Monday's Random Links

Today was full of back-to-school shopping for Dear Daughter at Target and Office Depot, cute-bright-and-matchy apparently being her theme!

Target's dollar bins often turn up some goodies, and today was no different. While DD chose teen-themed pencils for school, I was thrilled to find buttons, pencils, erasers, magnets, mini notebooks, stickers and bags featuring some of Dr. Seuss' most wonderful characters (Read Across America takes place in March!):




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Check out your grocery store crackers/snack aisle and see if you can find these (I can't wait to use them for snacktime!):



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Snacks for children/students are one thing, snacks for grownups, quite another:

~ Baking Bites shares Dulce de Leche Brownies

~ My dear friend Karen once read my cards for me, years ago, identifying my animal totems. My "inner character and spirit" was a hummingbird. When CakeSpy's Primer on the Hummingbird Cake scrolled onto my read feed, I was intrigued (do you use real hummingbirds? Ew!)...thankfully, the cake is so named because it is" so sweet that people are drawn to it like hummingbirds to nectar." Whew.

~ Bakeralla shares a basic chocolate chip cookie recipe, and then turns up the temptation by adding ice cream and sprinkles....

~ Tiramisu Squares... Oh yes, the Super Star Mom or Dad that brings Sweet Paul's Tiramisu Squares to school this year will clearly be in the running for Volunteer of the Year!

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Is it too early to start my 40th Birthday Wish List? Here's a start:

~ The Long Thread offers a wonderful tutorial for making Miss Little Red Riding Hood (no, I don't want the tutorial, I want the doll!)...

~ Saucy made affordable and sweet Hello Kitty BLING ('d love a bracelet!)...

~ This quilt by Frazzy Dazzles (you can SOOOOOO tell I'm a kindergarten teacher!)

~ And of course, birthday dinner at Simon and Seafort's in Anchorage, Alaska!

Teacher Tip: Stretching That Dollar

As I reread Shopping for Your Classroom (a post by yours truly), I remembered that I forgot! Yep, I forgot to mention another teacher trick and favorite, stretching that dollar by using coupons and teacher discounts.



I've signed up for teacher rewards at:

Office Depot (I love their Star Teacher Rewards Program!)

JoAnn Fabric and Craft Stores (they sell awesome organizer drawers/bins, craft supplies, scrapbook papers, fabric for bulletin boards, and seasonal decor)
~ Don't forget to sign up to receive JoAnn's mailers with valuable coupons, or find them in your newspaper

Hastings Books (I'm not sure if Hastings still issues a teacher discount card- several locations I've presented my card at have been surprised, not knowing what it is, though when they scan it, the discount is still applied to my purchase) Hastings also sends out fliers with coupons, and you can sell your used books (in excellent condition) to them for used book credit.

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If membership is free, don't forget to sign up for store cards for groceries, sporting goods, crafting supplies, home decor, etc. Many of these businesses have small barcode cards that easily slip onto your keyring. If you don't want a ton of these little plastic tabs hooked into your car and home keys, keep a separate ring for just the membership cards!

* I buy snacks, plastic storage baggies, kleenex, air freshener and kitchen supplies for centers at grocery stores- might as well get them at a discount!

* While Dear Daughter uses our Dick's Sporting Goods card more often than I do for her volleyball gear, coupons and discounts are issued to us that can be used on any item in the store, including tennis shoes for me, or new rubber balls or jump ropes for my recess tubs.

* I don't believe Michael's Arts and Crafts Store offers a membership card (I could be wrong!), but you can sign up for email coupons and their weekly flier. Coupons can also be found in your local paper, and trust me, those 40% off coupons certainly do come in handy! Have you seen my desktop organizer/caddy (white, lazy Susan style)? It's from Michael's:



~ I just clicked around on the Michael's site and found The Knack, where teachers and parents can sign up for newsletters, project ideas and "special offers.." After registering, you'll receive a coupon for 50% off of any single regular priced item- handy dandy!

* Hobby Lobby also emails out coupons!

