a behavior bead?  A behavior bead is a necklace that each child receives and they work toward earning more badges/charms to display on their necklace. On the first day of school I give my students their "behavior bead" or necklace.  They are perfect rewards and incentives in the classroom. 




Here are a few ideas:
*Monthly Homework Clubs
*Bucket Fillers
*7 Habits
*Honor Roll
*Perfect Attendance
*Star Student
*Caught Being Good
*Good Manners
*AR
* Sight Word Master
* Lost a Tooth


So easy to make!
2. Cut and Laminate
3. Punch holes ( I'm off to buy a smaller hole punch tomorrow)
4. Put on ball chain necklaces ( you can purchase on etsy or local craft stores)
I use 24 inch chains.



















Monday Made It Braggin about Behavior and More!


Linking up today for Tara's Monday Made It! I just LOVE that it keeps me motivated to create items for my class. 

 I can honestly say that behavior beads are one of the BEST things I added to my classroom management system over the past couple of years. I get so tired of the treasure box. So now I use class dojo and give out reward coupons and of course these Behavior Beads.

So what is a behavior badge/bead?  A badge is a necklace that each child receives and they work toward earning more tags/charms to display on their necklace. On the first day of school I give my students their own badge on a necklace.  

Here are a few ideas:
*Honor Roll
*Perfect Attendance
*Star Student
*Caught Being Good
*Good Manners
*AR
* Sight Word Master
* Lost a Tooth


So easy to make!
2. Cut and Laminate
3. Punch holes ( I'm off to buy a smaller hole punch tomorrow)
4. Put on ball chain necklaces ( you can purchase on etsy, craft stores or ImageStuff)




How do you display your necklaces? 
Last year I had the tags on little hooks grouped by tables. I had four tables so each hook had about 5 necklaces.
In the past, I have displayed them on a large cork board. Each necklace hangs from a thumbtack with the student’s number above the thumbtack.





Here is a CD cabinet without the selves. I used this my first year as a Brag Tag holder.

The possibilities are endless.  You can go all out or use something simple that works for you. I’d love to see pictures of your displays. Link up on Saturday Snapshots.

When do your students wear their necklaces?
Each day, students wear their chains if they choose.  At the end of the day when they go pack up their belongings..they hang their Behavior Beads back on the hooks!  The next morning when students come in they are able to put on their chains first thing in the morning. I don’t make them wear the necklaces daily. Some love to and others prefer to keep them on the hook.  I’ve seen some teachers just allow students to wear necklaces on Fridays or assemblies. Again it’s up to you.





When do they earn tags?
Two years ago I used a behavior clip chart in my classroom and every time a student ended on OUTSTANDING they earned a jewel for their clip.  Once they had 5 jewels, they earned a behavior bead/tag/badge. Last year I used class dojo. Once they had 25 points they earned a new tag. I had many different levels of tags. I also gave out tags for mastering math facts, sight words, good handwriting, displaying good character traits, and many others.  I’m excited to use my FREE 7 Habits this year.





How do you know whose necklace is whose?
I number at least one tag. It’s usually the first tag I give them. However, this year I will be making a custom tag with each child’s name on it. If you need any custom beads… I would love to make you some. Click here for customized beads. Click here for programmable tags that you do yourself.

How do I implement them?
Simply print on cardstock, laminate and cut. I’ve made them very easy to cut. I used a paper cutter and it was so fast. I punch a hole using a small punch size found at Hobby Lobby ( $3.99)

Where do you store the extra tags?
You can buy a compartment storage container at Hobby Lobby or Michael’s. I love Tara’s picture.


Where did you find the chains?
You can find them at Etsy, online, and Hobby Lobby. I bought my chains at Hobby Lobby for $7.99. If you have coupon... it’s even cheaper.  



If you have any more questions about Behavior Beads/Badges please leave me a comment and I'll do my best to answer them.  I'm off to check out the other fun Monday Made Its.









Monday Made It #2 
I updated my   "You're Knocking my socks off" board that I found from The First Grade Parade. Thanks to Cara for the fabulous idea. Click on her name to find the FREE stuff. Also, I made some headers if you would like to download for free.




FREE- Click on images to download 




Last Monday Made It was my portable word wall. I first found the idea at Tonya's blog.
Here is my version to match my room. I loved using a portable word wall so the students could take the words back to their desk. It was also on their eye level compared to the other word walls I had up in the classroom.
Click here to purchase