Let the Organizing Begin!

Heading back to school in two weeks means I am getting my folders, binders, and classroom organized. It's one of my favorite parts about back to school. I might have mentioned this before, but in another life, I would have been a professional organizer!

I'm moving in a few weeks, and I have already started packing. Packing up my apartment doesn't just mean placing things in boxes with bubble wrap. Oh no! It means grouping items, wrapping them neatly in newspaper, packing them tightly in a box, and (my favorite part) labeling the box where it should be placed in the new home. All the labels are color coded and placed on two specific places on the box. One label is placed on the side of the box right in the middle. The second is placed on the front of the box in the upper left hand corner. I also try to label what is in the box the best that I can. My office gets a yellow tag, living room is pink, bedroom is orange, basement is purple, attic is brown, closet is green, and kitchen gets a blue label. Then all of those boxes are stacked neatly in my living room and grouped by the colored label. I'm not kidding. Take a look (ALERT: Poor picture quality, taken with my "old school" iPhone 3GS).

As I prepare for the start of school, one item I have to get organized is my Teacher Binder. My Teacher Binder is everything to me.  Without it, I would be completely lost.  In my Teacher Binder, you will find my weekly lesson plans, a class roster, state/core standards, schedules, substitute registry information, medical information, etc.  This year I will be teaching ESL which will require me to pull groups of students from various classrooms throughout the day, so I know it will be critical for me to be organized and know exactly where I need to be and when.  I do not want to be "that" teacher who shows up ten minutes late to pick up her students.

As I work on my Teacher Binder, I will post the downloads to my TPT store. Here is the cover page for my binder this year.  You can find it HERE at my TPT store for free! I will ask that if you download the Teaching Binder Cover Page that you rate my product and leave some feedback.  It would be greatly appreciated!

Teacher Binder with a Jungle Theme

I also finished my desk today.  I really don't have much of a theme this year in my classroom.  I am just working on the classroom being extremely bright and stylish!  I hope you notice those beautiful Mod-Podge drawers in the background, and the Duct Tape project on my desk.

My Teacher Desk

I would love to hear how your organize your lesson plans and such.  Link up and leave some ideas below or on my Facebook page.  

Good luck to you as you start your school year!

And remember.........

The Back to School Unpacking

It was back to school for me today! I finally moved all of my belongings over to my new classroom in my new building. This year I will be a Cheston Elementary School Cougar. I will be teaching ESL this year. From what I understand, the building primarily uses a pull-out approach. There are three ESL teachers in the building, me being one of them.

The building is pretty old so there is no air conditioning. My nephew Donavin and I sweated it out in a 90 degree room. While I have been pretty spoiled over the past couple of years in a building that was completely gutted and renovated with A/C, I am kind of excited to get back to my "roots". My "roots" are Scott School in Harrisburg, PA. It's the kinda school with hot, humid, heat and critters that crawl around and might surprise you from time to time. It's the building where you don't bring any food into the room for fear it might be gone or nibbled on overnight.

The two other teachers and I are sharing two classrooms. The two classrooms have a divider that can be opened and closed as needed. We will keep the divider open and share these two large classrooms. We are pretty lucky to have such a large space. I have never shared a classroom before, so I am excited to see the results once we have it all set up. Here are the BEFORE photos.

Now, don't panic.  That's not all my stuff.  Remember I am sharing the room with two other teachers!  There is so much we can do with this space.  Wait for the AFTER photos!

Today, I worked on unpacking and putting things away in my desk. I wanted a desktop organizer.  When I went to Target, everything was silver, black, or tan.  Since I don't work in a business office, I wanted something with a bit more flavor.  For some reason, I am really into the bright colors this year.  It really isn't like me, but it's fun.  I've been wanting to do a project with duct tape, but I wasn't sure what.  Finally, something!  Donavin picked out the bright pink duct tape, and I picked out the lamp.  The lamp was my splurge item this year.  It wasn't a good deal, but it was on sale!

Duct Tape Project

What can you do with duct tape?

Crayola Cups....Share Ideas!

I love the clearance section of any store. I get all giddy when I see a good deal. However, it has to be a good deal. I once got a $125 dress for $5. That's a deal! I once got a pair of $60 heels for $6. That's a deal! I once found a $250 Cricut cutter for $200. Not a deal!

Today at Wal-mart, I found these little treasures!  They were 89 cents each in the clearance section.  I bought one of each color.  I wanted to buy more, but they weren't that great of a deal!  When something is on clearance, I want it to be dirt cheap!

Crayola Crayon Cups
Sorry for the picture quality.  It was taken with my iPhone in my kitchen, as you can tell from the George Foreman Grill in the background!  

