Summer Stock Up - OCD Much?! (and a Freebie or so)

I'm fortunate to be part of an awesome Facebook blog hop happening this weekend. There are some very talented teachers out there. I'm just an amateur (slightly kidding, she said sarcastically). We wanted you to be able to stock up early and avoid the 'back-to-school' rush. I know most of you are in complete summer mode - beaching, pooling, chillaxin'. Nonetheless, if you're around, hop along with us. Find some new blogs, new ideas, new resources, and maybe even some freebies (*that's correct you may have to read to the bitter end, gotchya). 

So okay, peeps here's the deal - I'm finally going to share some things I spend hours making on my computer. Most of the time I think, oh I just make this because it works for me and there is stuff like this out there. However, the people I work with like the stuff in my room, so here goes...

Now, I know, I know, there are a TON of binder covers already out there. I can't say that the idea for binder covers is something new and original. I can't even say that I made the designs, because I'm not a graphic designer. BUT, I am OCD to the nth degree. Allow me to take you back to a photo from the days of yonder:

                             

Nothing about this is fancy. Yet, here is what I love about it - the bins are clear. I can see what is inside. The labels are from a regular 'ole label maker by Brother (the brand). I own 3 - one for school (actually, my favorite L snagged it- if you've been around this blog, you know who she is - da bombdiggity), one for home (those are two that just print white tape), and one a tad fancier and it does fun colored tape. Again, what I love about this is that no color ink is used. No laminating pouches are bought. There is no cutting. These pictures are from my very first classroom. These bins still exist with the same labels. I know, you're probably thinking 'get with the program already!'). But, it does the job. 

With all this said, I will also say that I love decorating.  I've also recently discovered my love of fonts and clip art. So I am getting slightly with the program. The clear plastic bins are still in my room. The pops of color I use are book baskets and such. I like things clean and simple. I like things organized. I like that at the end of the year when teachers move into my classroom (yes, I move every year) they say, 'if I'm moving into a room, at least it's your room.' And so, here's my: 

Binder Covers

Labels

Desk Trays 

A place for this, a place for that

Are you still reading?

Let me answer some questions about what I have for you. 

Binder Covers

This image is of my, personal covers, so they are uber detailed (hence OCD, with which 9 weeks, etc.)

1. SO - what makes my binder covers different? Absolutely nothing! Hey, I'm about as honest as they come (and sometimes that gets me in trouble, but you will always know what you get with me). 

2. Why did I create them? When I first started teaching at my school five years ago I had one filing cabinet in my trailer and it didn't work.  I used a two drawer plastic thing made by Sterilite and everything else went in binders. I didn't really have a system back then. I think I was just kinda, reading, math, yadda, yadda, yadda. Ya know, when you're a first year teacher, it's more of a stay afloat method. Put this here, and that there. Just make it out alive and sort it later. Well, I've evolved and developed. I've learned my standards (both personal and professional ;) and learned them well. I dare say I make some of my teammates sick. So, each subject has a different pattern/color, yet they still coordinate. 

3. How do I organize my binders? That's a really great question. I'm still a work in progress. Aren't we all! I used to have one big binder for each subject, and then each binder was divided by tabs for each unit, but the binders were getting big and it was hard to turn the pages and it just wasn't easy. 

So, I started reorganizing this year (I think I just start to reorganize things when I get stressed, anyone else do that). I began with Science and Social Studies. I created a binder for each unit. Then, I also created a spine for the binder and a matching square label to go on the front of a white magazine box/file (I use the white ones from Ikea). The magazine file holds all mentor texts or laminated  hand outs/posters I have for the unit that do not fit in the binder. On my shelf behind my desk I have binder/magazine file, binder/magazine file, etc.

4. Other ideas/options - I will probably not use as many binders for writing or reading. For writing, for example, I will either use 4 binders, one for each 9 weeks, or just one for each type of writing we teach (narrative, opinion, informational, friendly letter, I know I'm forgetting one, etc.). So clearly next week when I set up my trailer, I will still figure a few things out. 

 

Just so you can see, it's clean and simple. I've put the topic, below is the subject, grade level, and which grading period/quarter/etc. Obviously, you can edit them however you see fit. 

I put the unit, then topic, then the standards

on the bottom I put which 9 weeks/quarter - again these are mine so they are super specific because I am following my county common core standards.  

Here are some for you:  

_________________________________________________________________________

Desk Trays

I saw this idea on Pinterest and an awesome teacher blogger pinned it too and gave me the idea. I can't find hers but I totally want to give her credit. If you see hers please let me know. Naturally, I made my own. 

Note: the black looking S to the right is a doodle, I rotated it to appear as an S since it is my first initial. I took it out in the editable version since I didn't think many people would want it. Please let me know if you do. 

