Monday Made It - Mystery Box, and Using Kahoot

Happy Monday friends!

We still have another week before teachers start.

I don't have my class list yet, and I can finally get into my room today after district cleaning was done on Friday.

So much to do, so little time.....

Tara at Fourth Grade Frolics has done a class reveal on her site this week, and it looks fabulous!

Here are my projects for this week.

I posted about this Mystery Box and how I use it quite awhile ago.

I noticed that it's been pinned frequently so I thought it was worth another look.

I found the cute box at a local Hallmark store, and it was about $3.00.  It had been marked down because it had a nick on the top, which I covered with the polka dot packing tape.

I often use a "mystery box" to introduce a new unit or concept to my students.  For example, when we start a unit on Maps, I put a map in the box, and the students have to ask me questions to find out what's in the box.  It's sort of like 20 questions, but I don't always limit the number of questions to 20.  The directions I give to the students for this activity are:

     1. The questions they ask me must have a yes or no answer, like - 

"Do you use it inside a house?"

     2. They must listen to each others' questions and answers to find out what's in the box.

     3. I suggest they try to find out properties of the item, rather than just guessing about it being specific items like - "Is it a pencil?"

     4. The person who guesses correctly gets to keep the item on their desk for the rest of the day.

You can check out my original post here:

Do you use Kahoot?

I had heard about Kahoot quite awhile ago, but had not used it until the 

WI Blogger Meet-Up this past Saturday.

(Watch for a post about our awesome meet-up later this week!)

After finding out how fun and engaging Kahoot is, I decided to replace a fun school trivia game I usually do the first week of school with a quiz on Kahoot.

I plan to have my third graders work in small groups to answer the multiple choice questions on iPads.

I have 7 iPads in my classroom, so using them for this game will be a nice way to introduce the devices.

The Kahoot games can be played on any device that has an internet connection, 

so our Chromebooks would work, too.

My School Trivia game is a work in process, and I can go into Kahoot and edit 

as much or as little as I want.

In the past, I had the students play the trivia game in two teams, and when a team got a correct answer they colored in a window of a bus I had drawn on the board.

The first team to color in all the bus windows were declared the winners.

The kids love it!

Recently I had some friends over for lunch, and this Cobb Salad was a huge hit.

You can find the recipe here.

What have you made for school or home?

Monday Made It - Library Pocket Centers

It's time for another edition of Monday Made It, hosted by Tara at 4th Grade Frolics!

I have been enjoying summer (I played golf both Saturday and Sunday this weekend!), but have also found time to start thinking about back to school projects.

I started a poetry product last August and never completed it.

So one of my goals for this summer was to finish the product - it feels good to cross things off the list!

Anyway, I put together a center using library pockets as a part of this product, which is my MMI #1.

I added velcro to the front of the library pockets so that I could use them for multiple center sorting activities.

You can purchase the sticky back velcro circles at JoAnns.

It will be so easy to change out the title on the library pockets depending on the skill we are working on.

BW Collection Jumbo Library Pockets from Creative Teaching Press

The library pockets are on sale right now!

Here is what my sorting center looks like right now.

You can find the banner here.

My second "made it" is of the gardening variety.

The newspaper box is from Michaels, and I was able to write on it with a chalkboard pen.

Unfortunately my paper never makes it in that box.

Behind the box is a tall skinny tin container filled with sand.  I hung the small bird house on a hook that sits upright in the sand.

The vine on the left is a Clematis.

My third "made it" is a new twist on s'mores bars.

I found this recipe in my Food & Family magazine.

These are bars you can make on the grill!  They were yummy - especially the chocolatey bottom layer.

Look for the recipe here.

I would love to read your comments about my contributions to this fun linky!

Monday Made-It - Insect Inquiry Unit and More

It's July and I've finally got my summer *stuff* together enough to join Tara for a Monday Made-It!

First up, I did a little Fourth of July decorating.

The stars are from Target, the mirror is from Hobby Lobby, the Home Sweet Home sign is from Shopko, and I made the straw star.  I just tied three straws together with a clear wire and tied a red polka dot ribbon around the middle. 

Do you get those e-mails from Shutterfly with various free offers?

Well, I've gotten free labels, cards, and now I made a luggage tag!

No - I am not going to Vegas, but I do have a trip to Pittsburgh planned for the weekend.

The flowers were from a picture I took, and on the back of the luggage tag is another sunset photo I took, along with my name and address.

I only paid for shipping, which was about $5.00.

I was out of town in June when it was Makeover Madness week, so I caught up on a makeover today.

I used the website called pixabay.com to get the photo image (for free)!

This was my first TpT project, and it was due for an update.

The Insect Inquiry Unit includes a research project, bingo game, and related books and iPad apps.

It is only $3.00, and you can find it in my TpT store.

Head over to Tara's sight to check out all the Monday Made-Its!

Word Work Pouches, PBIS Bulletin Board, Launch Readers Workshop - Monday Made It

Happy Monday!

I seem to be working the late shift each week as I add my post to Tara's Monday Made It Linky.

I'm in awe of the number of great ideas that are added each week (and early in the day, too!).

