Monday Made it! and Monday Meet Me!

I am having double the fun today.  I am joining 2 Linky parties!  First up… I am joining 4^th Grade Frolics for Monday Made It!

First I must admit neither of these projects are my original ideas.  I am a fantastic copier. 

My first project was phonics phones.  I am sure you have seen these around.  You can even buy them from many teacher supply companies.  But I wanted cute ones…I first saw this on Pinterest, where else, last year.  That was before I was blogging and I didn’t save the pin.  I saw it and figured…I can do that.

First gather your materials.  You will need ¾” PVC pipe, (2) ¾” PVC elbows for each phonics phone you want to make, duct tape (optional), tape measure, sharpie and either an electric or hand saw.

The first step is to measure where you will cut your PVC pipe.  I choose to measure out at 3” pieces.  I actually tried 4” first and decided that was a little too big for my kinders...they look small but trust me once you put the elbow pieces on they are much bigger.  I am making the mistakes so you won’t have too…lol.  Anywho, take your sharpie and mark at 3",6",9"…you get the picture.

Next you will cut your PVC at your markings.  I used the electric saw…it was available…and who doesn’t love using a power tool.  But a hand saw will work just as well.

Next wipe off the saw dust and wrap cute duct tape around the center of your 3” piece of PVC.  I have a jungle theme in my room so I went with zebra duct tape, $3 at Walmart.  I found the easiest way to do this was to hold the roll of tape between my thighs with the sticky part of the tape facing up.  Lay the PVC on top and roll toward you.  Then turn it over and cut the tape.  Continue until you have rolled all your tubes.

For the final step, just push one elbow on each end of your tube.  I did not use any type of glue.  If you push them on tight the kiddos won’t be able to get them off…also then if one gets super dirty or broken you can take it off and replace it.  Super cute and very helpful for your students to really hear how they are pronouncing their words.  A skill which is so important for beginning readers.

My next project was Pool Noodles for composing and decomposing numbers, and using base 10. This is from the fantastic Mr. Greg at Smedley’s Smorgasbord of Kindergarten. 

This project could not have been easier.  Get your pool noodles, I found mine at the Dollar Store, you will also need a tape measure, sharpie, cutting board and knife. 

First step is to measure.  I first cut my base 10 rods, Make a mark at 15”, 30”, 45”… next measure for your ones, make a mark at 2”, 4”, 6”, 8”, etc.

Next take a sharp knife and cut your noodles on the marks on your cutting board. It cuts super easy by the way.  Viola!  That’s it.  Now your kiddos can make numbers 1-120. 

Here is 26.  For super cute numbers and a recording sheet check out Mr. Greg’s post for a Place Value Freebie! Any ideas on how to store these?? 

So what have you made lately?  Be sure to head over to 4th Grade Frolics and check out what everyone has been up to.

Now for my second link up for today.  I am joining the gals at The Teaching Tribune for Monday Meet Me.

This week is all about 3 things we are thankful for.

The First is my family.  They may be crazy at times but I love them all the same.  My husband is a wonderful father and best friend and takes care of us all.  I have the 3 best boys in the world, I may be a bit bias…they keep me busy but I wouldn’t trade them for the world.  We are also fortunate enough to have another 20+ relatives including our parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins within 30 miles of our home.  It is a blast when we all get together.

Secondly, I am thankful I know my God and have a personal relationship with him.  I know that everything we have is because he provides it.  We can do all things through him who gives us strength, Philippians 4:13.

Lastly I am thankful for a job that I truly love.  I have this job because of #2 above.  I had left full time teaching to raise babies and when the time came I was content to just sub for some extra play money.  2 years ago I got a call out of the blue to do a long term sub at a small rural school in our area, I said yes, I thought it would be fun for a few months.  During that time I told my husband if I was ever going to go back to full time teaching I would like to go there.  Well God had his hand upon that situation and a few months later they called and asked me to come out to talk.  They wanted to know if I would consider teaching again at their school in the grade of my choice.  Well, I took that as a sign and jumped on board.  I have never looked back and love everyday with my kiddos.  Don’t get me wrong, there are days I would like to strangle give a time out to a few kiddos but overall I love it.  Despite the fact that the alarm goes off at 5:00am…I am not so much of a morning person…until I have had my coffee…lol.

So what are you thankful for...I would love to read your comments.

~Laura