Didn't Explode.

first time firing a kiln. nothing exploded. I feel accomplished. Special thanks to Mr. Novak for showing me how things work. :)

Water colors DIY

 i tried that Pinterest idea for DIY watercolors, and it turned out pretty great! If you have dry markers, just soak them in water upside down for a while and ta-da! you can use the same markers for about 3 cups of paint. 

they might be giants

i have been a fan of them for many years, but now that i'm teaching i find them extremely helpful! check out this ROYGBIV video for starts.

they have educational videos/songs for almost every subject. 

never underestimate the power of free....

being a naturally thrifty person, i have noticed that all of my lesson so far can be done with little to no materials. it's not that i don't have things to work with, i guess that just how i function. supplies used so far for pre-k-5th:

• brown paper bags (free from parent donations)
• tissue paper (free from donations)
• construction paper
• card stock (donated, so free!)
• watercolors
• tempura paint
• pastels
• colored pencil

just me being happy about the kind of super cheap projects i can make. any ideas?

oh sweet organization.....

let me take a moment to bask in the glory of my own organization.....
i used these three boards to out up examples of the students' projects. it helps me remember what grade is doing what, lol. i keep confusing 3rd and 4th grade and 1st and 2nd.

i also organized all of the materials for each lesson into these bins. everything is cut and labeled. the folders underneath have handouts etc., the lesson plan, and whichever of my sweet elements and principles posters i need for that lesson.

it's all pretty much designed so that anyone can come in and teach my lessons in case i get sick or something.

cheap and simple, but very versatile

i was thinking about color lessons today.....and made this!
black foam core:$1.99
velcro:$1.49
construction paper and lamination: free from my wonderful host teacher.

very handy because the kids can pull off any colors and stick them back easily. can be used as a kind of formative assessment (ask them to pull off primary colors, complements, etc.), plus it looks cool on the wall!