Flowers, flowers everywhere!

So today I tried out my "Behavior Bouquet" with a sweet first grade class. One word: AMAZING! The kids LOVED it and it worked wonders with their behavior! All I had to say was, "I'm looking to give out flowers" or simply shake the bag of flowers (which I carried with me everywhere we went) in front of them, and their "quiet fingers" shot straight up. And of course, whenever I gave out a flower and announced why that child received it, all of the other students immediately "corrected" any behavior they needed to. They also really enjoyed decorating them when we had time.

All in all, it was extra work but I think the end result was phenomenal. Seeing those precious first graders not making a peep in the hall made me glow with pride! Hopefully, their teacher won't mind a vase full of construction paper flowers and pipe cleaners when she gets back, hehe. :)

Just look at all those flowers!!

99 Cents for that... pipe?

I visited my local thrift store today and left with some good finds. About $5.00 for these books and... what's that? A whisper phone?? Also known as a Phonics Phone these little buddies are great to help children with their reading fluency. Unfortunately it was unpriced, so a lady threw out "99 cents for the pipe..." I'm sure she thought I was crazy buying a... pipe? But I knew better! 

I also made a visit to my new best friend, Hobby Lobby. I picked up some little crafties to make a personalized picture frame. Haven't decided if I'm going to make it yet, but we will see. 

Thanks for reading!

Crafts, crafts, and more crafts.

So my most recent crafting escapade I found while "Googling" online.

This awesome tutorial is what I found! It explains step-by-step how to adhere scrapbook paper to wooden letters. I decided I wanted to make a "Read" sign for my library. I went to Hobby Lobby (my new favorite store) and picked out some cute scrapbook paper. I also bought the letters, Modge Podge, and some paint to paint the edges with.

I'm pretty satisfied with how it turned out! I think I may add ribbons to hang it with once I have somewhere to put it. 

My not so small obsession...

Well if I am going to be blogging about becoming a teacher, I may as well admit to my little... not so little obsession... of collecting books. I began collecting when I was accepted into the Education program at Auburn. Yes, I realize that is early. And yes, I also realize I still have no classroom nor any idea of what grade I will be teaching. But my rationale was that children can be such a wide range of levels that I can have a wide range in my library. Also I told myself that I would save the extra unused books for when I have kids (which who knows when that will be, hehe).

So, I have been buying books for my book collection for the past two years. I have limited myself to only buying books from the thrift store that are in great condition or favorites from Second and Charles. I have found that after shopping for thrift store books I have become a BIG cheapo!! Yes... $1.00 is a SPLURGE. It's AMAZING the wonderful finds there are though!

I am embarrassed to admit that I now have almost 900 books. The first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem. :)

Since I began collecting, I began recording the books I have in a template on my computer. I have organized them into genres as well as reading level. It makes it easier to keep track of which books I already own when they are stuffed away in whatever nooks and crannies I can find in my closet!

So long story short: I love books and reading! I can't WAIT to share this love (cough, cough obsession) with my students one day! It is my hope that I can ignite a passion for reading in every child in my classroom by helping them find the perfect reading material to suit their style! If children don't have the opportunity to read something they love how will they ever love reading??

Sweet Memories

Hoping to have a place to put this some time soon. 

Savvy Substitute Ideas

As a certified teacher, I always try and do my best as a substitute. I researched some neat ideas for substitute teachers. One idea I found was what I have dubbed a "Good Behavior Bouquet." I am going to try this with a first grade class I will be substituting for this coming week.

The idea is to give a student a "flower" any time they show good behavior. The website I found suggested having the children make the flower themselves, but I opted to have some pre-cut flowers to save time. I have decided instead to write on the flowers whatever good behavior the child is displaying (e.g. walking quietly in the halls) and then have them sign their name on the flower. If time permits, they can decorate it. Then, I will attach the flower to a pipe cleaner. By the end of the day, hopefully there will be a big beautiful bouquet of "good behavior flowers" to leave for the teacher. I bought a $1 vase from the Dollar Store and typed up the little rhyme to add to the bouquet.

Hopefully the teacher will enjoy this little treat when she comes back the following day! :)

Musings of a journeying teacher...

Well hello there, I'm so glad you found my blog! I am just beginning to tread water in the world of blogging. After stumbling across so many creative teaching blogs, I had to join the hype! I am a certified teacher in Alabama, recently graduated from Auburn University (War Eagle!). I have not yet found a classroom to call my own, but I am happily working my way there! In the mean time, I have been blessed to substitute in some wonderful school systems in Alabama. I have found that God truly has a path laid out for me, and I cannot wait to see where it leads! I have learned so much through substituting and I am so grateful for that. Nowhere else would I be able to experience teaching in all grades (K through 6th) as well as several special education and ESL classes. I have learned so much in such a short time and I am so thankful for that opportunity! Since I have the luxury of teaching during the day and not having to plan at night, I have begun to fill my time with planning and creating things for my future classroom. I absolutely love crafting and creative activities, so I will be posting my various ideas, discoveries, and attempts at being creative here. :)

Starting with my crayon wreath which I saw while substituting one day (yet another perk of visiting tons of classrooms!).

I'm pretty proud of this little buggar simply because I'm a perfectionist and was worrying about every little detail while making it. It's a neat idea that the teacher I spoke with discovered off of Pinterest (love!). I tweaked the directions a little.

I used a 12 inch wreath ring (Michael's), two packs of 64 crayons (didn't use them all), scrapbook sticker letters, flower embellishments, cute ribbon, and a hot glue gun! Pretty simple. I painted the wreath ring before gluing on the crayons since it shows through; I like the effect and the color matches the ribbon! :)

Well that is my craft for the day, thanks for reading!