Back to School Bulletin Boards

Hello!!! Wow has it been a wild and crazy month?! My plan was to blog more when school was out in May, but oh my, I have been busier this summer than I was in school! So now I am making it a goal to up my blogging game! I am beginning by linking up with David Row at Make Moments Matter for his Back to School Bulletin Boards for the Music Classroom! 

First, let me begin by saying, I LOVE, and I mean LOVE, bulletin boards.  Along with my handy dandy Cricut and many trips to the fabric and craft store, I go all out with my bulletin boards.  Since I am at four schools, I do not change them much through out the year.  So I begin each year with at least two big and bold bulletin boards at each school! 

To begin, I will show you my Recorder Karate bulletin board!  I use this bulletin board to keep track of my students' progress throughout the curriculum (along with my own paper version checklist).  It also holds my students' accountable because this bulletin is displayed in the hallway for all the parents, students, and teachers to see their progress! I adopted this display system from my mentor teacher, Jenni Koenemann.  Instead of using a bulletin board, however, she actually used felt-covered frames to display her students' progress.

I use the Recorder Karate system with my 4th grade recorder students.  When they pass their belt song, they not only receive their karate belt, but they also get to move their music note on the bulletin board for everyone to see.  I purchase these music notes from Punkydoodles. After laminating each music note, I write each student's name on the music note with a silver sharpie.  They then move their music note to their correct belt color on the board in the hallway. Since it is the beginning of the year, there weren't any music notes on this board yet :(  Below is a picture from last year of the bulletin board with the music notes.  I have done a LOT of improvements since last year :)

More details about the bulletin......layer! I think layering the borders makes it POP! Both borders are from Creative Teaching Press.  I also added the cute little poms at the top corner, inspired by School Girl Style.  These are 8 inch tissue poms that I just ordered online! Even though you can't tell in this picture, the background is a fun music fabric! I always use fabric for my bulletin boards so I can reuse them for years to come! (And they are fadeless!!!)  The karate kids are part of the Recorder Karate curriculum.  I not only printed out these cute kiddos, put I painted them, and laminated each one! Lastly, I made the belt signs, recorders, music notes, and header on my Cricut! 

Here is my second bulletin board at use at each of my schools: 

This bulletin board is my Piano Rewards system that I use for every class, except kindergarten.  With this bulletin, each class has a clothespin with their teacher's name on it. (They are currently being updated with new teacher names.)  At the end of each music class, the students rank themselves in 5 categories: making their best effort, using good posture, stating something they learned, pointing to someone who inspired them, and cooperating with others. Each category is worth up to 5 points and was also created by Jenni Koenemann, my mentor teacher.  

Students hold up their points they think they deserve in each category.  I then take the class majority and place that score for their points.  If students score a PERFECT score, they get to move their class clothespin up two piano keys.  If they get a 24, then they get to move their clothespin up one piano key.  Anything below a 24, the students do not get to move their clothespin for that music class.  The first class to reach the end of the piano will receive a prize.  Prizes include a dance party, folk dancing, music videos, sing alongs, or even candy.  The students really work together in achieving a perfect score each music class! The teachers also really join in on the competition between the classes! 

I hope you enjoyed my bulletin boards! I can't WAIT to show you the rest of my classroom in my upcoming classroom tour post! Eek! I am getting excited! To check out other bulletin board ideas for the music classroom, visit Make Moments Matter by clicking on the top photo! 

July Currently

Hello SUMMER!!!! Today I am linking up with Farley 

at Oh, Boy 4th Grade for the July Currently. 

Here is what I am currently doing, or thinking, or hoping for the month of July! 

Listening: I am currently listening to the Today Show.  I really love this news show and miss out on it when school is in session.  

Loving: I am LOVING summer, no bed time, sleep however late I want, hanging out with teacher friends, eating lots of great food, making impromptu trips, and so much more! 

Thinking: I am thinking about my AMAZING dinner I had last night.  One of my great friends from high school is a chef at Sydney Street Cafe.  (Side note: if you are ever in St. Louis, you must go there!!!) He is home this week so we all decided to take a day trip to Nashville to eat at Husk (a 3 hour drive, one way).  Let's just say we had 6 appetizers, 3 entrees, and 2 desserts among 3 people. It was delicious! And another great part of the day: the boys let me go to the Vera Bradley Outlet and snatch up some awesome deals! 

Wanting: I am definitely want to swim and get my tan on on this beautiful summer day.  It is supposed to be in the mid-80's for the rest of the week! Sounds glorious to me! 

Needing: Oh am I NEEDING to get my homework done for my online grad class.  I don't know about these online classes.  They just give you all the assignments the first day, and it is all due at the end of the semester.  This is bad for me....I am a procrastinator.  Wish me luck that I can get these done! 

