Behavior Expectations: My Only Summer Craft :(

This is going to be a short and sweet blog post because tomorrow is the first day of teacher workshops for the new school year and I have to start winding down and going to bed at a decent hour.  But I wanted to share one of the only craft projects I did for my classroom this summer (which I did today). 

I have been feeling like a grinch because I have had little enthusiasm to decorate my room.  I want it to look pretty, but really wish my fairy godmother of the classroom would come and wave a magic wand.  Then my room would be the prettiest in the land.  OK, enough wishful thinking.

I wanted to frame my expectations (ok, not really mine; borrowed from another school I used to teach at a few years back) and put them on the wall.  I went to my local craft store, but the $1 frames were to small and the others too expensive.  I thought about misscalcul8's blog and this picture.  I thought that I could get some scrapbook paper and laminate it.  I had found cute clothes pins at the craft store, so it seemed simple enough. 

Well, half way through picking out scrapbook paper, I decided that I wanted something sturdier.  I went back to get some foam board and found packages of 8"x10" foam board.  Problem solved!  I bought the foam board and the scrapbook paper and headed home to make something pretty for my classroom.

This is what I created.  Scrapbook paper and foam board are now my new best friends.  I am very excited and think that they will look great in the classroom.  Plus, they will be a visual reminder to the students. 

If you want to know more about the behavior expectations, here is a link to the parent handbook from my previous employer.  I don't use them exactly the way they are prescribed in this handbook. 

A Quick Way to Make Sets of Game Cards

I got this game PEMDAS war game from Brittany at Math Made Gr8 blog. 

Whenever I make task cards for the classroom, I usually just copy them onto different colored pieces of paper or card stock, whichever is handier.  However, when I am making card games or game pieces, especially those that are done up so cute, I don't want to just copy them onto colored paper.  So, I invested in the big pack of scrapbook paper from Michael's that is 8.5 x 11" when it was on sale, of course!  Then I print out the cards/pieces.  I then just glue the two sheets together (be sure to put the glue all over the sheet) and let it dry for a bit.  Then, when I cut out the cards/pieces, all of the same set have the same back.  The final step for me is to laminate the cards/pieces.  It is very easy to sort when one piece is lost from the group.  It also looks more like playing cards when it is a card game.  I will admit, it takes a bit more work, but in the end, I think it is worth it!