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It can't hurt to ask when you're in any store if they offer a membership discount card or teachers' reward program- just make sure that membership is FREE before you sign up! Remember that if you supply your email address, you just might end up receiving a bunch of junk mail from businesses partnered with the store you originally signed up with- opt out of those or have them sent automatically to a junk or spam file so you don't have to worry about them clogging up your mailbox.

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UPDATED Monday, July 27

Do you know of any other businesses or stores that offer teacher discounts? Let me know and I'll add them to the end of this post (and if you blog, I'll be happy to link back to you)!

** Stacy at Living a Life of Purpose says that Borders Booksellers has special teacher discount days (remember to bring your teacher i.d. when you sign up at one of their locations)...

** Jan says Staples also has a teacher reward card...

**...and Anonymous encourages us to sign up at Ann Taylor to get a 15% discount off of every purchase and at Barnes and Noble to receive 20% off (yes, you'll need to provide proof that you're a teacher!)

Sneakie Peekie

It's *almost* done- done enough that I can enjoy the rest of my summer break with Dear Husband and Family before he deploys~

Like last year, I opted for the visual weight of the dark blue paper for my bulletin boards, put up some eye-catching coconut trees inspired by Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, arranged my centers and desks for maximum efficiency, safety, flow and fun, and even set out crayons, scissors, beginning of the year stories, and some stuffed storytime companions.

Here's the view from my desk and reading table (we're looking across the students' desks to the math board- counting coconuts 1-10- and the word wall, which is bare except for uppercase and lowercase letters):







...here's the view from the front door, looking toward the back of my room where "circle" and story time occur:



Next to the word wall toward "circle" area is our first language/literacy display board, and it's all about colors:



Some special story time friends:



...and our calendar, weather chart, and months and days:



Here's the art center, just waiting for some terrific artwork to keep the coconut tree company:



Books ready to to be enjoyed:



...and crayons and scissors (glue and pencils will be supplied by students in a few weeks)!



Super Stars, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, I'm So Glad You're in MY Room!

Bulletin Board Tip: Use What You Have

Along with the Chicka Chicka Boom Boom inspiration, I've wanted to put up some of my favorite Mary Engelbreit trimmer:



Wouldn't you know it, I ran out! Three of my boards have the pretty flower trim, but the others have plain Bordette (kids love the bumpy texture and bright colors!) framing each display area. To tie it all in, I decided to make construction paper versions of two of the flowers featured on the M.E. trimmer:



See the scraps of green Bordette that I cut into leaf shapes? I used liquid white out for the little white polka dots- hey, use what you have!

Want to see how it's all coming along? Check back *tomorrow!*

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I use my bulletin boards for very specific displays:

~ student artwork
~ word wall
~ circle time/calendar/months/days/counting
~ math concepts
~ language/literacy elements integrated with science and social studies concepts

In other words, I don't believe in just slapping up and stapling posters from a school supply store randomly throughout the room. Other than my calendar/circle time display, none of the other stapleboard surfaces remains untouched throughout the year. Bulletin boards are teaching surfaces, visual reminders, areas of proud displays, and in many cases, a hook...

Visit tomorrow and tell me if you think my newest Super Stars will be chomping at the bit to start their kindergarten adventure after their "sneak peek!"

I Snuck Back into My Classroom...

...where I found a SMARTBoard!



The location of the board necessitated a slide-to-the-left of my students' desks. More tweaking of the furniture will take place tomorrow, I'm sure.




Though it's still quite bare-bones, I had to stop re-arranging because my blah bulletin boards were screaming *Chicka, Chicka!*

I'll be adding text to the hallway boards before students arrive ("Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, Look Who's in Our Room!" I'll also figure out a cute project (using cardboard tubes and scraps of green and brown paper?) so students can make their own coconut trees the first week of school. Something tells me that I'll want to save the trees for a "Where the Wild Things Are" display later in the year!

A Very Vera Birthday...

...for fifteen-year-old Dearest Daughter:



Have I mentioned her favorite color is purple? Purple Punch it *had* to be!

Miss Hello Kitty has been a favorite for years, and *look*! Kitty rings to keep!



The pre-schooler "fooed" the candles out before Big Sister got to them, so we had to re-light them and try again:



Vera, Vera, Vera... good thing Mom, Dad, and Grammy enjoy feeding this addiction!



