Where are we?! {A sign for your door!}



I'm kind of in love with this little "confused" girl!


First off, do you "like" TPT on facebook? If not, you might want to head over there and like them :) just sayin' :) :)

Ok, on with the post. This year, my school started a "block" schedule.... basically we have all of our "specials" classes at the same time each day, which helps minimize disruptions throughout the day, and allows each grade level to have more time to work together, since we are all in and out of the classroom at the same time.  Block schedules are great, and I am a big fan of them... I'm just not a fan of block time being first thing in the morning... I have SO MANY kids who are late EVERY SINGLE DAY... how is it that by 2nd grade, parents still can't figure out what time school starts?! It drives me crazy, and I know it is frustrating to the kids, who walk into an empty classroom, or encounter a locked door, and have no clue where their class is.  And because all of 2nd grade is out of their rooms at the same time, there isn't a teacher nearby who can quickly point them in the right direction.  About the same time I was feeling frustrated and trying to figure out a solution to the problem, the ever-so-talented Nikki, AKA Melonheadz Illustrating, released the most DARLING school subject clipart, and thus my idea came to life! (I am kind of obsessed with her kidlettes... they are simply too cute for words!)

So... here's the details on how the packet works... first off, it's very versatile and can be used two different ways (maybe more, if you're more creative than I am :)... after making both of them and taking photos, I *STILL* can't decide which one I like more... #teacherproblems right?!

If you want a standard sign on your door, you can print one of the signs like this one pictured below. (And, since I am so indecisive, I made the poster in 10 different colors of chevron borders, and 2 black & white! LOL.)  With the poster, you can attach each "location" card with Velcro tabs, and swap them out as you come and go. (The packet has 23 different location cards, and I have included some directions so that your Velcro will line up perfectly!)

Standard sign on your door...

If you would rather not mess with the Velcro, you can make it this way instead... print off the location cards that you want, punch a hole in the corner, and connect it with a binding ring (available in the office supply section at Target).  You leave this hanging on your doorknob and quickly change it as you're heading out the door.

Doorknob hanging signs

Here's a little sneak peek of what's included in the packet.  I was having so much fun with the kidlettes that I just couldn't stop!  I ended up making hall passes and office passes, too!  I have seen other teachers make little lanyard-style hall passes, so I left room for hole-punching if you wish to punch a hole and put a string around it, then you have an easy hall pass!  I have my students set the hall pass on their desk when they leave the room, that way I know where they are in case of an emergency.

this is a preview of what's included in the packet!

So, you probably know the drill by now... it's currently on sale in my TPT store, but you can enter below to win it!  The rafflecopter closes at midnight, so hurry and enter!!  I will pick THREE lucky winners at some point on Monday!

Hope you have a great Sunday and a great week... we have "fall break" this week, so I only have 2 1/2 school days this week! YAY! Looking forward to a fun weekend with friends and family... my friends and I are going to the P!NK concert Thursday night... I'm both excited and nervous! LOL... P!nk has a bit of a potty mouth, but I've heard she's amazing in concert.

Also, one final shout-out for the educents bundle that's on sale right now.  Today is the last day to get it, so grab it before it's gone!

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Shhhh... do not disturb! Freebie & Winner

I'm supposed to be making cookies right now.... but I'm watching General Conference and drinking hot chocolate.... so here I sit, blogging instead!

Today I wanted to share a little freebie with you.... A few years ago at a math training, I came across a clever idea of decorating folders as "office cubicles" for the students to put up when taking tests... the concept was that each child would decorate the folder much like adults decorate their cubicles... family photos, sports team posters, etc., then you would laminate it, and they had this great little privacy folder to put up when taking tests. I immediately fell in LOVE with this idea... then remembered the mobility rate at my school... I would be making cubicles every other week as new students came an went... feeling defeated, I tossed the idea out the window and didn't think much more of it.  Fast-forward to the second week of school that same year... It was very apparent that a few wandering eyes and chatty Kathy's were in need of some sort of privacy folders in the classroom (as well as a reminder to be quiet during the test!!), and that's where the "do not disturb" folder idea was born!

So what exactly is a "do not disturb" folder?  I'm so glad you asked :)  It is simply two folders that I have glued together and put this cute little cover page on... Here are pictures of the original folders my students made a few years ago.... the great thing about these folders versus cubicles is that I can use these folders for a few years and don't have to throw one away each time a student moves (which is quite often in my classroom).  The first year we made these, I printed them in black and white and let the students color them.... they loved using the folders that they had each created, and it was fun to see which folder they would get each time I passed them out for a test. (note: these folders are 3 years old and were created before I discovered the awesomeness of Kimberly Geswein Fonts... so the new ones have been updated with her fonts :) )

 

 

So, as you can see, the kids did a pretty good job coloring the folders themselves.... however, I didn't take into account the fact that my class might get bigger, and I didn't think to make extra folders.... so I made a full color version when I quickly needed to make a few more folders... this was a good and bad thing.... students were fighting over the few folders that were "better" because they were printed in color.... so I ended up making 6 of the "nice" folders, which I keep together and would give to the table being the most quiet as we are getting ready to take the test :) problem. solved. I think in the future, I might just make a full class set with the new full-color cover sheets... my kiddos this year are really into scribbling... I'm a little bit worried about how some of the cover pages might turn out!  Anyway, here's a few pics of the folders in action, as well as a pic showing how to make them.  Click on the colored pic above to download the freebie for yourself :)

"do not disturb" folders in action

These are kind of small... I used 2 folders, but have seen it done with 3 folders as well, to allow for a little bit more work space on each desk.  This is what I get for not gluing the folders together myself... I love parent volunteers... but sometimes, things don't turn out quite like I had them pictured in my head...*sigh*...

As you can see, this is just 2 folders overlapped, with the cover glued in the center.  I laminated the folders for durability.

I've seen folders where they put number charts or ABC / sound cards inside the folder... so you could totally do that inside the folders if you want :) I was in a hurry and didn't put anything on the inside of the folders.

I hope you find this useful!  I'd love to see pictures if you make them for your classroom :)

and finally.... the winner of the educents pin it to win it contest is.....

 

 

just a few more days to pick up this great bundle! Hurry before the deal expires!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

YAY!  You two lucky ladies get to pick any item from my store for free :)  Happy Sunday, everyone.