Duct Tape Wallets/Coin Purses

This year I taught grade 2 with one (yup ONE) grade 3. In May, I decided to start "Class Store" in order to cover our unit on money and to keep the kids engaged. In grade 2, kids need to know money amounts to 1 dollar, as well as the coins and their value. I have never done CS before, and was a little nervous...however, it was AWESOMESAUCE!

Before we could start Kelly-Mart (lol) we had to have something to store the coins in that the kids earned. Enter...duct tape coin purses (which I called wallets). My plan was to have each student make their own, but this turned into ME making them as they were a little trickier than I anticipated.

My PINspiration came from SOPHIE'S WORLD. She has outlined every step in pictures and easy to follow instructions. It is a fantabulous tutorial. Click the picture to go to the link:

I made a template of the wallet, as instructed, and taped the duct tape to both sides. I was going to use hot glue to stick the folded sides together, but decided to use half strips of duct tape instead.

I used velcro dots (from Dollarama) to close the top part of the coin purse. Super easy.

At first, I was going to have the kids make their own...this was not wise. The tape was waaaaay too sticky and frustration ensued. Instead, kids chose their own colours from an assortment of tape that I bought from Amazon. I made 20 wallets and used a fraction of my 8 rolls of duct tape. Honestly, 3 rolls would have been lots.

The kids LOVED these coin purses. They loved Class Store, too, (more on that tomorrow) but the purses were a huge hit. At the end of the year, they took them home. One boy even brought his dad into our classroom at the end of the day to show him his wallet...super cute.

I will make these again. They didn't take me too long (a couple of hours, TOPS). Older kids could make them on their own no problemo. Maybe next year we'll make the wallets with our Social Skills/Reading/Math Buddies in grade 5...

I 100% recommend and endorse making these if you have Class Store or a craft that you need to complete with your class. Here is a (blurry and terrible) picture of two of my students holding their wallets during Kelly-Mart shopping time.

I "starred" the coin purses cuz I am cool like that!

I Give You Permission to Pin, Pin, Pin

Pinterest is amazing. I love the whole concept of little pictures to remind me about what caught my interest. Problem: Pinterest fine print states that they own all images I've pinned and assume that I have permission to gather all of my little pictures. Hmmm...

Laura Candler has a fantastic post about this somewhat bewildering piece of news.It is an absolute MUST READ if you use Pinterest. She also recommends using a "Permission to Pin" badge on your own blog so that visitors know that it's okay to pin your ideas. I have one, so please pin, pin, pin, from my blog!



You can read all about the Pinterest pinning dilemma by clicking on Laura Candler's name or the above badge.

Back to School...Thank Goshness for Pinterest and Blogs!

So, today was my first day back after the holidays. Last night, I couldn't sleep...which made for a grumpy tired Keri this morning. Two coffees and a looooong shower helped to revive my spirits and I felt pretty close to normal by the time I got to school. The kids, surprisingly, were very subdued/quiet/sleepy. Perhaps there will even be tears tomorrow; hopefully not mine.
I took the advice of many bloggers and decided to slowly transition the kids into the normal school routine. In Reading Workshop, we are starting our unit on MAIN IDEA & supporting evidence. I also wanted to incorporate the holidays into our work this week...so I read the story "Whistle for Willie" by Jack Ezra Keats. It is the story of a little boy who desperately wants to be able to whistle. Throughout the book, Willie practices and practices until he achieves his "goal" of whistling.

I highly recommend this book if you are working on perseverance as a theme. We then talked about the main idea and how we know this is the main idea (evidence). Tomorrow we will make a GO chart.

The second task that I introduced was the 2012 Resolutions Flip Book from the fantastic blog Views from Room 205. Mrs. Lamb has created a great activity that incorporates goals into the digits of 2012. My kids LOVED it. 

Thank you so much to Mrs Lamb for a truly enjoyable, engaging activity that suited all the learners in my class.

Well, back to planning, planning and more planning. Unless, of course, I have a little nap instead!

Pattern Blocks, Site Words, and Pinterest

While pinning, I saw an idea for practicing sight words using pattern block pictures at First Grade Sweet Life.
My classroom contains hundreds of these pattern blocks, so as soon as I saw this idea I thought to myself  "This is going to work like a charm for both Math and Literacy...YAHOO!"

I am going to print on cardstock (Micheals has a big sale on right now!), laminate and add to our Word Work Station.

 I have searched and searched for printable pictures. VOILA-here is an amazing resource to use. PreKinders has asked that her designs are not shown directly on other blogs/websites. Instead, she has asked that a link to her site be provided and followed...click HERE.

Pinterest Linky Party

I have been pinning away and neglecting my blog :) So much to do so little time. We go back to school on September 7 so I figure that I have time...to pin. lol

I am joining up with Amanda from Plumdoodles (love the name)  Pinterest Linky Party. She is asking that we reflect/share some of our favourite pins, boards, ideas etc. Here are some of the pins that I have made over the past month or so...

1. German Pancakes
These. look. delicious.  My kids looooove pancakes, strawberries and sugar. This recipe reminds me of my Yorkshire pudding recipe so I am extra excited to see how they turn out. I am thinking the first day of school?  Admittedly, I am more of a bleary eyed, Eggo and orange juice mom in the morning BUT I have the best intentions. Perhaps breakfast-for-dinner on the first day of school is a more attainable dream.

2. Magic Playdoh

Well, first off  it's MAGIC. What more can I ask for? Like many of you, I give the kids a little welcome back package on the first day of school. Usually, it consists of  a poem and matching items (choc. kisses, eraser, Smarties, etc). This year, I was looking for something different (new provincial guidelines=no treats). When I saw this idea, I just KNEW I'd have to try it out. I make the playdoh, add a dash of food colouring to the middle of each small individual ball, put them in baggies and attach the poem. Let the fun begin!!

3. Bulletin Board Showcasing Each Student

I am definitely not a good bulletin board person. I find them quite challenging and spend loads of time stalking blogs looking for ideas. When I saw this idea, I thought BRILLIANT-I may have even shouted it out. I have lots and lots of borders, free bristol board and two teens to be bribed help me. My plan is to make one for each kid, which will include their name and photo. We have a laminator at our board office so I can laminate them in Sept. I also have a big bb in the hallway that I plan on hanging these on for the school year to showcase each piece of work. YAHOO!

Btw, I 100% encourage you to check out her blog by clicking on the picture-Victoria has sooooooo many awesome ideas!

4. Last One...

I would like this bedroom. We are in the process of redoing our bedroom and I would like it to turn out like this one. On a budget. With no time to spend on it. Tomorrow.