Monday Made-It - Wreaths, Resources, and Pie ... Oh My

YAY for summer!!!  We just finished our school year on Friday and oh my goodness - it's been quite the year.  I honestly feel my Monday Made-It post should be ...

I made it to the end of the year.

Done.

That alone is reason to celebrate.

But ... I've managed to accomplish a few more things to share.

I made a beautiful summer wreath for my door.  I had seen a gorgeous wreath with little red tulip buds, and headed out to Michaels to gather some supplies.  But alas, they didn't have nearly enough tulip buds to make a wreath.  So, I had to come up with a new plan.  I finally (after many handfuls of flowers and making my daughter lay them out on the floor in a circle shape) decided on green hydrangea blossoms and little cream rose buds.  I love it.  

Now, I should mention, I'm not one for fussy crafts.  I can't be bothered with the floral wire and tape, so I just snipped the flowers off the stems with my scissors, and pulled out my glue gun.  Everything you see is glue gunned on (is that a verb?), which made the entire process much quicker, and I didn't even burn myself this time.  (But, one week later and the "E" has fallen off ... maybe I should have glued that one on a little stronger).  For the wreath I used 4 large hydrangea blossoms, and about 7 bunches of cream rose buds. Isn't it pretty??

I also finally finished my Text Structure Concept Posters.  They had been on my to-do list forever, and had been sitting unfinished in my permanently open PowerPoint tab on my computer.  But, I put the push on, and finished them up.  

I included 2 different posters for each text structure (cause and effect, compare and contrast, description, problem and solution, and sequence).  One poster is more general - perfect for teaching or modelling the text structure.  The other poster is more text specific (but can be used with any nonfiction text) - focusing on what the student learned from the text, using the text structure.  It also includes a graphic organizer specific to the text structure.  This one is great for a summative assessment.

I also included a student checklist for success criteria, rubric, blank template, and completed example.

You can take a peek at my Text Structure Concept Posters by clicking HERE.

Last but not least, I made this little beauty last night for tonight's supper.  The strawberries and rhubarb are fresh out of my garden, and as soon as my husband picked them, I knew a pie was in order.

The recipe was quick and easy ... because that's how I roll in the summer.  ;)

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

• 3 1/2 cups strawberries (quartered)
• 3 1/2 cups rhubarb (cut into 1/2" slices)
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 2 tbsp butter 

Mix all ingredients (except the butter) and pour into prepared pie shell (I used a frozen shell, because I can't stand rolling out pie dough).

Dab butter on top before putting on top crust (I thawed the frozen shell a bit and used my pizza cutter to cut strips so I could make a lattice top).

Brush top with cream or milk and sprinkle sugar on top (I used raw sugar).  *This step is completely optional.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, then turn the oven down to 350 degrees and bake for another 25-30 minutes.

And, that's that.  I'm linking up with my friend Tara over at 4th Grade Frolics for her fabulous Made-It-Monday ... and I can't wait to share a lot more Monday Made-Its with you this summer.  :)

Happy Monday!

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Friday Art Feature - Fall Trees

I LOVE Fall ... every single thing about it.  I love the colours, the cooler temperatures, the smell in the air ... everything.  And it gets even better - this weekend is our Canadian Thanksgiving - so it will be full of family and friends, and a yummy, yummy dinner.

I just had to bring a little Fall into the classroom.  In anticipation of my favourite season, I decorated my shelves a few weeks ago.  

If you follow my facebook page, you also know I've been working on some Fall craftivities for my students.  These activities are all literacy based - two of them can be used for book or novel studies (a great non-traditional book report), and the other is perfect for studying synonyms or word choice in writing.  Right now we are reading The Worst Best Halloween Ever by Barbara Robinson and working on the Plot Pumpkins.  I can't wait until they are all on display in the classroom.  I put all three craftivities together in a bundle, but I have also listed them separately in my TPT store.  You can take a peek by clicking HERE or on the picture below. 

We also brought a little Fall into the classroom with the art project we completed on Thursday.  We started with a white sheet of cardstock.  We then used watercolours and foam brushes to paint the background - a wash going from blue to green down the page.