Happy Birthday beautiful girl, we love you!

Ever Teach a "Bobby?"

I'm busy getting the house ready for Dear Daughter's *fifteenth* birthday tomorrow: cookie baking, house cleaning, present-wrapping and snack-supplying for the sleepover, ~but~ I've hidden myself away for a break to catch up on emails, Facebooking, and some YouTube.

This video of Howie Mandel has me rolling!

Tips: Shopping for Your Classroom

I have been getting such great information and feedback from those of you who have taken my ten question survey over at SurveyMonkey!

Click Here to take survey

I can tell from several of the comments that a few of you are new to the teaching profession and would appreciate tips on not only organizing your classroom space and sprucing it up to inspire students, but on making purchases for center activities, crafts and decor.



Frugality tends to be a teacher focus out of necessity, which is why I seek out classroom treasures at:

~yard, garage, or estate sales

~thrift (Goodwill, DAV, etc.) stores

~ dollar stores such as Dollar Tree

~Craigslist/Freecycle

~discount book stores (those that sell new AND used books, possibly offering credit on books you bring in for exchange)

~Farmer's Market/Craft Shows for unique, homemade, local-friendly items

~Teacher Supply stores (though I try to only make purchases if items are on sale or I can laminate and reuse them year after year)

~carpet remnant stores (some stores will donate carpet squares or will sell deeply discounted remnants; make sure to ask the salesperson if 1) the carpet meets fire-resistant codes for schools and 2) if they will bind the edges of the carpet for you so it won't fray)

~School furniture surplus sites like this one

~end-of-season clearance sales at stores like Target, Fred Meyer, WalMart, etc. (buying seasonal/holiday decor at 75% off to use the following year makes every August feel a bit like Christmas! Don't forget, "Christmas red" and "Christmas green" also look great for Valentine's and St. Patrick's!)

~and sadly, stores that are going out of business

Did you know...

...some school districts sell their surplus furniture and outdated book/curriculum items once a year? Many of those books are still great references or sources of historical/biographical photos and portraits, maps, poems, charts/tables and artwork. Remember to try to look at items with a fresh vision, and as sacrilegious as it might sound, don't be afraid to scavenge only what's needed from books, curriculum kits, or other materials. Tear apart the seam binding, punch holes, laminate if necessary, and sort your resources into binders, folders or tubs.

It doesn't take long to refurbish an old chalkboard with fresh chalkboard paint for a writing center or wall display, and that touch of vintage-school-charm will probably put many of your students' parents at ease when they visit your class. Check out office supply and furniture surplus stores/auctions in your town/state, and don't forget to visit large antique/collectible shops, malls or country venues for affordable and home-y baskets, trays, storytime chairs, classic books, dress up clothes, and tons of goodies for hands-on sorting (buttons, keys, wooden blocks, old lettertype blocks, marbles, game pieces). Reuse, refurbish, recycle, but make sure to ask if large-sized additions you are considering buying are allowed in the classroom before you buy- your principal, building supervisor, or head of Risk Management can let you know which items meet safety standards and have the green light.

Many schools have a teachers' lounge or swap center where staff members can bring in materials that they no longer use each year (teachers are notorious hoarders, but are known to clean out the cupboards from time to time). If your school is undergoing a new curriculum adoption, find out if the sample kits and materials sent by the book companies will be kept at school or tossed- magnets, center activity cards, puppets, and even extra student workbooks are often included in such samples. If your school or district office doesn't have a swap center, suggest creating one, and consider including a school donation tub or set of shelves for those families who enjoy donating baby food jars, egg cartons, paper, crafting supplies, plastic tubs with lids, extra clothes, cardboard paper tubes, etc. for school use.

Don't forget to look in-house for classroom materials. If your own children or siblings have outgrown their Legos, blocks, games or books, ask if they'd be willing to donate them for your students to use. Enlist the help of your yard-saling-extraordinaire aunt, uncle, cousin or mom by providing family members with a very specific wish list (include photos if necessary so there's no question!).

But some words of caution...

...for all of the affordable items that can be found for classroom use, there are some I would recommend *against* adding to your basket:

~items that you think you MIGHT use- only purchase materials you WILL use!

