Creative Reuse: Snowflakes

Howdy y'all! So as you can see going back into the classroom after 16 years has seriously cut into my time to blog and create product.  The good news is I've got lots of things to share if I can ever find the time post about it.

Here quick fun project I did with my students before the break that would be a fun one to do in January also.  You can make some great use of of Christmas catalogs and wrapping paper too!

One of our units this fall focused on sharing the planet and we spent a lot of time discussing how our actions can shape the future.  For 2nd graders much of the conversation revolved around recycling and reusing. Our current unit focused on creativity as a tool of expression and thus this project beautifully tied both units together!

All you need for this is a pile of old catalogs, some colorful junk mail or even used wrapping paper. I opted to use my gazillions of Christmas catalogs.  I tore out the most colorful pages and then used my paper cutter to trim them square.

My inspiration for the idea came from this fantastic pin from the blog Michele Made Me.

I also used the printable from this pin to teach  my students how to fold and cut properly.  We did a practice round on white paper and I used these decorate my classroom door.  Then, students went to town with my stack of catalog squares.  Everyone made at least two.  We glued them to white construction paper to make curtains for our cubbies for our Creativity Cafe....which I will hopefully find time to blog about soon!

Holiday Cookie Hop: Mexican Wedding Cookies

I've always known these to be called Mexican Wedding Cookies, but I've discovered after a few years on Pinterest that they go by many other names. Italian Wedding Cookies, Snowballs, Southern Pecan Butterballs, and Russian Tea Cakes are just a few of the names I have heard them called.

No matter what you call them, they are truly simple and crazy delicious!  My kind of cookie!  I am not an elaborate baker.  As a matter of fact, the kitchen and I are not great friends.  I do however have a few things I love to make and these have become a holiday tradition in our house.

Carving Out Our Futures- Red Ribbon Week Door Decoration

We needed a simple quick idea for our Red Ribbon Week Door Decorations.  We went with the theme "Carving Out Our Futures". I gave each student a half sheet of orange construction paper and had them tear out a pumpkin shape. You should have seen their eyes go wide when I said no sketching and no scissors!

My monthly post is up on Classroom Tested Resources today.  Be sure to check it out for some fun pumpkin ideas for art and literature that can be used in both October and November!

My New Favorite Time Saver - Symbaloo

Have y'all tried Symbaloo yet?  I am loving it! It's a great time saver and super handy too. To find out more about it be sure to check out my post today over at Classroom Tested Resources!

Back in the Classroom Again!

Yipes! While I never completely left the education world, I have not taught in my own classroom for 16 years! That is a crazy long time.

So here I am about to wrap week #4, and as you all know the exhaustion level is high. To complicate matters, my father passed away the first week of school. I waited to travel to be with my family until after curriculum night. So I wrote 3 days of sub plans and my back to school night presentation simultaneously!

Getting To Know The Teacher

Howdy y'all!  Sorry I've been MIA.  In case you haven't heard I returned to the classroom for the first time in 16 years!  I had 2 weeks to set up my room before school started and much of that time was filled with PD.  As you can imagine it's been a bit crazy around here.

I do have a short post up today over on Classroom Tested Resources about a new first week of school activity I tried this week.  Be sure to pop on over there and check it out.

I do hope to find time to post more soon!  Good luck all on the start of a brand new year!