Lil' Country Kindergarten's TPT Sale!

My friend and co-worker, Marlana, from Lil' Country Kindergarten is participating in the Back to School TPT sale. She creates wonderful products and even without a sale, her prices are very reasonable! Check out her blog & store to help you be more prepared for the beginning of the school year. The sales ends on Monday, Aug. 13th but you will love her items and prices even if you miss this sale! Let me know if you already follow her blog and store or if you just found her! I am so blessed to have her as a friend and co-worker! She's the reason I started this blog! :) ~ Lisa

Almost Ready for the First Day!

Our school's PBIS theme is Ocean/Beach. I love this theme! The hallways and classrooms are so inviting and cute. I have been working hard trying to finish my room. Because of a lack of shelving, I am required to pack up everything and stack boxes anywhere except the floor so the custodians can clean. It always takes me a long time to prepare my room. I'm sure a lot of you know what that's like! But, I always enjoy decorating and visiting with my co-workers. Here are a few photos so far.

This is where I'll display students' work in the hallway.

I've never tried using clothespins before but love this idea! I hope this method will be a time saver! :)

This table will be used for the writing area. I really don't want to cover this ocean bulletin board because it's so pretty! I love this "under the sea" paper. It will be my focus wall. I still have lots to do in a short period of time. My co-workers keep reminding me that "It always gets done!" Is anyone else stressing like I am? We have our first "teacher" day on Monday, Aug. 13th, Open House is the 14th, and the first day of school is the 15th! I'm excited to meet my new kiddos! I wish everyone a great start to your school year! I'll post more pictures when I finish the room. I still need to clean my foam mats & get the cubbies labeled, etc... I will get it done though! :) ~ Lisa

Fellow Blogger Has a Contest!

Louanne from My Kindergarten Kids is celebrating having 200 followers with a fantastic contest! It's a chance to win a $25 gift card to Walmart OR Target! Check out her wonderful blog and follow the easy steps to enter her giveaway. :) Congratulations Louanne! ~ Lisa

Nominated Twice for Liebster Award!

Wow! I am thrilled to get another nomination for the Liebster Award thanks to Louanne from My Kindergarten Kids! Since I just received this award, I won't post more blogs. However, thanks so much Louanne! Here's a link to her blog. It's amazing! :) ~ Lisa

More Altered Composition Notebooks

I didn't stop crafting after I made the container for pointers & notebooks for my co-workers. I decided to keep working and altered another notebook this afternoon. I had to stop because I don't have anymore books! It's a good thing I don't live far away from Walmart! :) A couple of the notebooks look a little like ones I already posted about. I used the same kind of scrapbook paper, but different accents. One book has the same kind of paper that I used to make a memo board (see older post).

This is the back side.

Crafting has been fun and I love getting ideas from Pinterest and other blogs! Share some things you have created this summer! It doesn't have to be school related! :) ~ Lisa

A Few Weeks Left!

Wow! Summer is almost over! Our school starts in less than a month. I've enjoyed my break, but I am looking forward to the new year. It's another HOT day, so I started crafting again. Since our school's PBIS (Positive Behavior Intervention Support) theme is Ocean/Beach, I am going to use a "tropical beach" decor in my classroom. In former posts, I shared photos of altered composition books, clipboards, etc... Today, I recycled an oatmeal container for storing my pointers. Of course, what primary teacher doesn't use pointers? My kiddos love using them too during the Daily 5 and guided reading groups. Here's a picture (without the pointers). I have shorter pointers too, so I'll have to make another container. Let me know if you have any suggestions on what to use. I thought about using a coffee can or a shorter oatmeal container.

I used "ocean" scrapbook paper & glue. The top of the container has a small lip so the paper fit nicely under it. Then I used Mod Podge. I thought it might help to make it sturdy. Next I applied cute fish stickers. I put the lid of the container on the bottom for more support. I hope it holds up well! I also decorated another composition notebook for my friend & co-worker, Marlana from: (http://lilcountrykindergarten.blogspot.com/). I have one for my other friend, Robin from: (http://creativekindergartenkids.blogspot.com/) too! :) We got together a few weeks ago and finished our pacing guide for the year. It was great to visit with one another. We're planning on meeting again before school starts to work on lesson plans. I am so blessed to work with them! ~ Lisa

What a Surprise!

Michelle from http://mrsgskindergarteninheels.blogspot.com/ gave me a Liebster award! It really surprised me and made my day! Thanks so much Michelle! :)

This award is named for the German word "Liebster," which translates to "beloved" or "favorite", and is given to a "new, up and coming blogger." Here are the rules:
1. Link back to the person who gave it to you.
2. Post the award to your blog.
3. Give the award to at least 5 bloggers with less than 200 followers.
4. Leave a comment on the 5 blogs to let them know that they have been offered this award.

I am giving the award to:

This was hard picking out only 5 new blogs! Check them out! :) You'll be glad you did! ~ Lisa