Now, I have these great materials, what do I do with them besides the obvious of using them to hold crayons?  If you have any ideas, please post them below or on my Facebook page.

Well I'm off to bed.  I'm picking up my moving man, aka my nephew Donavin, and moving into my new classroom tomorrow at 8am!  I will post "before" pictures.

I'm Addicted to Hobbies!

I am a hobbyaddict.  For those of you who know me well, know exactly what I am talking about. My parents can probably speak to this best.  Hobbyaddict is not a real word.  I already tried googling it. But it's a word that describes me very well.

I am known to try a new "hobby" and then a few months later, never talk about it again.  Let me list them for you.

• Vegetarian - yes, I considered this to be a hobby.  In high school, for a short time, I lived off of white rice until I crumpled at Wendy's for a cheeseburger.
• Guitar - I did this for a few months after college.  I had to get a guitar for Christmas.  The only thing I learned during my short days of playing was how to play a random string of notes that had my cat hiding underneath the couch.
• Witches and Witchcraft - This was interesting.  I also read a lot about psychics and mediums. I read so many books on the topic I thought I could predict my own future. 
• Cupcakes - Still a hobby that I love to do, but boy did I dedicate a lot of time and money into this one.  
• Running - So I might not have ever been a marathon runner, but I have many cute Nike running shorts to show that this was once a hobby.
• Clean Eating - This was a fad just this summer.  I was eating only raw food.  I once again couldn't hold out and treated myself to some Rita's Italian Ice.
• Photography - Still love taking pictures.  My camera is always at my side.  However, there was a time that I was entering photo contests and taking picture of random trees and calling it "art".
• Painting - I have no business being a painter, but I do have tons of paint and paint brushes stored at my apartment.

Ok, so maybe these aren't all hobbies.  Maybe the more appropriate term for these tasks are fads.  I once thought my parents weren't supportive of the new hobbies I had taken on.  I saw the eye rolls.  But, as an adult I now completely understand. They knew, just as I do now, that it will be my interest for a few months at most before I move onto the next thing.  And just in case they are reading this, my parents always supported my crazy hobbies.  I know that one day when I have children, I will be repaid.

The new hobby that I have recently taken on is one that I saw on Pinterest. It's called Mod Podging.  Have you ever used mod podge? It's by far, the best tool a crafter could have in their toolbox.  It's AMAZING!  

I have two of those Sterling drawer storage bins that I keep in my classroom and store all of my stickers, markers, and other random items.  It was pretty beat up after seven years.  I saw on Pinterest you can use mod podge to attach scrapbook paper to it and make it look pretty.  

I also have a box that was given as a gift.  The box wasn't the gift.  That would be silly.  The gift was the four bottles of wine in the box.  After the wine was gone, I couldn't decide what to do with the box.  So, just as I do with shoe boxes, I stored it in my closet in case I would ever need it.  Along came mod podge, and the box turned into a fantastic, stylish box that I can store my fancy, shiny bracelets in.  I'm currently using an old perfume box to store them in so this is a major upgrade.

What do you think of the before and after photos?

If you are like me, then you are a messy crafter.  I'm the teacher that leaves school every day with her hands covered in magic marker.  I wear a lot of black dress clothes which is great for showing chalk dust handprints.  I am not any neater when it comes to mod podging either. I was covered in the sticky glue.  To keep you cleaner and more patient, here are some tips:

• Cut all of the pieces you will need from the scrapbook paper first.
• You will need a credit card to smooth out the bubbles once you apply the mod podge.  Use an old gift card that has expired.  Mine was ruined from the glue.
• Have a paper towel handy to wipe your hands of mod podge.  Don't worry, it peels off of your skin once dry.
• Cover your work area with wax paper.  If your item gets glued to it, it easily peels off.
• Don't worry about making mistakes.  Mod podge dries clear.
• If it's your first time using the product, be patient and take your time.  Both of my projects took a lot of time. However, it's getting easier and quicker with each project.
• Foam brushes work really well for applying mod podge.  Bonus: they're inexpensive.

All three projects cost a total that was less than $10.  The Mod Podge can be bought at any craft store. I bought mine at Hobby Lobby for $4.99.  The entire jar lasted through all projects.  The cheapest scrapbook paper I have found was also at Hobby Lobby for $0.59 per sheet. Buy the large pieces of paper, and not the standard size.  Hobby Lobby also runs great sales that will help you save money.

The only real hobby I have ever stuck with is teaching.  I guess I'm pretty lucky to have turned a hobby into a career.  Teaching: My hobby, My Career, My Passion!

Happy Mod Podging!