When the paint dried, we then used a watered-down black acrylic paint (about half water / half paint - the consistency of milk) for the trunks.  We used the straw blowing-technique to make the trunks. We poured a quarter-sized puddle of black paint near the bottom of the page, and blew into the straw to make the branches and a few roots.  The colour was a little lighter than I had hoped for, but once the leaves were added, it turned out perfectly fine. 

The last step was adding the leaves.  We used bristle brushes and acrylic paint in red, yellow, and orange.  Students simply dotted and "smooshed" the brush in different directions, layering the colours to create the leaves.  The overall effect was quite "leaf-like".  :)  LOVE them.  A few people have asked me why our art projects are always shiny when finished.  I like to laminate all our art before I display it (and I always use 8.5 x 11 size paper) because we make a book at the end of the year with all our art and writing from the year.  Here are some of our finished Fall trees.

I hope you have a terrific weekend!  And Happy Thanksgiving to all my Canadian friends!!!

Other Fall-Themed Resources:

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Monday Made-It ... on Tuesday

Well, at the rate I've been going lately, just publishing a new blog post should qualify as a Monday Made-It (or Tuesday Made-It ... it's summer - we're not supposed to keep track of days, right?).

My last post was one month ago, and I titled it "Riding The Crazy Train".  I don't believe I've gotten off that crazy train.  But at least it's been a bit less stressful.  A bit.  And hotter.  Much hotter.  My girls and I have been enjoying every minute of summer so far - lots of outside fun, summer camps, soccer, and now some inside crafting ... because it's WAY too hot outside.

So, here it is ... my Monday (Tuesday) Made-It.  Four canvas boards, covered in fabric, with four sparkly inspirational words for my classroom.  I can't wait to bring these to school (and my husband probably can't wait, either, because right now they're currently occupying our dining room table).

1.  First, I measured the fabric (I used quilting fat squares) so that it would fit around the canvas (8 x 10).  I cut a notch out of each corner so I could fold it around the canvas at little more easily.

2.  I used a glue gun to attach the fabric to the back.  This pic is my oldest daughter making hers - we did some crafting together while my two youngest daughters were at dance camp.

3.  For the lettering, I printed the words out on the computer, cut them out, then glued them to the board.

4.  I "painted" each letter with mod podge, then added some sparkle.  I chose deep red because I have a deep red wall in my classroom, and I'm always looking for ways to tie that colour in so it doesn't look out of place.  I did two coats of the mod podge and glitter so there weren't any spots showing through.  I then went over the glitter with one more coat of mod podge to seal it all in.

And there you go ... some beautiful inspiration for my classroom, a fun craft out of the heat, and a blog post ... I think I'm happy.  :)

I'm linking up to Tara's fabulous Monday Made-It over at 4th Grade Frolics.  If you're looking for a little inspiration, I am POSITIVE you will find some there!

Happy Tuesday!!!

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Plot in the Pumpkin Patch

We've got a pumpkin patch growing in the classroom ... and I'm loving it!  We took a few minutes this morning and made our pumpkins.  You can find instructions on how to make them HERE at First Palette. The only difference was that we used 6 sections instead of the 10 shown on the website.

We turned our pumpkins into a seasonal language activity by incorporating the story elements we've been studying in class.  Using our read aloud, Wonder, we wrote about  the story elements on each of the pumpkin sections:  plot, character, setting, conflict, resolution, point of view, and theme.  This was a perfect activity for the day before Halloween, and it makes a perfect formative assessment activity (handy for collecting marks in the last few days before report cards are due).

Happy Halloween!!!  Here's hoping we all make it through the next few days!  :)

Note:  I have updated this idea and made it into a resource that's easy for you to reproduce in the classroom with your students.  Click HERE or on the picture to the right to take a peek.  :)

Other Autumn-Themed Resources:

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A Shirt and a Tie for Father's Day

We made the cutest little Father's Day cards in class yesterday.  Had to get them done yesterday as we had our end of the year field trip today (took 67 kids to the movies, then the park for lunch, then bowling for the afternoon ... WIPED!), and we have a P.D. day tomorrow (some time to work on report cards - YAY!)

