Getting Ready for Open House.... Sort Of.....

We have our Open House tomorrow morning to meet our new little thirdsters and their parents. Today was definitely crunch time-- a full day to work in our classrooms after three days of inservice, so my list was loooooong!

Of course, I alternated between throwing things in random closets organizing purposefully and small crafts to keep me happy and relax a bit. I'm most excited to share the small crafts part with you!

First up, an idea that's all over Pinterest, but I cannot find the original source at all!! (Please leave a comment if you know because I want to give creative credit where its due!) It's super-creative and I am so excited to use it in our class.... Pom-Pom Eraser Dry Erase Markers!


I used the following:

  • 24-pack of black pom-poms from Hobby Lobby (the size was just right-- not too much fluff but enough to cover the lid, and I chose black because any lighter color would show dirt through the year)
  • Dry erase markers from Office Depot (not only were they much cheaper than Expo, their lid was flat, so I could still attach the lid to the marker when using it and the eraser was usable-- not so with Expo's nubby lid-- does that even make sense?!)
  • Glue gun (I only had the mini at school today, but it was a-ok!)
This whole project took 2 1/2 seconds and now I am excited that kids will have erasers on the backs of their markers when we're using white boards in class.

And, speaking of white boards, I was *beyond* inspired by my super-genius friend, Kristen of Ladybug's Teacher Files when she shared her recent summertime project: White Board/Clipboard Combo!

Here's how mine went:


I used:

  • Plastic clipboards from Office Depot
  • Dry erase sheets (30-pack from Amazon found HERE)
  • Corner cutter from Hobby Lobby
I lugged this project back and forth from home and school because I was under the very false impression it would take time and patience-- which I have none of....

Good news! It takes neither!! Woo hoo!!

The sheets are very heavy-duty and when I messed up and got a bit off-center, I could just peel it up and start over. I *highly* recommend following Kristen's tutorial, since she covers tips & tricks that helped along the way, but wow-- I think this took less than the markers!

Last, but not least, I set up the tabletops for Open House. Last year, I used Lucky Charms, but we're less food-focused as a school this year, so I wanted to share something fun with the kids that was consistent with these policies.

Enter Alisha at The Bubbly Blonde's great freebie for glow stick bracelets! A pack of seven was only $1 at the Dollar Store, so I couldn't go wrong!


Since we are launching 7 Habits for Happy Kids as a Leader in Me School this year, I am also including these wonderful bookmarks from Little Lovely Leaders-- she is one of my 7 Habits go-to gals and her resources never disappoint!

The other forms include a welcome back letter, a class list, class schedule, and a questionnaire for parents that I used last year from Farley-- it worked out great so I'm using it again this year!

Parents and kids arrive to meet me at 9am, so I am off to get some sleep to try and tackle the rest of the mess before they arrive. First day is Thursday and I can't wait!!!

Happy Back to School Week!

8 comments

  1. This is such a neat idea! I am going to try this. Thanks for sharing.

    I am pretty new to the blogging life, please follow me. I look forward to reading your blog again.

    Alex

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  2. Good luck and have a super first day!!

    Alex
    theschoolpotato.blogspot.com

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  3. Love your pom pom dry erase markers!! I forgot I wanted to do that! I'll have to wait until my kiddos bring in their supplies though!! Good luck with your open house!! Ours is next Thursday!

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  4. Have a fantastic first day! Thanks for the great crafty ideas, might have to try and get some of those done myself!

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  5. Thanks for all the ideas. They're great!

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  6. Love this idea!!! Thanks so much for sharing!
    Melissa :)

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  7. Isn't it great to actually make all the great ideas you find?! Love it...and your blog. Just FYI :)

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  8. This is such a great idea! My daughter loves to use her dry erase board but is always losing the eraser!

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