Blogstorm, Blogsnob, Blogophobia

Blogosphere - The internet blogging community.

It's out there.  It's huge!  

When I first started blogging, I thought each blogger just posted their thoughts, feelings, and ideas on a website for all to read.  This is true.  But really, it's so much more than that.  There is a whole BLOGOSPHERE out there.  As I started to read other blogs and really get into what blogging was all about, I realized that blogging is a hobby, a lifestyle, a way of life. 

Yes, I am a blogger (a person who blogs). I write posts (individual articles that make up a blog) as often as I can. Piles of Pencils is an Edu-blog (an education oriented blog). I am not yet a blogoholic (addicted to blogging). My blogiversary (my blog birthday) is next July. I was recently introduced to blog hopping (jumping from one blog to another). 

These are all terms that bloggers used. You can find more blog terms here. You may be shocked by how many terms are out there that are associated with blogging.  I told you, it's much more than just an online journal.  

Third Grade is the Place for Me is hosting a Newbies Bloggers Blog Hop for new bloggers.  It helps new bloggers connect and network.  There are so many great blogs out there, and this is a great way to learn more about it.  

Part of linking up to other bloggers, is to share a little bit about yourself.  

1. What state are you in?  Pennsylvania

2. Your current teaching position. ESL (English as a Second Language)

3. Your teaching experience. Three years in 1st Grade. Four years in 3rd grade.

4. When you started blogging. I started blogging just a few weeks ago!

5. Share a blogging tip.  A great way to network is to leave comments and ask questions on other blogs.

I hope you link up and continue blog hopping with other educators!  Good Luck!

We're Going on a Treasure Hunt (At Target)

We’re going on a treasure hunt

We’re going on a treasure hunt 

Going to get some fancy ones

We’re not scared!

Uh oh! a cave 

a sparkly shiny treasure cave

We can’t go over it we can’t go under it

Oh no we have to go through it

tip toe tip toe tip toe

I was singing that song in Target today.  I walked into the store, and the dollar bins starting yelling at me.  They were begging for me to dig through them.  "Toilet paper, toilet paper, toilet paper," I said to myself repeatedly.  I mean that's the real reason I stopped into the store. I just needed toilet paper and maybe a new eyeshadow.  I quickly tried to walk past them.  I stared straight ahead and booked it. But really, what's the harm in just looking through the bins?  I don't have to buy anything.  Isn't that funny?  We are teachers, and we can't pass up a dollar deal.

This is my parents storage room in their house.  This is four years worth of third grade classroom stuff. The bins are stacked as high as my hips. Do you think I need more dollar bin stuff?

I'm glad I stopped at the dollar bins, because I found some treasures. The first are these amazing word strips which are dry erase.  My dry erase boards are pretty large and can sometimes be awkward to get out.  I love them and use them all the time, but if we are practicing writing sentences, we don't need an entire board.  These word strips will be just perfect!  They are 4 for a $1.00.

The second gem I found were these sticky notes.  I bought two packs.  I wanted to buy more but after digging and basically emptying the bin, I found out there weren't any more. Imagine everything you could use them for.  Ask the students to write a thought about characters, setting, plot, and theme.  Have them write their opinion about a topic in Science or Social Studies.  They can wear their thought on their shirt and others can respond.  You can make a "parking lot" and have the students park their thoughts there.  There are so many options!  

I am extremely proud of myself because that's all I bought today!  Just these little treasures...............whoops, I knew it.....I forgot the toilet paper. The dollar bins have won again!

Moon Phases That You Can Eat!

The Internet is a great resource for teachers.  I often find myself amazed by the creative ideas I find.  What did teachers do before the Internet?  Between Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and Blogs, we are in a great world to collaborate.

Here is a Science idea that Mrs. E and I found a few years ago.  In third grade, we are required to teach the Phases of the Moon.  After spending a week teaching all of the content, I enriched the lesson with a hands-on activity.  Students used Oreo Cookies to create the phases.  The original idea and directions can be found HERE. The picture below shows one of the my students work.

You never know how an activity is going to go until you try it out with students.  Here are some tips:

• Remind your students the cookies are not for eating yet, BEFORE you hand the cookies out.
• If you are only teaching 4 phases, you will need 2 cookies per student.
• Have extras on hand, because some of the cookies will break when students twist to separate.
• When complete, wrap students projects in plastic wrap or a large ziploc baggie to take home.
• A popsicle stick works well for scraping and moving the cream inside the cookie.
• If you have students who are diabetic, there are sugar free chocolate cream cookies available at most grocery stores.
• You will have at least one student who can't help himself and have to lick the crumbs of their fingers.  Keep hand sanitizer near by.