1. Why I made it? Well I think it's pretty. Ha, but also because I am constantly looking for ideas to conquer the paper mountain! My kids give me drawings and parent notes ALL the time. This past year was the worst. My kidney table would start off clean almost (note my use of the word 'almost' as a qualifier) every morning and at the end of each day it was disgusting. I had three girls that came up each day and said, "Can I clean your table?" Yes, yes you can!

2. Again, what makes mine different? Again, nothing! I may be OCD, but I also like options. I move my decor and rearrange. I'm learning change is okay. Options are good. Which design do you like best? I can't decide!

3. It's FREE. It's Editable. If you like it, take it, use it, enjoy it. Be kind. You know the drill. Click here.

Hope you enjoy and get lots of ideas. Let me know if I have left something out or you need something I haven't thought of. :)

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Here We Go Again, ch. 10 + FREEBIE

As I mentioned in a previous post, I had an interview this past Monday. I never like to say or speculate how I think they went because after my ordeal I don't like to get excited. I didn't even call my parents the whole day, not even after the principal called me and asked about my references (and you better believe I was excited then). But then yesterday no call, and not an email until after 8 at night. I'm still waiting (which I don't take as the best sign that she still has more people to meet with. UGH!). I didn't sleep at all last night.

But if I do get a job, look how cute this binder my kids will have is, and help yourself if you'd like (again, I just ask that you give credit where credit is due). You can clearly tell my theme, huh?!

Ice Cream Binder Blog

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More Organization, More Labels (for FREE), More Ideas, More Crossing Fingers and Saying a Little Prayer!

 Thanks for all of the great feedback on my organization post! Yes, you read correctly, I do not have a classroom for all of this - but actually with that just said I have an interview on Monday morning. Normally I don't speak of these things until afterwards and if they have gone well, but if you have read any of my chapters on my life story then you know I need this. So if you could cross your fingers or say a little prayer or whatever it is you do when you are back in your classrooms on Monday morning I would appreciate that. 

Now, back to my organization - you saw me getting my classroom ready in my closet.  Here I am being organized in my own home - the home I moved into this past summer that I said was such a big deal, so of course I got down to business on decorating and organizing. I finally got to show it off this week and I felt so vindicated:

my living room

my bedroom - this is the wall across from my bed - the hoops of fabric I did on my own. The galvanized letter are from Anthropologie

These organizers are my pride and joy. They hang behind my bedroom door. I saw them on Pinterest and my mom helped me replicate it. I had a lot of fun doing it. I went to Lowe's found most of my pieces on my own in the plumbing aisle. I needed them to cut and thread the pipes for me. When they asked what I was using it for I laughed when i told them a jewelry hanger - and so did they, but doesn't it look good?! Loving the industrial look too. 

Below is my pantry. I must warn you this picture is old, and by old I mean a couple of weeks old. I had it open at one point during the evening and I looked at my friend and was like, I rearranged this since the last time you were here. She was like you are nuts. My other friend (who is married, and I am not) says "look how many spices you have that I don't!" 

I hung a command hook on the door for my aprons and lunch bags.

This apron was one of my end of the year teacher gifts from a few years ago from some awesome room moms. It reminds me of how fun this class was. 

And below this was another room that got lots of comments - the bathroom, weird I know, or is it weird to show you?

yep, so here I go again, OCD with the organization. I have a bin for contacts, sinus & cold, first aid, travel size shampoo, etc, toothpaste, razors, dental (I keep floss and toothbrushes in there), ointments, the open stacking bins on the right have haircare, the one below is soaps, etc, the little green one is nail polish, etc. 

what teacher isn't big on the germs?!

the organization above is self explanatory

and yes, people even spoke about the organization in my closet

stacking bins on the left - the top is purses and clutches, the bottom is socks. to the right are pull out drawers with shoes.

scarf organizer - from IKEA

I am still organizing the classroom too. A while back I posted some library labels. They were enough to organize through last school year - but here we go for this school year, unless I wind up in like 5th grade or something: 

1. The first thing I did was get all my categories in Alphabetical order. It looked something like this. I just put this in here so you could see it - this is not anything you cannot do nor is it formally typed.

Classroom Library

2. Then, I made the labels bigger, I color coded them (picture books, chapter books, non-fiction books), and I added a bin # to each label. These all will print on Avery shipping labels, 6 to a page 5164. Now your bin # may not be the same as mine, so if you actually do want to use mine (cause let's face it I think I'm only like the 1000th person to do some of these) and you need the word document, I am happy to email it to you.

Classroom Library Bin Labels

You will notice that I used the 'smiley monster font' which does not always use capital letters in the front, but again I am that OCD that I have changed the font for the beginning letter so that it is uppercase. After all, that is what I try to teach my students to do.

