Monday Made It-My First Link Up!

While summer is over for many of my teaching friends in other parts of the country, I still have three weeks left and I am clinging on oh so tightly. I can feel it slipping away, that's for sure. But...I am trying so hard to stay in the moment and enjoy every last minute. 

This week I am excited to finally join my first link up with Tara over at 4th Grade Frolics for her Monday Made It. This has been one of my favorite reads for a few years now. Be sure to check out her blog because it is jammed pack with so many great ideas.

I am inspired by all that people create. Although sometimes I feel behind as I read about people starting school N-O-W. Ahhhh! How is that so? I'm happy we still have some time left here in California. It's been a busy week for me so let's get started...

 So, my sweet, sweet grandma is turning 80 in just a few weeks and per her request, we are having her birthday party at the Angel game. That's the BEST birthday party idea if you ask me! She is a die hard fan (if you've read my side bar, now you know where I get it). So in honor of her birthday, my cousin and I whipped up these t-shirts using a Silhouette Cameo and a heat press. 

Pretty fancy eh? My grandma originally wanted everyone to wear name tags with each persons affiliation to her (bless her heart). But instead, we made these shirts. You will see in a few that I am a bit obsessed with my Silhouette now. We made about 30 shirts for the family to wear. I don't think my grandma reads this. But if you are Grandma...act surprised. 

My next obsession is this AMAZING homemade coffee creamer! Yep-HOMEMADE. After a few health problems swirling around our family, we have made an effort to eat clean and as natural as possible (Which we screw up a lot-but we try). I had been loving my store bought coconut milk creamer but noticed that they changed their formula and it was leaving a nasty film in the bottom of my coffee cup. YUCK! A girl who is dependent on her coffee just can't have that! Well in mentioning this to a friend,  I found out that she makes her own coffee creamer! This is my tweak on her awesome recipe. Now I'm hooked. And how cute is this carafe I got from Target? With my TPT cup and this creamer-I am ready to pull those late nights to create fun things for my classroom! You must make it too!

1. Get a large container and empty 1 CAN of coconut milk into it. (Get the good stuff. Read the labels and get the most natural version.) 
2. Fill that same can with the milk of your choice and add that to the coconut milk (I use refrigerated coconut milk that comes in the carton).
3. Add a dash of cinnamon and a dash of vanilla.
4. Pulse it in a blender a few time. Or get lazy like me and just shake it up. 

That's it! You have all nat-ur-al creamer without all the funky stuff in it that you can't pronounce. So yummy!                  

I told you that I have been having fun with my Silhouette. I have been labeling just about everything I can possibly think of. Our school collects Box Tops year round. I think my students will be excited to fill this little monster up with those babies. The mini trash cans came from The Dollar Tree. 

Aren't they just the cutest? I made one for a few of my teaching pals. Now I think I need to make one for the front office. 

I am so excited about these new desk nameplates that I made for my class this year. I have made my own for the past few years but this time I decided to try a few new strategies. I've added all those little things I refer to often in my room along with some references to help my kiddos on those tricky topics (place value, fractions, regrouping, multiplication, cursive...you know what I'm talking about.)

I've added a new place value strategy to try with my students this year. My kiddos have such a HARD time reading numbers that I need to try something different. I am going to try to teach them how to read a number by imagining the number as houses on a street. They will learning to say the house number first (the digits) and then say the period as the street name.

I've also added these regrouping rhymes and a rounding rap to reach my auditory learners. We say these all the time. I am also always asking my students to take charge of their learning by reflecting and thinking about what they have learned. To help them do this, I have added a little self-evaluation rubric. It's just something I am going to ask them to refer to as we complete exit tickets, as I pull groups, etc. It's one step to help them take ownership of their learning. 

I've created a few different nameplates. Some of them have multiplication charts and some have the traditional place value chart. They all match my new Bright and Sassy room colors this year. You can check out my Bright and Sassy sets here and here.

Last but not least, I used my Silhouette and some spray paint to add some more sparkle to my new room decor.  Here's a miniature version of those large drink buckets to house our Blue Stars which are our school's positive behavior rewards. And I also added some vinyl to a new tub for our clipboards. 

I can't wait to get into my classroom this week. I am going to go in for a few hours here and there. I will keep you posted on my progress. Don't forget to hop on over to 4th Grade Frolics blog to check out all the good ideas!

What have you been working on lately?