I made these cards for the first time last year - and they were a hit, so we did them again.  They turned out SO cute!  The shirt opens up (it tucks in under the collar), so students can write a personal message or poem to their father, step-father, grandfather, etc.

To complete this activity you only need a piece of scrapbook paper ... that's it ... it's that easy.  I showed this video to my class, and we completed it step by step.  After each step shown on the video, I paused the video and showed the step under the ELMO.

Happy Father's Day (on Sunday) to all those FABULOUS fathers out there!

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Classroom DIY

Are you looking for new ideas to spruce up your classroom?  Do you get bitten by the craft bug?  Are you itching to try your hand at a few do-it-yourself project?  Can you tell we were learning about idioms at school today?  ;)

Well, come on over to Classroom DIY.  I am SO excited to be a part of this brand new collaborative blog!  And you can get in on the fun, too.  If you try one of these fantastic projects in your classroom, you can send in a pic and grab a FABULOUS thank-you package from the authors involved.

Come check out my first post by clicking on the button below.  ENJOY!!!



Happy Tuesday!!!

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Rainy Day - Crafty Day

It POURED rain today - so much so that I can see some small patches of grass!  Could it be ... could Spring be on the way?  Oh, I hope so.  I may live in the land of ice and snow ... but I don't have to like it. ;)

Well, playing outside wasn't happening today, so we spent the day crafting (which I must admit, I totally prefer).  Do you remember these READ letters I made for my classroom this summer?  When I bought these letters, I also bought my daughters' initials.  I had planned to do something with them AGES ago, but they got lost in my craft clutter in the basement.  I found them a few days ago and knew exactly what I wanted to do with them.

I had a TON of buttons left over from making 100th day of school shirts for my girls, so we pulled out the buttons and the fun started from there.  And just because it's March Break, the learning doesn't stop at home.  My youngest girl was in charge of sorting colours, my middle girl was in charge of sorting by size, and my oldest was in charge of fitting the buttons on the letters.  I got stuck with the glue gun again.  But this time, I emerged unscathed!

LOVE them!

Happy Monday!!!

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Covered in Glitter - Tuesday Art Feature

I thought I'd throw in one more art feature before Christmas.  I'm sitting here on my couch, finally relaxing (thinking I need a coffee and Baileys), covered from head to toe in glitter.  I guess it's an occupational hazard this time of year ... good thing I like a little "bling" in my life.

We're hard at work on our Christmas craft / parent present right now in the classroom.  We're making subway art coasters.  We started out by creating subway art (with a Christmas theme) on a square piece of blank paper (full size blank paper, cut into a square).  Students were free to add any words or pictures they wanted, but I did encourage them to use as much of the page as possible.

I then took these squares and reduced them on the photocopier to just under 4 inches (reduced to 43% on my photocopier).  I made 4 copies of each student's square, and the students cut out the smaller squares so I could make one copy with all four smaller squares on it (I left the cover of the photocopier open so the background would be black so the students could see exactly how big their squares were).

They then coloured in these squares using sharpies (or any other waterproof marker).  Many students also chose to lightly colour the background with a pencil crayon.

After we cut out the finished squares, we used mod podge to glue them onto our 4 x 4 tiles.  These were just plain white 4" ceramic tiles that I purchased from a home improvement / hardware store for 19 cents a tile.  I added silver glitter to the mod podge (I poured about a tablespoon of glitter right into the mod podge bottle, and gave it a good stir).  I have never done this before, but it worked perfectly - what's a Christmas craft without a little (or lot of) glitter?!?  To apply the mod podge, we used foam brushes from the Dollar Store.

We did 4 coats of mod podge altogether on the tops of the coasters - letting each coat completely dry before adding the next.  We then gave them a spray with clear varnish (also purchased from the home improvement store), added some felt pieces to the underneath of the tile so they wouldn't scratch any surface they were put then, and then we wrapped them up for the kids to give as a gift.  It's a great little gift, and the kids are so proud of them!  I think they're doing a fantastic job - here are a few from my class:

Because the 4 coats of mod podge (and the drying of the mod podge) could be difficult to complete all at the same time with a class of 28, I set up a small 4 person table in the classroom we used as an art station over 2 days.  We continued with our school day as usual, but when students were finished their work, if there was an available spot at the art station, students could slip back to the table to put a quick coat of mod podge on their tiles.  It worked perfectly, all students finished over the 2 days with minimal interruptions to our regular school day and school work.

