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!