4th Plans: I plan on spending a long weekend with my husband and wonderful in-laws at their gorgeous lake house. Boating, skiing, fishing, paddle boating, canoeing, and swimming.... I CAN'T WAIT! Oh, and did I mention lots of food and fireworks! 

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you are enjoying your summer! 

Artsy Fartsy Friday {Linky Party}

And another busy week of summer has past! It is Friday and time for another Artsy Fartsy Friday linky with Lindsey Law at Miss Law's Kinders and myself. 

We have been so busy this week with presenting at our district's conference, Digipalooza, part of the Department of Education's Summer of eLearning Tour, that I was unable to do any of the artsy fartsy projects I was wanting to accomplish.  But we didn't want you to miss out the fun and showing off your crafty projects.  

If you have missed the linky party in the past, and are unsure of what it is, check out my previous post here with all the details on the linky party. 

Happy Artsy Fartsy Friday to you!

Artsy Fartsy Friday {Linky Party} Classroom Tree

It is time for another Artsy Fartsy Friday Linky with Miss Law's Kinders and Sew Much Music. This linky will continue every Friday all summer long!  Still don't know what this linky party is about? Check out my previous post with all the details right here. 

Want to link up? 

1. Grab the Artsy Fartsy image and link to one of our blogs. 

2. Blog about a craft or project you have been working on this week. 

3. Link up at the bottom! 

Now on to my Artsy Farsty project for this week: Classroom Tree!

I have a songbird theme in my music classroom.  I have always wanted a tree painted in the corner of my classroom so I could place little songbirds on the branches.  I got my wish! 

Along with my wonderful mother-in-law (the true artist), we created a real-life tree mural in the corner of my classroom.  It is only in the beginning stages.  I hope to add some green pompoms for leaves and some little song birds. Maybe a music quote, too?!

Here is how we did it:

1. We began with a sketch of the tree. This was clearly my mother-in-laws sketch! I am not an artist, AT ALL!  

2.  We then went to Wal-Mart to buy the paint! Hint: buy the small paint samples.  You will only need one of each color! We purchased a dark brown, medium brown, and light brown.  You will need a quart of paint for the base color. 

3.  Next, draw the tree outline on the wall with a pencil.  Tip: Make sure to step back to check for correct branch proportions.  

4. Fill in the outline with the base color.  We used a small roller to do the wider parts of the tree, then a hand brush for the small branches. 

5. Add more color! This is the fun part!! Using a 2 inch paint brush, lightly dip the brush into the lighter colored paint.  Apply very gentle and dry brush strokes over the base color to get a "brushy" look! (Is that a word?!). Once you have finished with the lightest color, do the same with the darker color. 

6.  Finally, using a very small brush roughly outline the tree with the darkest color. You can see my outline on the right side of the photo above! 

7. Masterpiece! 

I LOVE that my tree goes all the way to the ceiling and looks realistic! I can't wait to add the final touches and show you! 

Thanks for stopping by for Artsy Fartsy! Want to link up? Add your link below and don't forget to comment on the two link-ups in front of you and the linky after you!

Artsy Fartsy Friday {Linky Party}: Filing Cabinet Makeover

We are so excited to bring you our first Artsy Fartsy Friday Linky Party.  Miss Law's Kinders and Sew Much Music are collaborating to host a weekly linky all summer long!  Still don't know what this linky party is about? Check out my previous post with all the details right here. 

Want to link up? 

1. Grab the Artsy Fartsy image and link to one of our blogs. 

2. Blog about a craft or project you have been working on this week. 

3. Link up at the bottom! 

Now on to my Artsy Farsty project for this week: filing cabinet makeover!

My very fun craft project for this week was to revamp my filing cabinets.  Along with my great friend Lindsey at Miss Law's Kinders, we transformed our filing cabinets from boring to extraordinary! Here are the final results: 

To begin, you will need the following:

• Spray paint (2 cans for 2-drawer cabinet, 4 cans for 4-drawer cabinet)
• Gloves
• Painter's tape
• Tarp
• Contact paper
• Ruler
• Scissors
• Exacto knife
• Squeegee
• Wrench or screw driver 

Step 1: Prepare to Paint

Take the drawers out of the filing cabinet. Place the filing cabinet on a tarp outside. Make sure to tape down the corners of the tarp so the wind does not blow it. Using painter's tape, tape off any areas that you do not want painted, such as the school inventory label or locking devices. 

Step 2: Paint

For my classroom, I wanted a bright pink filing cabinet! I selected to use the Rustoleum Ultra Cover spray paint that I found at our local Wal-Mart.  The color I selected is called Berry Pink.  For my 2-drawer filing cabinet, I needed 2 cans of spray paint.  The taller, 4-drawer cabinets, require 4 cans of spray paint.  Also, make sure to wear rubber gloves! We learned the hard way :)

Next, begin to paint the filing cabinets with slow, wide sweeps.  Once you get one coat done, wait for it to dry, and then apply another coat.  It required three coats to get the finished look. 

