Crafty McCrafterson... #create2educate

My first teacher work day is August 16th, and I still haven't been in to my classroom yet.  {Our building is still being thoroughly cleaned.}  I am getting really excited to get in there and tackle a few projects before the school year begins.  Now that I am teaching third AND fourth grade, I definitely have some logistical issues to think about like how I want to display learning targets and how I want to organize my focus wall.  In the meantime though, I have been working on a few projects from the comfort of my own home, and I am really excited to share a few of them with you courtesy of Micheals' Instagram #create2educate linky party!

I suppose I should have taken a few action shots, but I got WAY too caught up in the process, and I totally forgot!  My first project is going to take the place of my existing "Books in the Spotlight" sign.  I plan on displaying this frame next to our Mentor Texts to encourage students to pick up the books for another look!

 

If you look at this blog post from a few years ago, you can see my basic idea behind this.  The frame is going to go onto the easel next to the mentor texts just like the old version... but it's WAY snazzier!

The frame was easy to make!  I bought a pre-made wooden frame, and I painted it hot pink with acrylic paint and natural bristle brushes.  I used wood glue to attach the little wooden shapes that come pre-painted, and are right around 50 cents each!  Score!  I trimmed some burlap scrapbook paper to use as the backing, and I created a little template on PowerPoint to say "Buzz-worthy Books".  Then, I hot glued all of the gems onto the frame, and viola!  An eye-catching display!

My second project will be a great addition to our test prep and unit review sessions!  I made little frames to use with the answer buzzers I have from Learning Resources, which are great by the way!  I picked up these little frames at Michaels, and literally just trimmed some scrapbooking paper and added stickers.  Nothing super fancy.  I am really not a Crafty McCrafterson.  I am more of a "Fake it 'til you make it" kind of girl!  :)  I LOVE how they came out though, and now I won't have to go through so many Post-It notes with the buzzers... allowing me to utilize them in better ways! 

The third project that I have been able to tackle is a cute one!  I bought four little burlap bags, and attached sparkly foam letters to the front of each bag with hot glue.  Then I tied a zebra-print bow to the top of each bag and glued the bags shut.  I plan on stapling this display to the top of one of my bulletin boards once I finally get into my classroom!  I cannot wait to see it in all of its glory!

Now, here is the cool part.  You too can go shopping at Michaels, and create your own classroom project--if you upload your creation to Instagram using the hashtags #create2educate AND #sweepstakes (you have to use both), your project could be featured on Michael's "Classroom Ideas" Pinterest board, and you could even win a $50 gift card to Michael's for your future creations!!!    

Follow @oneextradegree and @MichaelsStores on Instagram!

Sweepstakes Details:

Michaels knows that creative teachers work hard all year to captivate their students, to making “boring” things come to life, and to create environments that fuel education. Join us in keeping the inspiration going as we kick off the 2013/2014 school year with the#Create2Educate sweepstakes!

Create your own Back-to-School project—anything from classroom décor and organization, to a learning activity for your students. Then, enter the Michaels sweepstakes by uploading a photo of your creation to Instagram using #Create2EducateAND #sweepstakes.

Each day we’ll feature our favorite Instagram photos on the Michaels'  “Classroom Ideas” Pinterest board, and we’ll randomly pick one lucky teacher daily to win a $50 Michael’s Gift Card. Create as many Back-to-School projects as you’d like and upload photos of them to Instagram for more chances to win. #Create2Educate opens for entries on July 21st and closes on August 3rd. Head to Michael’s and get inspired today.

 Don’t’ forget that teachers get 15% off of their purchase all year long at Michaels!