December's Monday Made-It!

It's already time for December's Monday Made-It!! Thanks to Tara at 4th Grade Frolics for hosting this monthly linky! This month is a smorgasbord of "made-its".

My first project was figuring out how to cover our canopy structure. TWO years ago, the tarp covering ripped due to sun damage and weathering. It turns out that our structure is an odd size and we can't find a replacement canopy!! So. . . it's been sitting in our back yard as an open (& useless) sun structure! Thanks to my creative, talented & sweet friend, Elizabeth, she created a beautiful covering made out of sunshade fabric and put up twinkle lights. The finished effect was amazing!! HOWEVER. . . during the night, a HUGE windstorm tore through our area & the poor canopy was hanging in rags when I awoke the next morning!!
Luckily, once the wind died down (3 days later!!), we reattached everything AGAIN & it was ready for Thanksgiving guests!
My second "made-it" was actually made by my Girl Scout troop. (I taught them what to do though!!) They decoupaged mason jars with fall colored tissue paper, then tied on raffia and fall flowers & berry branches. We placed battery-powered tea lights inside and on Thanksgiving morning, several of my Girl Scouts helped to deliver meals to homebound seniors, along with a candleholder as centerpiece. It was so awesome for my girls to see the seniors' faces light up when they delivered the meals and candleholders (& an uplifting beginning to Thanksgiving)!
 I'm so thankful we had Thanksgiving Break (new to my District!!) so I had some time to print out my MANY TpT purchases and freebie downloads! The best teacher tool I earned (for FREE!!!) through Scholastic Book Club bonus points is my laminator!! Our laminating at school is limited (and only available twice a week. . . unsuitable for my late night needs!!) This was perfect for all the task cards I printed out and now I'm organized with some new ideas to use before Winter Break! I was especially excited to use some of these fabulous products from the Teachers Thanking Teachers big link-up in November. Fourteen bloggers gave away FREE products for 2 days!! The products in the pics below are from FlapJack Educational Resources, Ashleigh's Education Journey, and 3rd Grade Thoughts. Check out their amazingly creative stores!!
My fourth "made-it" has been on my To Do list forever! During Student-Led Conferences, my kids set a goal, along with their parents and myself. (A more detailed post explaining the process coming in the near future!) To make sure these goals are not just "pie in the sky wishes," I want them to be in plain view of my students. In the past, I've laminated them & attached them with velcro to their desks. But eventually, the goal cards would curl up or the kids would play with the velcro, or they'd rip off from putting up their chairs up on desks for nightly sweeping. I finally thought of using clear labeling pockets with self-adhesive backings. (I've only been able to find them through Lakeshore Learning Materials.) These have worked GREAT! The plastic is thick enough and the adhesive backing keeps them securely fastened to the desks. When we change seats, students just slide their goal card out and insert it into their new desk's pocket!
My last "made-it" is our Christmas tree!! Christmas is my favorite time of year and I was so happy to have the time to decorate before heading back to school! Each of my ornaments has a special meaning or history and it takes FOREVER to put them all up because I get distracted with the memories tied in to each one! I especially LOVE collecting creches (nativity scenes): both large tabletop displays, as well as in tiny ornaments (along with my collection of angels & Santas!!). It's not a designer tree, but a joyful tree!
Be sure to click on the button below to visit other blogs with awesome ideas! 

3 comments

  1. You've been super busy! I can just picture the look on those seniors when they saw the care and love you put into those gifts for them. I need to do more things like this...thanks for sharing!

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  2. Your canopy was beautiful! Must be nice to be able to plan to enjoy Thanksgiving outside, not possible in NW Ohio:(

    Heading over to follow your blog, always looking for 4th grade teachers to follow!
    Mary
    4th Works

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  3. I love the candle jars. Beautiful! See you around! Kathleen
    Kidpeople Classroom

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