Monday, July 13, 2015

Monday Made It- Calendar, Notebooks, and More Labels!

July is just flying by! I go back to school on August 10th, so I am down to four weeks of Summer left! I don't think I will be able to get into my classroom until the first week of August, so I am getting a bit antsy!
 
As much as I love my summers, I always feel a little bit uncomfortable knowing how much work it is going to take to get my classroom ready again!
 
 
I have three made-its this week, so here we go!
 
 
 
 
My first made-it this week is my new calendar. I found this magnetic chalkboard calendar at Walmart for $8 last week and couldn't resist!
 
 
I have been wanting a new calendar for my classroom for a few years, but all of the classroom ones are so big. This one is pretty small and will fit nicely on the board by my desk.
 
 
 
I added the turquoise ribbon and made an extra set of the number magnets from last week's made-it to be the calendar numbers. I like how they are like polka dots!
 
I used hot glue, but the frame is very smooth, so the ribbon has popped off a couple of times. I am going to go back and add a bit of my favorite adhesive, E6000. I actually used it for the first time when I was working at Michael's. We used to use it to attach styrofoam to glass pots/vases where hot glue wouldn't hold. We would have to prep the containers the day before, but once the E6000 had dried, the styrofoam held up really well for floral arrangements.
 
 
Next up I have my guided reading notebooks. I haven't made any of my notebook/folder labels yet, so they aren't much to look at yet, but they work wonders!
 
 
 
I started making my own notebooks for guided reading a few years ago when I realized that we just weren't using enough of a notebook to make it worth buying a class set. Our extension activities aren't always something written, so I wanted a notebook that had fewer pages for less waste.
 
To make these, I counted out about 45 pieces of notebook paper, put them in a file folder, stuck a couple of brads in, and voila! Notebook!
 
One of the things I like best about these is that I can take extra pages out at the end of the year, so no paper gets wasted.
 
 
My last made-it this week is a continuation of my labels from a couple of weeks ago.
 
 
I have been working on materials for my word work center, which I would like to focus more on this year.
 
 
I made these letter cubes with foam counting cubes from the dollar store. They came in packs of 4 colors, so I split them up into four boxes. It took a while to write all the letters and my fingers were stained black for a few days, but it was well worth it!
 
 
Well, that's it for my made-its this week!
 
 
 
 
Make sure you check out the great projects on the Monday Made-it linky at 4th grade frolics!
 


19 comments:

  1. I'm obsessed with labeling everything around me :-) Everything looks so good!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Your board turned out really cute. I'm diggin the polka dots. Funny story about E6000...always check the package to make sure you haven't purchased "black"...or your project might not turn out the way you expected. I speak from experience! Lol
    Alison
    Rockin' and Lovin' Learnin'

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's funny that you mention that. I actually had the black one in my basket for a little while until I happened to notice!

      Delete
  3. You've been busy! That magnetic calendar was such a great find and I love how you've dressed it up a bit.

    Learning at the Teacher Table

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love the idea of the file folder notebooks! I keep going back and forth on buying spiral notebooks this year, but I think I've made my decision. I really love your idea, and I'll be using it. Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I love your chalkboard calendar. That's awesome. How big is it? IS it big enough for the kids to see it from around the room? I have one I made using a whiteboard last year as a test calendar, but I like the chalkboard look much better. Thanks for sharing!
    Janie
    Are We There Yet?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is 11x17. I don't think it would be big enough to see clearly from across the room. I just wanted a little one to keep up all the time since we do our calendar routine with the Mimio.

      Delete
  6. I have never seen the file folder notebooks. My brain is swirling with ideas. I think they would be great as kind of "lapbooks" for a unit.

    My Bright Blue House

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I used to use them as our interactive reading notebooks for each unit. It was nice because interactive notebooks tend to get very thick, so once the unit was done I sent the old ones home and we started fresh. The kids really liked using them!

      Delete
  7. I love the guided reading notebooks that you made. What a fabulous idea! I have a whole stack of file folders. I can't wait to turn them into notebooks. Thank you for sharing such a magnificent idea!


    Jennifer
    Elementary School Garden

    ReplyDelete
  8. Can I just say your file folder notebooks are simply genius?! I am going to make some with all of the file folders I have. I may even let them decorate the covers to personalize them too. So many ideas.....

    ReplyDelete
  9. I am so glad you shared your file folder reading notebooks. There are so many ways I can use those. Fabulous idea!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Love your guided notebooks. What a great idea!!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I am in love with your calendar.. makes me want to make one like NOW.. but not possible at the moment.. I probably will end up grabbing a giant desk calendar and putting it on my wall at school.
    I need to start getting read TOO.. I am back at school starting Aug 18.. :(
    I am def going to miss my babies..

    Elisa @ Ms.C's Kinder Friends

    ReplyDelete
  12. I love that calendar! I need a large version of that for my room because the one I have no longer matches. I know! I'm crazy like that!

    ReplyDelete
  13. I love your calendar! :) It's awesome! I also like the labels. I've started labeling everything in my classroom...it's exhausting, but I know at the end I'm going to love it! Cute blog too!! :)

    Brittany
    Sunflowers and Social Studies
    sunflowersandsocialstudies.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  14. That calendar looks great - I love the pop of white.

    Want to organize all my stuff too? Haha

    Anisa @ Creative Undertakings

    ReplyDelete
  15. I love your reading notebooks from file folders. SIMPLY GENIUS!! Thank you!

    ReplyDelete