Monday Made It-Behavior Chart

Yeah, baby! It's time to link up for Monday Made It! I have been working on TONS of items for my classroom this week. The first item I finished this week was my classroom behavior clip chart. I had one last year, but of course I needed to update it with a new and improved version.
 I don't have very much space in my classroom to display things, so I need to get creative. This is on the side of one of my filing cabinets. I use 2 magnetic hooks at the top of the chart to hang it on the side. The clips, on the side of the chart, have my student numbers on them to keep it as anonymous as possible.

Here is what I did to make my chart last the whole year:
First, print and cut out the behavior chart. Click HERE to grab your copy. Then make sure to glue each colored behavior on to plain colored paper. This provides a frame and extra reinforcement. 

Next, glue each section onto poster board or thick chart paper. I left space, at the top of each column, on purpose. You need the space at the top to attach the clips to it. You also need space at the top of the second column, so you can glue it to the first column (did that make sense?) Make sure not to leave any space in between each colored behavior. It should look something like this:

Then, carefully cut each colored column out, so that you have two columns only. Place glue on the white space above the yellow "Think About It" section. Carefully line up the green "Ready to Learn" card directly on top of the glue.

I took my completed behavior chart to Lakeshore to laminate for even more reinforcement. Note: When you cut the chart out from the lamination, it may not seal completely because of the thickness. I took clear packing tape and used it around the edges of the chart for durability. Remember, this chart is going to be used every day in your class. You want it to last! 

I hope these tips and tricks help you make your own behavior chart for your classroom. I would love to hear how you make your charts durable in your class. Make sure to link up with Monday Made It and share your creativity! Have a great week!




A little Sunday randomness....

                                     
The sadness is swelling in my heart...only 2 more Sundays until school starts! Don't get me wrong, I love teaching. I love my little second graders. I love getting my room ready. I DON'T love summer ending, waking up to an alarm clock and not being with my crazy boys throughout every day. I am linking up with Fabulous in First for this week's random happenings.

Mommy Camp went to Hurricane Harbor with week. I have never taken my kids to a water park before. I know...a huge travesty.  I was initiated into the club with a bunch of my baseball mommy friends. Thank goodness for experienced veterans in this department. We had a blast! A little rain, a little sun and little lines=a great adventure by all!

These guys arrived at my doorstep this week. I have been anticipating their arrival and can't wait to use them! Erasable markers....Genius!
And these are the Frixion erasable pens! JOY!

I just finished up my Classroom Timeline! I used this idea last year in my classroom, but I updated it for this coming year. I am going to print out the pages for each month and space them out on ribbon or washi tape. I love that it helps the kids understand how to use time lines, as well as capture our school year events and projects.  I need to find a new space in my classroom to post it that is more at my kids' eye level. I think it was too high on the wall last year. Once I get the pages up in my room, I will show you more detailed pictures. I can't wait!

I also just completed my Classroom Calendar that goes along with my Turquoise and Black Classroom Decor pack. It comes with monthly headers (with and without graphics), 2 sets of number cards to use for patterning practice, 18 holiday cards, days of the week and more!


I hope your week of randomness has been fabulous! Head on over, link up and share your adventures!

The Time Has Come...

Yes, that is right... The time has come for reality to set in. Summer is slipping away quicker than I would like. Yesterday was one of the first days I got to spend in my classroom getting ready for a new batch of kiddos. I walked into this:
Not bad, considering it was all put back the way I left it. I was prepared to move furniture, so this was a pleasant surprise. 

I have been doing a TON of printing, cutting and laminating to get ready. Here is my evidence:


 I only have 4 small bulltin boards in my classroom. One is our ELA Concept Board, one is for math, one is for writing AND I have one left that I use for our story vocabulary (because our Concept Board is too small for everything) and my classroom monitors. So, I HAVE to get creative on where I post things
I use the door that connects to my team partner's room for my birthday board. I am going to take pictures of the kids in groups by each month. All the kids who have a birthday in January will be in one picture. They will each hold a number with the DAY they were born that month. Then, I will mount the pictures, laminate them and put them under the correct month. I will post a finished product later on.

