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!