~previously owned stuffed animals; these can be extremely dirty, dusty, and their stuffing may contain mold, mites or other allergens

~ items with chipped paint or cracked corners (unless items are going to be used up and away from students' hands for display purposes)

~ any clothing or purses/backpacks with broken zippers; young children will either become frustrated when they don't work or might injure themselves trying to force the zippers to slide

~ household rugs or carpeting unless you KNOW they meet fire-code for school buildings, and please make sure they are professionally cleaned as well (dirt, mites, mold, allergens)

~ c.d.s, electronic games or videos that you can't try or preview, that you're not allowed to have/show at school, or that don't support curriculum standards

~one-of-a-kind toys for the pretend center that children might fight over (two or three dolls are better than one)



Once you've acquired classroom treasures...



...clean everything.

Save receipts for all of your purchases for taxes.

Organize IMMEDIATELY.

...and of course, enjoy!

Ten Question Survey, Thank You for Your Input!

As I begin to gear up for the upcoming school year, I've been contemplating a few changes to my blog. For this, my 550th blog post, I've created a survey in order to collect your feedback and ideas on what you'd like to see happen here at Kindergarten's 3 R's. I'm guessing that many of my readers are fellow teachers, both public and home, parents of young children, or fellow paper crafters- I'm really looking forward to reading your responses!


The survey has only ten questions, and if you think of something else you'd like to add or ask me about, as always you are welcome to leave a comment here or email me at: michaelek1(at)yahoo(dot)com

Click Here to take survey



A BIG *thank you* to Saucy-I enjoy her blog sooooo much! It was she who put me on the SurveyMonkey path today with her own post and survey (and of course, I happily submitted my answers!).

Of Computers and Vacuums

I'm time-warping through this summer. Slooooooow warps, q-u-i-c-k warps, losing track of time, the date, and motivation to do much of anything.





Blame my husband. He followed up (his) hernia surgery with the gift of a new MacBook Pro, so I've gone from quasi-nursemaid to full-blown MacAddict in less than a week. I've been Facebooking, tracking down SMART lessons for kindergarten, listening to music, playing some games, and figuring out the bells and whistles of my new laptop. I know, poor me. Now if I could just figure out a way for this wonderful tool to 1) clean my house and 2) prepare meals I would be SET!

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I'm not just reserving praise for the new kid on the block though! Not only am I loving my new computer, I also have oodles and oodles of appreciation for my four-year-old Dyson vacuum. Such gratitude can best be summed up with the following praise and testimony by yours truly:



My dearest Dyson, you are **So** *Exceptionally** **Good** at sucking up spiders, webs, and bugs. I love you.



No, really, I LOVE you.



Certainly you do a wonderful job of cleaning my carpets, and cleaning up cat hair that Anni deposits from time to time. You can reach all the difficult nooks and crannies of our house that seem to attract little Legos, dust bunnies, and gummy bears, and yes, even your fancy schmancy attachments make cleaning stairs and other odd-shaped orifices of this house extremely simple.



But Dearest Dyson, you make it so I don't have to touch b-b-b-b-ugs. Or spiders. Or their webs. Or the dead bugs trapped in those webs. And it is that reason for which I will be eternally grateful.



You suck, and I mean that in the most flattering way imaginable.

Who Has a Wreath Design Idea?

I found several of these spice tins on a wandering-aimlessly-through-antique-malls jaunt a few years ago, and followed up with some purposeful hunting on eBay in order to find some more. I love the patterns, the typography, the size of the shakers themselves, but don't care for the typical spice rack display option. These little charmers have been sitting tucked away, on top of a high cabinet for a year now, and it was during some summer cleaning that I took another close look at them.

Wouldn't you know it, now I'm trying to figure out a wreath design that incorporates them so I can see them every time I cook in the kitchen...any ideas?

S'More Summer Decor and Links

I love decorating for the holidays and seasons, and each summer I really look forward to tracking down more Americana/Patriotic themed items to add to my collection. This year I simplified (don't you think, *wink wink*?) and kept most of the red, white, and blue corralled in my den on our fireplace hearth:



Flags, stars, stripes...