This is my helper board. Each student's name is on the circle and then glued  to a tongure depressor. Each pocket has the classroom job title and a description of the job. We change our jobs every Monday. 

This just a sneak peek into my classroom world. I will show you more as I get things done and then I will do a BIG reveal before school starts! 

Happy Friday everyone! Enjoy the weekend. I am off to Hurrican Harbor with my boys!



The WINNERS are.... + a FREEBIE and a SURPRISE!

 I would like to thank each and everyone of you for participating and supporting Aimee and I during our 500 Follower Giveaway! We had so much fun sharing our excitement with you! We hope each of you discovered some incredible new bloggers and their TpT stores. Thank you for your constant support and for visiting our blogs and leaving sweet comments. 
And without any further adieu...
THE WINNERS ARE...

And because we want everyone to feel like a WINNER, Aimee and I are each offering a fun FREEBIE for you to grab. I have created some All About Me Posters which will be fun to complete with your kiddos at the beginning of the year.  

They also are a great compliment to my ALL ABOUT YOU! unit. 

Don't forget to head on over to Aimee's Blog to pick up her FREEBIE too! 
Make sure to check back tomorrow for a very exciting surprise that is going to be revealed on my blog!!! I love surprises. Don't you???? 

Birthday Celebration FREEBIE

This is a super quick post today! I wanted to get this posted earlier today, but I just couldn't swing it! Today is my birthday and I want to celebrate with all of you! 

My mom and I went shopping and to lunch today to celebrate! My two boys came along, so you know the outting couldn't be too long!!! I love a good deal even if I am not paying. I found this top that I just fell in love with. It was the last one in a random rack of the store. This is a designer Ralph Lauren top for only...wait for it... $39! Yes folks that is correct! Originally $159 and it was mine today for the very low price of $39. UNBELIEVABLE! I LOVE it!
 

So since I can't give each of you this same deal, I am going to give you something even better!I have created a birthday bulletin board display for all of you to use in your classrooms. What better way to celebrate a birthday, than to make it beautiful for everyone to see, right? I just bought some new clip art and had to use it to make something special. This packet includes monthly headers, numbers, a birthday banner and birthday cards for each student. 

This item will be FREE in my TpT store through tomorrow night (July 17th). Just click on the picture to download it. 

Also, a quick reminder, there is still a short time to enter Day #3 and Day #4 of my 500 follower giveaway! Aimee (Primarily Speaking) and I would love for you to enter, if you haven't already. Just click on the links above to take you to them.

Monday Made It

I am so excited to be linking up for my first Monday Made It of the summer!!!! It's about time-DANG! Thank you Tara for hosting such a great linky.
                                   
I am super excited to share this week's project with you. It started earlier in the week with a trip to Michaels. If you missed my early post about my trip there, you might want to check it out by clicking HERE! It will warm your heart and hopefully make you smile!

Here is what I made for my classroom:
It is a magnetic dry erase board decorated with my classroom colors. I added some magnetic glitter clothespins too!

All you need is a magnetic dry erase board (40% off with Michaels coupon), washi tape, adhesive glitter letters, glitter clothespins, roll of magnetic tape and scrapbook stickers. I know that sounds like a lot but it was all on sale and I could use my teacher discount on top of it!

I started with the plain white board.

I used washi tape around the edges. This was my first time using washi tape and I LOVE it! It is so easy to use.

Then I started decorating the board with these adhesive glitter letters and...
these scrapbook embellishments-all self-adhesive (love that)!
Next, I took glitter clothespins and added a magnet strip to the back of them to add to the board.
So simple, little to no mess and now I have a cute board for my room!

I can't wait for all of you to link up with Tara so I can see what you have made!