Don't forget to paint the metal pieces between the drawers! I completely forgot about mine the first time!  Keep remembering to be patient even when your fingers are cramping up! 

Step 3: Drawers

While the paint is drying, it is time for the long and detailed process of applying the contact paper to the front of the drawers.  But don't worry, it is SO worth it!  I found a great deal on gray chevron contact paper on Amazon.  You get two rolls for only $10.99, plus free 2-day shipping with Prime! This company creates a variety of chevron colors and other prints.  You can cover eight drawer fronts with one roll of contact paper.  

To prepare for the contact paper, take of ALL the hardware on the drawer front.  Trust me, I learned the hard way.  We tried to cut around the metal parts, but it just resulted in bubbles and wrinkles.  At first, I didn't think I could take off the handle, tag plate, and latch, but oh, was I wrong.  You have to take the whole back cover off! Undo the one screw and then pop the back cover off.  You may need a flat head screwdriver to help pop it off. 

Once the back is taken off, simply unscrew remaining bolts and push out the latch.  Note: some items may not be able to come off the drawer.  As a result, you will have to cut around the item with an Exacto knife. Your drawer should now look like this: 

Next, measure your drawer front and add 1/4 inch to the measurement in order to seal around the edges.  Cut the contact paper to fit the drawer front. This type of contact paper had a very easy grid on the back.  Simply measure your paper and cut!

Follow the directions on the contact paper for application directions.  Start at the top of the drawer. Peel back the top of the paper and evenly place the contact paper on the top of the drawer.  Using a squeegee, or other type of similar tool, like a plastic ruler, smooth out the air bubbles.  While working down the drawer, slowly pull off the back paper, continuing to push out air bubbles.  Do not push on air bubbles too hard because the contact paper can rip.  

Once the front is all on, smooth the edges of the contact paper over the drawer edges for a good seal.  Do the same for all drawer fronts.  If you still have some bubbles in the contact paper, simply poke the bubbl3 with a safety pin and push the air out. 

Reattach hardware. I just poked my screws through the contact paper.  If you feel more comfortable, you can use the Exacto knife to cut the contact paper.  And yes, my arm is a nice shade of pink! And it is not a sunburn :)

 Step 4: Assemble

Place your drawers into the filing cabinets, and viola, a complete transformation! I am so pleased with the results!  Even though a little time consuming, this filing cabinet makeover was simple, and oh, so beautiful!  Don't you think?!

Want to learn all the details about the yellow filing cabinet? Check out Lindsey's blogpost for Artsy Fartsy Friday! 

I look forward to sharing many Artsy Fartsy Friday projects with you throughout the summer! Don't forget to link up at the bottom to share your classroom craft projects!

An InLinkz Link-up

Two for Tuesday {Linky Party}

It is Tuesday again and that means it is time for another link up with The Teaching Tribune for Two for Tuesday!  This Tuesday is even extra special since it is officially my first day of summer break!  For this linky, I will be marking two of my TPT products down to 50% off!

With lots of sunshine and relaxing in my future, I thought I would mark down  one of my newest summer graphic sets of Neons. 

This bundle will be marked down to only $3.00!  It is filled with over 50 bright neon digital papers, banners, borders, frames, and even flower clipart!  

It includes over 100 neon graphics! 

Secondly, the Primary Scribbles digital paper pack will only be $0.75! 

This primary scribbles are a fun addition to any digital design! Papers come with white backgrounds and transparent backgrounds. 

Thanks for stopping by! I look forward to catching all the other great deals on The Teaching Tribune! 

Artsy Fartsy Friday {Linky Party}

I am teaming up with Lindsey Law at Miss Law's Kinders to bring to you a summer long linky party featuring all your classroom and crafty projects.  This linky party is to display your 'artsy fartsy' side to other educators and is intended to bring the best projects to you all in one place each Friday over summer break! 

If you would like to join this weekly linky this Friday, June 13th, simply grab the image above, blog about your artsy fartsy project, and link up at the bottom starting thursday night at 9:00 p.m. EST.

1. This linky party is not intended to advertise personal items.  We are huge advocates for Teachers Pay Teachers, but we want this linky intended to showcase great projects that others could do in their own classroom.

2. We love the rule of three!  Please visit and comment the two links ahead of you and on the one link after you.  This helps to provide feedback and generate traffic to each others' blogs. 

Don't forget to link the linky image to either Miss Law's Kinders or Sew Much Music!

Check back starting Thursday night to join in on the 'artsy fartsy' fun!!!