...and of course, two bitty banners as swags across the front...







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~ My friend D. posted her status to "s'mores" sometime yesterday on her FB page. It was enough to remind me that a few days ago I stumbled across a recipe for S'Mores CAKE over at Baking Bites...

Perhaps the summer heat has you dreaming of snow (or is that just me?)...or a s'mores snowman (and *score*... he's edible)?

...or bathing suit season has you dreaming of s'mores but not eating them...what to do? Crochet one obviously!



Think Buck Howdy would make me one of those MONDO-multi-marshmallow sticks?

Fireworks Fun

Last 4th of July, we had just arrived to our home here in the Heartland and were too exhausted to buy and set off fireworks of our own. Our neighbor was happy to let us sit and watch his pyrotechnic skills (or lack thereof, poor guy!) and that was the kids' first experience with fireworks up close and personal.



THIS 4th of July, Daddy and Dear Daughter caught a fireworks stand as it was closing up for the year and spent twenty dollars on one hundred dollars' worth of noisemakers and flammability. Daddy was in charge of the production, and two other neighbors up the road also had fireworks fun going off the same time we did, making for quite the show- we cheered one another back and forth as each neighbor competed for the biggest BOOM!



Rightfully cautious, our preschooler kept his Bumblebee Transformer toy in hand as he handled his first sparkler.



Dear Daughter and I danced in the yard with the last of the sparklers at ten p.m., but we all needed showers before bed as the wind had blown all of the smoke and smell of the street's fireworks into our yard.

Fun, fun FUN!

This Teacher's Summer "Off," or is it "Off" Summer?

Teachers hear it all of the time, "You must LOVE having your summers OFF!" Many of us usually respond with a smile, a quick glance around the room to see if there's another teacher nearby with whom we can share a knowing look, followed by a change of subject. What we don't tend to reveal to others (except for colleagues via that knowing look) is that we don't ever seem to have a summer "off." We might not be found physically housed in our classroom during June, July and August, but often, we're taking classes from someone else, teaching summer school, chaperoning our own children to their summer activities or are traveling on vacation, and trust me, though we're miles away from school, we're still eyeing souvenirs, post cards, books, and other knick knacks, determining which items would work for a social studies or geography display come autumn. Teachers have school-on-the-brain year 'round.

I'm no exception~ this summer I've taken my SMARTBoard class (if all college courses were as hands-on, applicable and enjoyable as this one, I'd have a doctorate by now), and will be sneaking back to my classroom to get as many SMARTNotebook lessons set up as I possibly can for our kindergarten team before August. Accompanying my higher learning, I've continued my education about Life as well. So far this summer I've learned:

...that sockie feet minus shoes on a smooth-set concrete garage floor plus minimal momentum equals a gravity-induced bonked head and a trip to the hospital for a CT scan. I'm bruised and sore, but thankfully still capable of being enlightened. Too bad my left eye and forehead area look like I've been playing in not-complimentary-to-brunettes blue eyeshadow.

...that my lifestyle, which doesn't *appear* busy to others, is really quite over-scheduled. My body has been trying to shut down for days now, requiring naps each afternoon and an early bedtime every night. If the preschooler would oblige me by joining me in sleep-mode on command, this situation would be easily managed. N-o-t going to happen though.

...that summer allergies suck. Big time. As do the allergy meds that grog me out and make me feel like I'm losing track of time, space, and motivation.

...that brainless television occasionally turns up a gem...

...and that nothing beats family time.


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Posting links for awesome July 4 crafts, tips and recipes ON July 4 instead of several days prior isn't very helpful of me, I know, so 1) blame the bonked head and 2) save these ideas for ANY patriotic celebration, decor style inspiration, classroom lesson about America or military deployment/reunion party, okie dokie?

* Cakespy makes patriotic firework cookies (hey, POP ROCKS!)
* Baking Bites shares red, white and blue chocolate dipped strawberries...
* The Crafts Department over at Martha Stewart has made patriotic rosettes...
* Let's hear it for patriotic pom-poms over at Make and Takes!
*...and as usual, Bakerella goes above and beyond in her tasty tribute to our nation's military- HOOAH!