First up - these are pouches that I plan to have my third graders use for word sorts.

We use Words Their Way, and the students need a place to store the words they cut out each week.

I think these will work great!

I got the pouches at Office Depot this week for a quarter each!

You can only get 6 at a time, so I made a couple trips.

The chevron washi tape was on sale at JoAnn Fabric and Crafts, 

and the blue washi tape was also on sale at Office Depot.

I love these posters from Creative Teaching Press!

They come in a pack of eight different designs, and I hope to use each one to kick-off  PBIS lessons.

In my school we do a half hour PBIS lesson each Wednesday, and sometimes I am need of inspiration for the lessons. You can see all the posters here.

I plan to ask the students to discuss the quotes on the posters in small groups first.

Then they will dramatize a real life situation in our classroom that fits the quote.

Since my third graders are often big fans of Minecraft, I thought they might be

 intrigued by my play on words.

The letters are also from Creative Teaching Press - aren't they eye-catching??

I recently did an update to my "I Can... Statements for Launching Readers Workshop". 

These posters are perfect for establishing focus in your lessons as you begin the school year.

Below is an example of my focus board.

Also included in the pack are smaller copies of the I Can.... statements that are the perfect size for adding to Reading Response Journals.

I ask my students to write a reflection on the lesson to summarize the concept.

The posters and smaller copies look great when printed in either color or black and white.

You can purchase this product in my TpT store for $3.00.

Click here to visit my store.

Thanks for checking out my blog!

Monday Made It - Math Supplies Box and Laundry Room Makeover!

It's Monday again, and time for Monday Made It with Tara at Fourth Grade Frolics!

First up, something for my classroom.  

I hopped on the chevron bandwagon last summer, and haven't looked back.

I was at JoAnn Fabric and Crafts a couple of weeks ago, and stumbled on an adorable chevron box.

It was 50% off (plus the teacher discount!) so I scooped it up.

I knew I could find some use for it.

I also recently got some new border from Creative Teaching Press, and used some of it to embellish 

the box a bit.

I had the flowers stickers, and the sticker letters are also from Creative Teaching Press.

The border is called Moroccan Nights (love that name).

We use Math Expressions in our district, and I plan to store our Secret Code cards in this box.

Currently I have them in a shoe box, so this will be a definite upgrade.

Here is the back of the box.

Next, I wanted to share something from home that's more of a "Planned It" than a "Made It".

I had my laundry room redone shortly after moving in my house this spring.

The previous owners had a stackable washer and dryer (which they took), and I wanted to get a 

side by side set.

I worked with a local plumbing company to redo the room to make better use of the space.

They included a spot for my dog's crate in the bottom center.

There is also a pull-out hamper in the lower left cabinet.

The boxes on the shelves are from T.J. Maxx.

This is a better view of the cabinets on the right over the washer and dryer.

I was overjoyed to get new appliances - mine are from Whirlpool.

I love seeing all the Monday Made It ideas!

Monday Made It - Red, White, and Blue

Just a quick Monday Made It this week!

I wanted to do something for the fourth of July with a Mason jar that I had in a closet.

I had planned to paint the jar but didn't have the right color of paint.

So, I headed out to JoAnn Fabric and Craft's to peruse the aisles for some inspiration.

I found some star stickers that were on sale (of course!) and used my teacher card for an additional 15% off.

I had the ribbon, and had planned to put the flowers in the jar, but went a different route.

I found one of those flameless LED votives for $1.80 and decided to put that inside.

I added some white tissue paper to make the stickers show up a bit more.

It looks really cute lit up in the dark.

Check out all the Monday Made It's on Tara's blog - the always inspiring Fourth Grade Frolics!

Monday Made It - Patio Decorating and iMovie

It's Monday.

I'm writing this while watching The Bachelorette.

Can't wait to read A Teeny Tiny Teacher's recap tomorrow.

Yes - I love Josh, too.

Summer Mondays are famous for The Bachelorette and, more importantly,

Monday Made It with Tara at Fourth Grade Frolics!

If you read this blog then you know that I moved into a new house in April.

I've been having fun finding bargains to decorate.

So technically this first one isn't a "made it" - it's more like an "arranged it".

This past week I was working on the patio.

My patio space is pretty big.  

I already had a table and chairs, and recently purchased a new umbrella at Target because the last one was broken in half during a terrible storm last summer.

The umbrella I picked is a rust color, so I have been looking for accessories to match that.

I found the chair and pillow at Kohl's on sale, and I had a 30% off coupon - yay!

I think I may buy 2 more pillows to add to the patio dining table chairs.

The lantern is from Bed, Bath and Beyond, and lights up really well.

I love my little Frog Garden Angel.

The next one is an actual "made it".

I created an EOY video on iMovie.

I have blogged about using iMovie before, and you can read that post here.

It is really easy to use once you dive in.

The music I used was "Good Times" from Carly Rae Jepson and Owl City.

The kids absolutely loved it, and every time we watched it warmed my heart to see the smiles on their faces.

I sent a link to the parents, and got many positive responses back.

You can view the video here.

Thanks, Tara, for hosting this great linky!