Materials:

• 4" ceramic tiles (we used 4 per student)
• mod podge (we used 2 bottles for a class of 28)
• silver glitter (or any light color)
• clear varnish spray paint
• thin sharpie markers (or any waterproof, permanent marker)
• standard white paper
• scissors
• access to a photocopier
• pencil and eraser
• felt squares (glued onto the back - one square for each corner, or one larger square to cover the whole tile)

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Ribbon Christmas Tree

The past few days I've been spending my evening hours a little differently.  I've taken a break from the usual school work (trying really hard to get everything done during school hours), and I've been sewing.  Yes, sewing ... I'm finding it hard to believe, too.  I've been working on Christmas pajamas for my 3 little girls.  I saw the cutest T-shirt on Pinterest a while back (based on those ribbon Christmas trees), and knew I wanted to make it for my girls.  I had a hard time finding plain white shirts for all 3 girls in their sizes, so I opted for a larger size, and decided to turn them into pajamas - I just need to add a pair of leggings and I'll have the cutest matching pajamas for all of them.  

LOOK what I made!!!  How cute is that?  I've finished one and a half shirts so far - one and a half to go ...

And, in case you need a laugh after school today (I know I did), here is a picture of the gingerbread "man" my sweet little four year-old niece made (very lovingly and carefully) for her daddy while at a Christmas party this weekend!  I don't know how my sister kept a straight face!!!

Happy Wednesday!!!

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A Pinteresting Sunday

I had the pleasure of planning and enjoying a fun family day on Sunday ... well that is, at least until my daughter's supper time soccer game.  Oh well, I'll take what I can get.  I've been pinning so many fantastic holiday ideas, I couldn't wait to try some of them out.

We awoke to find our elf, Eddie, causing some mischief in the fridge.  At first the girls were a little worried they couldn't find him anywhere, but when my oldest went to get the milk for breakfast, she erupted into giggles.  Priceless!  I can't believe there are entire websites devoted to the Elf on the Shelf, but I'm having a blast looking through all the pictures.

For lunch I made my girls a "Silly Food Saturday" with a reindeer theme.  My sister makes these fabulous "Fun Food Fridays" and posts pictures on her blog every week.  My daughters follow these lunches with envy, so every once in a while, I give in and make a "Silly Food Saturday".  They appreciate it so much, it totally makes me feel guilty I don't do it more often.



Then it was on to our craft.  I pinned some similar to this a while ago (in case you haven't noticed, I have a slight snowman obsession).  I thought they looked totally do-able for my grade 5/6 class, but I always try these kinds of crafts out on my own girls first.  If they experience success, I know every member of my class will.  Plus, it gives me the opportunity to trouble shoot any potential problems.  Well, I'm happy to announce these went off without a hitch!  The hardest thing was convincing my girls to be patient while the paint dried, but thankfully, even the paint dried quickly.  I picked up these flower pots from the dollar store (3 for a dollar), and an embellishment kit (I think it was for making cards).  Some of the snowman are sporting some fancy pipecleaner and pompom earmuffs.  The toques were made out of old sweaters my little one has outgrown (I cut a bit off the bottom of each arm).  I have plenty of paint on hand.  We used Q-tips to make the eyes and mouth - something I totally recommend - even my three year-old did a fantastic job!  I LOVE these little guys - and I'm so proud of my little girls - these little snowmen were totally completed without my help (well, except for a little glue-gunning).  My three year-old did the one of the left, mine are the next two, my eight year-old did the fourth one, and my five year-old did the last one.  So much fun!  I can't wait to do this craft with my class on the last day of school.

We finished off our day with some cookies and hot chocolate.  I made these Rolo Cookies that I pinned from the Six Sisters' Stuff blog.  Oh my word - they were AMAZING!!!  (I say "were" because they're all gone now - must make more).  They were incredibly simple to make - the hardest part was keeping my girls from eating all the rolos before I got them into the cookies.


What a fantastic day!  I'm already searching through my pinterest boards for new "pinspiration" for next Sunday!

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