December 26th...A teacher's Black Friday!

I was one of those people standing in lines and shopping all night on Black Friday; however, I almost get more excited for December 26th. On December 26th I plan for the next Christmas with my students. Most stores deeply discount their Christmas merchandise. My favorite things to buy for the next year:

1. Thank you cards: At Christmastime I receive gifts from my students and make it a goal to write a thank you card before the break. These thank you cards are so much cheaper the day after Christmas.
2. Ornaments/Crafts: Many teachers have their students make gifts for their parents at Christmastime. This is the perfect time to buy DIY crafts or ornaments that the students can make for their parents.
3. Gifts for students: When teaching 20 or more students, it is important to be thrifty with their Christmas presents. I usually look for gifts that can be used for the next year. I try to buy more than I think I will need (you can always have a stockpile).
4. Christmas Wrap/Bows/Tags: My students always wrap the presents they make for their parents. I always make sure to buy different bows, wrapping paper, and gift tags.

I teach at a Catholic School and am fortunate enough to celebrate Christmas with my students. Have a Merry Christmas and remember to plan ahead for next Christmas!

A Rudolph Christmas!

If you walk around my house at any point in the year, you will definitely find Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer somewhere! My dad and I have always loved watching Rudolph and collecting Rudolph items. This year I knew exactly what my door had to be since this is the 50th anniversary of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. The door started with mountains of white paper in the shape of triangles layered on top of each other. I printed the characters from the internet and laminated them. The students created Christmas trees in the style of Rudolph with construction paper and glitter glue.Appropriately the door states "There are no Misfits in 4th Grade." Finish this door off with silver and gold tinsel! Merry Christmas!

Building to a great Halloween!

This post is so late but my phone crashed and I thought I had lost the picture. Each door I do, I try to cater to what the students will enjoy. I always start with the hit movie of the year. This year's hit was the Lego movie! Each student received a template and they were able to disguise the figurine in any "school-appropriate" costume. Here's the results!

#ThriftyAppThursday Amazon Edition

This week's #ThriftyAppThursday features the only company with a smile right on their box. I chose this app for the week because all teachers do in the summer is sit by the pool, eat bon bons and smile, right? Wrong! If you are like me, I spent all day in a professional development conference (hence the late post) and I need a smile on my face. Luckily the conference I am attending is all about technology in the classroom which pumped me up for this #ThriftyAppThursday.

The first thing you will find when loading this free app is the homepage. When looking at my homepage you will see at the top where my amazon says "prime" underneath. Now this is where the thrifty and crafty teacher looks at practicality and convenience and paid full price for something. I know, do not click the "x" on my page, it started out as a thrift! During my freshman year of college, I discovered that any .edu email address will get you free amazon student for a year, which includes amazon prime. This is how they get you. I love amazon prime and now pay for it each year. I am in the process of making my decision because the price has been raised to $99; which equates to $8.25/month. Here is what you get with amazon prime: unlimited streaming of their prime instant videos (hopefully more will be added with the price increase); kindle books lending; and, my personal favorite, free two-day shipping on all prime products! This is a choice you have to make but back to the home screen. The homepage has many features including recommendations...

a search bar...

and search by category.

Here is the part where you go, "okay now I know about amazon prime (jeez, Megan, do you work for them) and I know how to navigate the homepage, but how is this going to save me money?" No, I do not work for amazon and I know I have talked extensively about prime but I love the convenience and teaching the navigation helps me cater to my "digital immigrant" audience (those who did not grow up with technology).

I do not use this app much when I am at home, but when I am standing in an aisle debating on a purchase, especially a book, I whip out my phone and either type in the name of the product or simply scan the bar code.  

I sift through all the products and choose which one matches what I am currently holding in my hand. Once you have chosen the product, there will be a description of the product. I chose to search for The Cat in the Hat because I love books and use this app frequently to see if I can buy the book cheaper online (sometimes the book series is just too good to wait, though). The description will even show you the different dates that you can receive your products (always pay attention that next day and two-day shipping can be outrageously expensive).

Do not just click buy now! This is what you have been waiting for! Click on the "New & used" button. This is the place that will actually show you the prices of the same product available for purchase. Please do not look at this and go, "oh, look it is only a penny, that is the one I will buy." The penny price does not include the shipping and tax.

Here is the finally place that you go when comparing in-store and amazon prices (unless you decide to purchase from amazon). On this screen, notice that you can choose from: all offers, new, used, and collectible. This is where you can see the importance of shipping costs. The penny book is actually $4 with shipping. Now is time to compare the in-store and amazon prices and time to make your choice!

Check back next week for another #ThriftyAppThursday!

Grandparent's Basement

Being a teacher I always look for things that are easy to clean or wipe off. I searched for months before I started last school for a seat for my reading area. I couldn't find anything. Then I remembered that my grandparents had a vinyl glider. This vintage glider was sitting in their basement collecting dust. When I asked them, they were more than happy to let me use it in my classroom. My dad rigged it so it could not glide and the kids couldn't get hurt. I have people come to my classroom just to sit on this couch.

Favorite Classroom Thrift...so far!

Here is my favorite thrift. I found this chair for $10! I read to my students from this chair and they absolutely love when they get to sit there! It is such a retro chair.