A throne for the Queen.

I've always joked that I am the "Queen of my Classroom".  So I thought it was about time for me to get a throne!  LOL, just kidding.  I actually have had this plain wood stool in my classroom for the past two years.  I use it when I'm teaching and occasionally, the students will sit on it when they are sharing.  Well, I saw the cutest stool on Pinterest that someone had painted. Of course I wanted one of my own.  Here it is.  I'm pretty happy with it.  I used acrylic paint and applied a gloss sealer after finishing.  I used a paint pen for the zebra design on the top which I am quite proud to say I actually free handed the drawing.  For the name, I printed off my name using the computer.  Then I took transfer paper (you can get it a Hobby Lobby) to trace it on the stool.  I just filled it in with the paint pen after and hot glued a feather boa around the seat.  Voila!!! Fit for a Queen.

A sticky situation.......

So, I've been working on some classroom projects as I get ready for this school year.  One of my projects is just an improvement on something I used last year.  Teaching first grade, I like for my students to be able to go and select words from the word wall when they are writing.  It is hard for them to copy words from the wall.  Last year, someone shared the idea of using a plastic tablecloth sprayed with adhesive to create a word wall that was sticky.  I did it and it worked great.  However, the plastic tablecloth didn't last very long before tearing and wrinkling up. 

This year, I took my word wall a step further.  I purchased 3 yards of outdoor vinyl from the bargain store (you can find it at Hobby Lobby or other fabric stores as well).  I stapled it to my wall (you could use hot glue). I laid newspapers on the floor and then sprayed it heavily with spray adhesive purchased at Walmart in the craft section.  After the spray adhesive was applied, it became a sticky surface.  I used foam sheets cut out into rectangles to write my words on.  The foam can be peeled off and re-stuck as many times as the kids want to use it and the vinyl is very durable and will be able to be used several years.  I can even change the border to change themes.  It is really cool.  AND students think it is magic that they just stick up there.   See my attached picture of my finished word wall????  I love it.

I Teach First workshop

Last week I attended the I Teach First workshop in Chicago put on by Staff Development for Educators. It was a fantastic workshop, and I came away with tons of new ideas for things that I want to implement in my classroom.  One of the sessions that I attended was with Dr. Lori Elliott.  If you ever have the opportunity of attending a training session with her, I highly recommend you seize it with both hands.  She is an engaging speaker that has very valuable information that is both practical and cutting edge.  If you don't have the opportunity to see her in person, she has a great website that I recommend.  There is all kinds of links to great information and tools for the classroom.  Check it out.  I've added a link below.

www.lorislatestlinks.com

Back to school in July???

Here it is, mid July, and I am already trying to get this room in order and ready for the start of school.  Why so early you might ask? About August 8th, I plan on having my toes in the water, rumpus in the sand, in beautiful, sunny, gorgeous Hawaii.  If my room is not finished before I go, I will suffer the dreaded vacation tragedy of sitting on the beach thinking and planning everything I need to do in order to be "ready" for those kiddos when we start school.  As usual, I have several projects going on in addition to the basic "getting ready for school" classroom organizing. I'm making a vinyl word wall with removable words, a "foofy" teaching stool, and birthday chair slipcovers.  I'll blog a little more about those projects later and share some pics.  Hopefully, someone will benefit from my ideas and will like what I have to share.