Displaying Children's Artwork Created with Mother Goose Time

The Mother Goose Time monthly themes come with daily art projects and crafts for students to make.

Lately, artwork has been taking over our household.  So, I created a simple system for displaying it.

Here are my top 3 locations for displaying artwork:


Location 1:  The Doors

Our main doors are metal and magnetic, creating the perfect spot to hang a few of our collages throughout the month.  I like to display them with the included inspirational photographs and the words/names of what they have created.  I think this helps to enhance our literacy rich environment.

I love how they can be put up and taken down easily with a magnet or two.  Simple and cute.


Location 2:  Our Bulletin Board

We inherited a bulletin board with our house.  If you are looking for one, I have seen quite a few for sale on Facebook Marketplace and on Craigslist lately.  In my classroom I've often hung student artwork in a row, like a patchwork quilt, but I had a better idea at home.  

I decorate the background of our bulletin board to look like the theme for each month.  Throughout the month I add my childrens' artwork to the board as they create it.  We build our bulletin board as we go.  At the end of the month, I take down the artwork and set up the bulletin board for the next theme.

Location 3:  Binders

At the end of the month we put our artwork away.  I place some of my children's favorite pieces in page protectors inside binders.  These are great to refer back to.  My 6-year-old uses the labels on each page to help her spell words when she writes in her journal.  These are great conversation starters and portfolio's to keep for a lifetime.

Love the artwork you see displayed?  Check out Mother Goose Time for more ideas and curriculum.

How do you display the artwork your children make?

Natalie's Crayons - Monday Made It

In our family we eat a lot of cheese.

Mozzarella, Muenster, Colby...

Slices of cheese, grated cheese, cheese sticks....

...and Ricotta.

Lots of Ricotta cheese.

I never know what to do with the leftover containers.

Usually we just toss them in the recycling bin.

Until today.

As I walked them out to the garage I had an idea.

These containers are the perfect size for storing all sorts of items.

In fact, I pay top dollar for containers like these in the stores.

So, I borrowed some of my husband's spray paint and painted them.

I created a few labels and taped them on.

I might hot glue them tomorrow.  The corners are peeling up a little and a dab of hot glue under each corner should do the trick.

Crayon boxes don't stand a chance against my 20-month old.  These little plastic containers will be the perfect holder of her most prized possessions.

I plan to save these throughout the summer for classroom storage.

Want a copy of these labels?  Download them here.  Just make sure to download the fonts so that you can view the labels correctly.  They were created in Power Point so that you can edit the text.

Check out all the other Monday Made It's at Tara's blog, Fourth Grade Frolics.

Oh, and don't forget to enter for a chance to win some fabulous BIC Back to School Supplies.  

Check out yesterday's post to learn more.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck! 

Robot Theme Teacher Toolbox Labels for Monday Made It

Well, I've finally made up my mind.  This school year my classroom theme will be...

ROBOTS

...and I have already begun collecting, customizing, and creating new materials to match my theme.

I've decided to post about my teacher toolbox for Monday Made It!

Coincidentally, the first time I created a teacher toolbox was a few years ago, when I also had a robot theme.  You can view that post here.

Back then my color scheme was a little different and my computer skills were still developing.

This year I plan to integrate my primary colored plastic bins with my other classroom decor so my toolbox was in need of a little face lift.

I created the new labels for my teacher toolbox in Power Point with Krista Wallden's borders and robot clipart.  I printed them on thick paper.

Then I ran them through my trusty laminator for durability.

I cut out each label and taped them to the outside of each drawer.  Last time I taped them to the inside of each drawer but the color pops more from the outside.

Here is a peak at the final product:

All that I have left to do is restock each drawer with new supplies.

Want to create your own teacher toolbox labels?  Download the template here.

Create, print, cut, and tape them on to your own toolbox.  Easy peasy!

Check out all the other Monday Made It's at Tara's blog, Fourth Grade Frolics.

Have a teacher toolbox of your own?  Share a photo with me on my Facebook page!  I'd love to see your personal creations!

Student Reflection Turn-In Bins for Monday Made-It

I've spent the last few days foraging through Pinterest in hopes to find some unique ways to help my classroom to become more organized and for my students to become more self-reflective, independent, and accountable for their learning.

One of the amazing pins I stumbled across was from A Classy Collaboration's blog.  Ciera mentions the struggle of knowing (while grading papers at home) whether or not students did not try their hardest, or truly didn't understand the concepts taught.  It is important to provide students with opportunities to reflect upon their work before turning it in.

I really liked her "reflection station" and wanted to create one of my own.  So, here are my Student Reflection Turn-In Bins and Poster.

Want a copy for yourself?  Snag a free copy here in my Teachers Pay Teachers Store.

Check out all the other creative projects on Tara's blog 4th Grade Frolics.

Happy Monday!

Final Interactive Notebook File and Rain Gutter Bookshelves for Monday Made It

Whew, can you believe May is finally here?  I know many of you are excited that you are in the final weeks of school.  Here in New York we still have another 2 full months.  However, we have some very exciting activities, field trips, and events planned. 

I am truly loving being a new mommy / teacher and am finding it easier and easier each day to balance all my new responsibilities.

So, in honor of my new mommy / teacher balance I would like to share two "Monday Made It's" with you:  one for school and one for my sweet baby Natalie.

The first thing I made this week was the final Math Interactive Notebook File for Customary Measurement and Multiplication.  This notebook will fit best with Engage NY's Module 7.

I am super excited to have all my 8 Interactive Notebook files finally complete.  Here is a little preview of a few sample pages:

This notebook focuses on customary units of length, capacity, weight, and time.

There are word problems and examples of how students can show their work in multiple ways.

 

 

This file has a notebook page or multiple pages for each major topic taught in module 7 and is aligned with the Common Core Math Standards.

Want a FREE copy of this notebook?  Simply comment below how you plan to use it and I will randomly select 1 winner tomorrow (5/6) night.

The second thing I made this week (with a little assistance from my amazing husband) is Natalie's Pinterest inspired rain gutter bookshelves.

We purchased the gutter at Lowes and they were nice enough to cut it into 3 pieces for us.  We used a stud finder, drill, and a few screws to install the gutters.  It took a total of maybe 15 minutes.  Definitely worth it to see Natalie's toothless smile as she reaches for and selects her books each night before bed.  Ugh, she melts my heart.

Check out all the other "Monday Made It's" on Tara's blog.

Happy Monday!

Fish Themed Writing Prompts and Box Top Label Holder for Monday Made It

This week I focused on some fish-themed products for Tara's Monday Made It.

I recycled an old Lysol Wipes container, created a new label, and will be adding it to my classroom as a Box Top Label holder.  You can snag the label for yourself here.

I also created some Fish on a Stick writing prompts for students to complete if they finish their work early throughout the day.

Check out all the other creative things fellow bloggers have created at Monday Made It.

Don't forget to link up your favorite back to school items on TPT here.  You can link up anytime this week.

Happy Monday!