I'm on Bloglovin!

For those of you who follow via the soon-to-be extinct Google Reader, BlogLovin is a great alternative! Don't forget to import your reading list before July 1st.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

0

First Annual Canadian Postcard Exchange!

Although it's a little unconventional for a "Monday Made It", I am linking up with Fourth Grade Frolics once again. As always, click on the icon to go to the Linky Party and see what other teacher bloggers have made this week!

Please Note: This is my spin on an American postcard exchange I saw online. If you're the original creator of this exchange, please comment below, so I can give you proper credit.

Canadian Postcard Exchange

Please read carefully to ensure you wish to participate.  If you cannot commit to this project, please do not sign up!

This exchange is open to Kindergarten to Grade 5 teachers across Canada. I will be accepting two entries from each province and territory. To sign up, please click here.  Please check below to see which provinces and territories are still available. This exchange will be on a first come, first served basis.

Supplies Needed: 25 postcards, 25 stamps, and 25 labels  You will receive 25 postcards in exchange.

Here’s how it works: Compose the postcards with your students, so that they contain unique information about your province or territory, as well as information about your school and city. You are welcome to do this in any manner you choose, but in the past, I have done it as a shared writing activity which I type (and project on the interactive board). I then print and assemble the postcards, which the students decorate. 

It is up to you how you want to use the postcards you receive. I plan to save mine for our communities unit and mark the location of each postcard on a map. Another fun idea is to look up the addresses of each school on Google Maps!

This exchange DOES cost money. Plan to pay for your postcards, stamps, and labels.  

Once you have signed up, you CANNOT change your mind, as other classes will be expecting your postcards to arrive.

I will prepare labels with each participant's name and address and email you the file in September.  You will need to print them out and attach them to the postcards. All postcards should be mailed out by the end of November 2013.

Province or Territory	Teacher
1. British Columbia 2. British Columbia 3. Alberta 4. Alberta 5. Saskatchewan 6. Saskatchewan 7. Manitoba 8. Manitoba 9. Ontario 10. Ontario 11. Quebec 12. Quebec 13. New Brunswick 14. New Brunswick 15. Nova Scotia 16. Nova Scotia 17. Prince Edward Island 18. Prince Edward Island 19. Newfoundland & Labrador 20. Newfoundland & Labrador	Mrs. Andersen Mrs. Leyne Mrs. Hanna Mrs. Seip Mrs. Schiller Mrs. Liebrecht Ms. Prescott/Ms. Drews Mrs. Taylor Mrs. van Rees Ms. Blanchard Morah Elyse Mrs. Atkins Mrs. Allen Mrs. Jeffers
21. Yukon 22. Yukon 23. Northwest Territories 24. Northwest Territories 25. Nunavut 26. Nunavut

If you have any questions before signing up, please comment below.

5

Teacher Tool Kit & Partner Sticks

I missed last week due to lack of creativity, but I am linking up once again to Fourth Grade Frolics' Monday Made It...on a Tuesday. Oops, I totally forgot to publish my post yesterday, even though I actually wrote it on Sunday!

Project #1: Teacher Tool Kit

I'm sure you've seen these all over Pinterest. I often want to copy the projects I see but have a hard time finding the same things in Canada that they have in the US, especially at such a great price. Well, low and behold, I found this 22 drawer unit from Lowe's for $18.68.  I'll probably bring my own desk to school in September and it's one that doesn't have drawers, so this will look great sitting on the counter behind me.  In case it's not obvious how I made the labels, I typed onto decorative cardstock, laminated for durability, and hot glued them onto the inside of the drawers. It was a quick and easy project!

Project #2: Partner Sticks

I hot glued jewels onto popsicle sticks. I plan to use these in two different ways. When I need to pick partners, I will pull two sticks. When I need to keep track of who I have called on, I will turn the stick over to the non-jewel side. I used four colours of jewels to represent boys and girls in each of my two classes. I will probably separate the two classes into different containers. I've seen this idea before where the teacher uses all different colours of jewels, but I know my kids will memorize which colour is theirs and sometimes I will want the choices to remain anonymous until I share them with the class.

Have a great week and don't forget to link up by clicking on the image below!

1

Filing Cabinet Revamp & Clip Chart Hall of Fame

I'm back...after a VERY long hiatus! First, I was pregnant and too tired to blog and then I was on maternity leave and didn't have anything to blog about. So, here I am, a few months away from returning to the classroom. I've been busy catching up on my blog stalking and coming up with fresh ideas for the upcoming school year. Today, I'm linking up with Fourth Grade Frolic's Monday Made It to showcase a couple of projects I completed on the weekend.

Project #1: Filing Cabinet Revamp

I bought a used filing cabinet for $3.50 and used contact paper and some duct tape to pretty it up. I still haven't decided if it's coming with me to my new classroom or becoming a permanent fixture in my den.

Project #2: Clip Chart Hall of Fame

I used First Grade Glitter and Giggles' free download, mounted it onto some scrapbook paper, put it into a document frame, and hot glued matching ribbon to the back. I plan to "retire" clips to the Hall of Fame, once a student has reached the top of the chart five times.  If you aren't familiar with the clip chart behaviour management system, you can read more about it HERE.

If you'd like to link up to Monday Made It, just click on the picture below!

4