Monday Made It (a day late!): Kiss Your Brain

I’m currently enjoying a fabulous family reunion with my dad’s side of the family. We are staying in a gorgeous mansion that was originally built by Mr. Warren. My family is so large that we are occupying both the main house as well as the carriage house. Our days have been spent lounging on the beach, swimming in Lake Michigan, shopping and golfing while our nights begin with delicious dinners and end with games and bon fires on the beach. The house is located right on the lake with over 200 feet of beach frontage. The remote location of the house means cell phone and internet have been nonexistent, thus my tardiness in posting this week’s Made It Monday. I had to drive to a tiny grocery store on the side of Broken Arrow Highway where they are kind enough to let me briefly utilize their internet to post this.

Pinterest is full of different versions of the “Kiss Your Brain” container. When I went about creating my own little version, I wanted it to be something that I could quickly and inexpensively make.

My first stop was Hobby Lobby where I grabbed some scrapbook stickers in the shape of lips as well as colorful alphabet stickers. Then I headed to Target to buy a clear container as well as large bag of Hershey Kisses. All together I got the supplies for less than $20.

The creation of my “Kiss Your Brain” container took less than ten minutes! I simply put the letters on the container to spell out Kiss Your Brain and then added the lips. Finally, I put in a large bag of Hershey Kisses. I found that my container was actually large enough to house two of the Hershey Kiss party bags.

When school begins this coming year I plan to use the “Kiss Your Brain” container as a way to reinforce student participation. Over the years I have come to realize that positive reinforcement of some type encourages students to answer and more fully participate in class. What better way to provide that reinforcement than with chocolate! Plus, I love chocolate and find myself needing the occasional piece so my “Kiss Your Brain” container will surely be put to good use!

Once again I would like to thank Tara from 4th Grade Frolics for allowing me to link up with her for Monday Made It.

Monday Made It: Alaska Chill Out Spot

Have you ever had a student that just needed a moment to “chill out” so that he or she can refocus and turn their day around? I most definitely have had several students of this nature. I saw a post from Made In The Shade In Second Grade about an Alaska Chill Out Spot where she sends her kids when they need a moment to regroup. I took the idea and gave it my own personal twist.

I work at a school that teaches our students the 7 Habits so I knew I wanted to incorporate the Habits into some sort of a chill out spot. As a result I came up with a short poem which I printed on a sheet of dark t-shirt iron-on paper. I then ironed the poem onto a beach chair that I got really cheap at Target.

 

Next I printed another copy of the poem on paper and Mod Podged it onto the top of a container. This container will be stored underneath my Alaska Chill Out Spot chair. Inside of the box I will keep books that students can read while they chill out and regroup. All of the books will be books we have read together as a class and discussed how the 7 Habits are exemplified throughout the books.

 

 

Do you like my version of the Alaska Chill Out Spot? Hop on over to my Katie Can Resources TpT store and download it as a FREEBIE! J

 

Many thanks to Tara over at 4th Grade Frolics for allowing me to link up with her again for her Monday Made It. Take a few minutes to check out what other fabulous bloggers have made!

7 Habits Clip Chart

This past year the entire staff at my school underwent training in the 7 Habits. We began to implement the teachings of the 7 Habits in various areas throughout the school. One of the main things that the administrators and staff at my school are looking forward to is seeing how students can take charge of their behaviors and choices. Many of the K-3 classrooms use a clip chart similar to the one designed by Christina Bainbridge. However, we were looking for a means to tie in the 7 Habits with our behavior system. My coworker, Abby, of Third Grade Bookworm came up with the perfect solution when she had her creative juices flowing and designed the 7 Habits Clip Chart.

  

Today my Second Grade teammates and I gathered to use Christina Bainbridge’s colorful clip chart idea and combine it with the 7 Habits Clip Chart sayings that Abby penned. Here is what our final product looked like:

Before the Second Grade team gathered, I got all of the supplies. The plywood was purchased from Lowes where one of their employees kindly cut the plywood into 14 x 69 inch pieces. Here is a list of all the supplies we used to create the 7 Habits Clip Charts:

·        14 x 69 inch piece of plywood (1 per clip chart)

·        Primer

·        Spray paint (pink, purple, blue, green, yellow, orange, red)

·        Painter’s tape

·        7 Habits Clip Chart FREEBIE from Third Grade Bookworm’s store on Teachers Pay Teachers

·        Pencil

·        Tape measure or ruler

·        Mod Podge

·        Sponge brushes

·        Scrap paper

·        Drop cloths

·        Sand paper

Before we primed the plywood, we used sanders to get rid of splinters and smooth out the edges of the wood. Once the sanding was completed, we primed each piece of plywood. Then we had to wait for the primer to dry, so we took a break and caught up on what has been happening thus far this summer.

Once the primer was dry, we used tape measures and rulers to measure the various sections. The pink, purple, blue, yellow, orange and red sections are each 9 ½ inches x 14 inches. The green section is 12 inches x 14 inches.

Once the sections were measured, we used tape on the outside of the lines that designate green, purple and orange. Then we proceeded to paint each of those sections. Once those colors were on, we once again had to allow time for the paint to dry. At this point in the day, that meant we ordered lunch and enjoyed some more socializing.

After lunch, we removed the tape and went to work taping off the other sections. So as to not ruin the sections we previously painted, we covered the painted sections with paper and then used painters tape to affix it. Once all sections were taped off we painted the pink, blue, yellow and red sections. While we waited for the paint to dry we trimmed the white off of the 7 Habits Clip Chart FREEBIES.

Finally, when all the paint was dry we removed the tape and paper. Then we used Mod Podge to affix the 7 Habits Clip Chart FREEBIE to each the clip chart making sure the colors matched. For example, the green polka dot border went on the green section of the clip chart. We found that applying Mod Podge to the clip chart, then placing the clip chart saying on top of it and following that with another coat of Mod Podge helped to securely affix the sayings.

I learned two things when we created the 7 Habits Clip Charts. First, I learned that spray paint may not be the best thing to use, particularly on a humid day. Acrylic paint could have been utilized and would have dried faster than the spray paint. Second, using a small roller in lieu of the sponge brush makes it easier to ensure that the Mod Podge is applied evenly and eliminates most of the air bubbles that might occur.  

Altogether my teammates and I made eight 7 Habits Clip Charts. Since we all split the cost of the materials, it came out to about $10 per clip chart. We are so excited to utilize the 7 Habits Clip Chart in our classrooms this coming school year!