3. Stay tuned for the color coded bin # labels to match these that will go on the back of each book. For example, each Eric Carle book will have a small label on the back that says bin # 6 in blue. Those should be here soon. (man I have way too much time on my hands!)

4. You may have been wondering why I finally got to show off my new place this week. It was  for a Stella & Dot party. Have you heard of them? I am sure a lot of you have, but since a lot of my giveaways and deals have been for places that I try to introduce you to, I definitely wanted to share Stella & Dot with you. You can only buy through a rep. If you don't have one, my party is open for one more week (til August 6th, so you can just click on any of these links in this paragraph and then where it says "find your hostess" you just find my name: Sydney Cohn. Have fun. There are some great inexpensive and teachery (made that word up) pieces. For example, I love these:

and these

and this

I just can't decide in gold or silver, but it was a big seller that night. 

Can't wait to see how it looks hanging on my cool jewelry organizer. 

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Organization Crazation!

 What's a gal to do when  everyone else is prepping their classroom and getting everything ready for the fall and she doesn't have a classroom in which to do that? Well, she'll do exactly the same thing, that's what she'll do - but in her closet of course! Haha. 

Yep! In May when I had to move everything home it was more of a drop it on the floor type of situation. Remember (for those of you who have been reading along all summer) I was getting to move out of my parents' house, so for the time being everything went in a somewhat organized fashion on my brother's bedroom floor (thank goodness for older brothers). As soon as I moved out and had an empty closet again, this is what everything began to look like, a mini-school supply store in my very own closet! 

I already had the clear containers, they are actually shoe bins from The Container Store. I use them to keep my shoes in in my own closet and when I did a big clean out I had a lot one time, and well there's some OCD in me so everything has to match now! Each supply has its own bin. I like being able to see what is inside. 

top view of the shelves - on the very top, all the way to the left are my book baskets. They do stack if I need them to, but I actually have white cubby shelves that they fit perfectly on (those are in the garage and my mom stole one of them for my 20-month old niece's toys) - all baskets and shelves were/are from Target. Moving over to the right are some smaller bins for math centers (those were from the Dollar Tree).

Moving down below the book basket are larger and smaller plastic bins for larger items (base ten blocks, felt, magnetic geometry shapes, etc.) and smaller items (magnetic letters, numbers, I have Who has cards, other card games) - those bins again were from The Container Store. Some of the index looking holders are from Wal-Mart by the company Sterilite and then the plastic bins with the green latches are from Target. I keep flat games in those - Bingo, Scrabble, etc. (I don't like to keep games in the cardboard boxes they come in because they eventually just rip or break or something. 

Again more bins, more supplies, and the top three clear ones are just little school supply bins that I got on sale this year. Oh and on top is just one of my handy dandy label makers. 

Four big boxes - plastic eggs for centers, a treasure box, teacher books, one is filled with pencil cases, then the crates with handles are all of my book organized by category (because I am that OCD to do that before I put them in the baskets for my kids - I'm CraZy).

Same on the other side - more books, more supplies

Composition books, pencil cases, Lunchboxes from EmTanner where I keep Crayons and Markers during the school year. Small plastic case has pencil grips inside is from IKEA.

This was a plastic file cabinet I used for Word Work last year. On top are some Leap Frog Tag Readers for Listening to Reading behind are some more plastic bins (those are from Hobby Lobby.

My grade book - awesome freebie from Really Roper!

Organizing my bulletin board materials. I could buy stock in sheet protectors. Each different one has the materials in its own protector and then right into a 3'' binder. These particular glue bottles are from The Teacher Wife. I printed them directly onto magnetic sheets and they go right onto my white board

I did the same thing with these schedule cards. I printed these directly onto magnetic sheets. They are from the amazing Mrs. Carroll. 

These awesome science cards I printed onto cardstock and laminated. They are from Ladybug.

This paper is from Mrs. I. I love her paper!!! Our school had a poster maker. I made three, am backing them on poster board and then I can demonstrate on them with a Vis-a-Vis for Beginning, Middle, and End. 

Look at my stack o' laminating! Oh boy. 

I mean, it is thick!!!

Check out these CAFE headers. They fit so perfectly with my food/cooking theme. They are from Mrs. Jones' Creation Station. Please go give her some follower love!

My Listen to Reading. I really struggled with this for a while last year. Each book has its own Ziploc with a sleeve for its own CD. I have two CD players (I need to get one more). I have my kids wrap the headphones neatly and store them in a Ziploc so that the cords don't get tangled and knotted. 

Some more small containers for cards, etc. They are from Target. 

I'll be back tomorrow with more!

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