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27 May 2016

Five for Friday!

What better way to kick off the summer than with Doodle Bugs Teaching's Five for Friday Weekly Linkup?!?!

Most of these were on my Instagram this week, which you can follow HERE. But...here's a quick (re)peek at my week...




Last fall, I found 24-piece Crayola sidewalk chalk for $1 a box at Walmart. I knew they would make a great end of year gift for my kiddos. I made the tags using fabulous chalk clipart letters from Rebecca B Designs. The rainbow digital paper is from Red Pepper Paper, the black chalk frame is from Lovin' Lit, and the font is from Cara Carroll and is called Mascara Queen. I love how they turned out!!!

You can download an editable copy of the tag HERE.



I've seen a lot of posts flying around about this cart from IKEA being discontinued. I bought mine last summer, and it is invaluable to me. It normally sits right next to my easel. It holds my dry-erase and poster markers, post-it notes, and all of my multiple response strategy tools. I used that cart many times a day every single day. If you've been debating on getting one, I would definitely go know and get one before they're gone forever!



I love, love, love brag tags. This was the first year I've used them, and I followed the crowd and bought a storage container from Lowe's to hold them. I never got around the labeling the drawers, so I had a hard time finding the tags I wanted. Plus, it sat up on a shelf that wasn't too accessible. So, I decided to switch over to a binder. I used collector card protectors from Walmart. A pack of 35 was only $4.98. I had some old dividers that I labeled with specific categories like holidays, homework, data, etc. I love this system so much more! (Handy tip: Keep the binder at an angle when you're flipping through it or you risk tags sliding out. I also keep my binder standing up on my shelf.)



I use these pencil pouches to hold math manipulatives throughout the year. This is what we start our year with. I had some of my second graders reorganize everything and restuff the bags. We will add more things-like shapes, place value blocks, clocks, etc. They're really convenient because I don't have to waste time handing out supplies every day. If a random piece is left out, I just keep it on my cart and more often than not it is claimed by someone. 



I've mentioned NAEIR before, but I'll give them a quick shout out again. I just placed an order, and I received it within 4 days. Their turnaround time has really improved. In all, everything you see in this picture cost me about $50. My order included 1,000 labels and 450 BIC mechanical pencils. It was definitely worth the money. If you haven't signed up for a teacher account yet, you must!


And finally...summer has officially begun for me! This was my happy face this morning before work. I expect that look will stay plastered on my face for quite some time. I had a great school year, and I loved my class...but I am ready for some down time to spend with my family and to get my crafting on!

Happy summer break!


22 May 2016

5 Things I Love About the New Teacher Anchor


If there's one thing I look forward to at the end of the school year, it's getting a new lesson plan book for the following school year. It's never too early to plan ahead, right? Plus, there is nothing like the feeling you get flipping through all the crisp, blank pages that will soon be filled with a rainbow of Flair pen colors. I seriously just got goosebumps typing that!

Too say I'm a bit excited about my plan book this year might be an understatement. I'm actually a whole-lotta excited. Last year, I ordered my first Teacher Anchor from C Jayne Teach, and I {puffy heart} loved it BIG TIME. It was my pride and joy. I carried it everywhere. It was like an extension of me.

Until the third week of school.

When an entire glass of chocolate milk was dumped on it. (Did I mention I also carried a 2 year old everywhere? Tragic.)

So I was forced to used a different planner that I did not like. Funny enough, it was a very popular teacher planner, but it was just not for me. Rather than go into what I didn't like about the other planner, I've decided I would tell you what I love more about the new Teacher Anchor I just bought from C Jayne Teach for the new school year!


#1: Those colors...seriously! Look how well it all goes together. The Teacher Anchor comes in stripes (my fav) or polka dots. There are beautiful color choices to choose from should you choose to order the 3-ring binder or spiral notebooks. I may have already ordered coordinating decor for my classroom from School Girl Style. Love it!


#2 The sheets to keep me organized...definitely a must have. I think the account log pages are my favorite. I have so many random logins and passwords for school related sites that I can never remember. Even after the tragic demise of my first Teacher Anchor, I was able to salvage my account log papers. I cannot begin to tell you how many times I had to pull those papers out of my other planner to reference. Those pages will be the first I update! I'm also really excited about the PD log (there's also PD note pages), parent contact pages, birthday pages, and loaned out items pages. It will be so nice to have to all in one place! (On a side note, I used part of my Teacher Anchor notebook from last year to hold my PD certificates.)


#3: The monthly plan pages...with room for notes! The boxes are big enough for me to write in a normal size and put in multiple events. I also really like the prep pages that precede the month pages. It's a great place for me to plan out what I need to prepare for the month ahead.


#4: It can be vertical or horizontal...and I can change my mind! I love being able to decide for myself which way my plans will flow. The boxes are also roomy enough to put in everything I need. I also love the checklists to the left with a little box for reminders.


#5: All those blacklines...watch out copy machine! I can't tell you how many times I thought to myself...if I only had a [insert needed blackline here] so I could run down and make a quick copy. Now I finally do! We use Venn diagrams and bubble maps all the time, so these will definitely come in handy for me. I also really like the guided reading plan pages and conferencing pages. Other thinking maps and more useful pages were included. You must check it out for yourself!


Bonus: I ordered these adorable notebooks for my teammates for the new school year. They make great gifts! After I gave them to my team (because I have no self-control and couldn't wait), one ordered another notebook for her son's teacher as an end of year gift. 

Seriously, y'all. I could go on and on about everything I love about my new Teacher Anchor. After seeing mine, 6 teacher friends ordered them for themselves! We might have to start a Colorado Springs Fan Club...or maybe a Teacher Anchors Anonymous???

Want to get $10 off your first order? Click HERE to order and enter the referral code when you check out. You won't regret it! 

And don't forget to follow Chandra at C Jayne Teach on Instagram, Facebook, and sign up for her newsletter.

And since we're talking all things C Jayne Teach, head over to Ashley at Teaching in Bronco Country to see the fabulous products she ordered!

Thank you, Chandra, for making such a fabulous product for teachers! It's so easy to look forward to next year when I have this to kick it off!