How to Make Phonics Phones + Why Home Depot Hates Me

This project has been on my to-do list for a long time but I never got around to it last year. This is a very simple and inexpensive project but can be a bit intimidating to figure out the right supplies. So, I'm here to show you how I did it!

First, I just want to say that every time I walk into home depot I swear everyone runs in the other direction. Between wedding projects and classroom projects, I have had a lot of odd requests. They will pretty much cut anytime for you, but not happily. Every time I tell someone what I need done, I get a long sigh and an eye roll. Oops :) 

To do this project, go to the PVC pile aisle and grab a long pipe (like 10 feet long), 3/4" in diameter. This long pipe costs $1.87. Next, smile sweetly at a worker nearby and ask if he will cut it for you. After ignoring his attitude, tell him you want it cut in lengths of 3 and 1/2 inches. This will be enough pipe for about 30 phones. I'm not planning on using that many, so I will probably donate the rest to another teacher (any takers??) 

While he is cutting the pipe, nearby you should see elbow joints. Find 90 degree joints, you need two for each phone. I'm planning on using 12 phones for my classroom, 6 for my small reading groups, and 6 to keep in my classroom library, so I bought 24 joints. These are 46 cents a piece. I also bought "abrasive grit cloth" to sand down the ends that bowed out a bit from being cut. In the end, I didn't really need this. I also bought duct tape to make them a little fancier--rainbow for the girls and batman for the boys.

The hardest part is gathering materials, the rest is a piece of cake. Here are the self-explanatory steps: 

The joints will slide right on with a little muscle. I didn't use glue, assuming my students won't tear them apart. Now that I say that, I have a feeling I'll be gluing elbow joints back on all year long...... :)

Phonics phones can be used in many ways! In small groups, students can "whisper read" into them, which allows you to listen to many readers at once. It also helps students discriminate between different sounds, which is especially helpful for students who easily mix up sounds. Phonics phones can also be used to motivate students to read to self in the classroom library. I can't wait to use these in my classroom!

Next up: I bought a tool chest of drawers from Menards to turn into an organizer for office supplies. Good times.

The Best Week EVER!

It still hasn't sunk in completely that I officially have a BIG GIRL JOB! Teaching contracts, benefits, IPERS...all that good stuff! All that hard work has PAID OFF and it feels amazing. I'll be teaching kindergarten at the school I am currently a long-term sub at. I'm so excited to be able to stay where I am--I feel comfortable there, I know the staff and students, and it's just a really great place to be!

The original excitement is starting to fade a little, and I'm realizing I have a lot of work ahead of me. I may not have the carefree summer I had envisioned, but I am 100% ok with that! I have started collecting tons of ideas for my classroom and got some great things at garage sales this morning.

I feel so incredibly lucky to have this job. I know I'm one of the lucky ones getting a teaching job right out of college; there are a lot of teachers out there and not a lot of jobs right now. And to get my DREAM JOB right out of the gate?! Are you kidding me! I was very stressed for a few months of no interviews, but now I am so RELIEVED I can enjoy the summer and have 3 months to start planning for next year!

My favorite part is that I can say, "I'm a kindergarten teacher!" :)

Melting My Heart

Yesterday was a bad day. My hopes were as high as they could have been and came crashing down after a very bad experience in a tattoo shop. I will admit I let it affect my mood for the rest of the night more than I should have. I tend to do this a lot, but I'm working on it. I should have said, "Screw you, man!" and moved on with my life. There are worse things in life. Much worse. I need to keep it in perspective.

I woke up today still a little down in the dumps and not real motivated to go to school. But alas, I must pay the bills! I went to school...and I had a fantastic day. The kids were wonderful and sweet and helpful and I just really enjoyed teaching and being with kids.

All day long the kids had been asking me about the locket necklace I was wearing and wanted to see the picture inside. Being as I got it last week at Forever 21, I had no sentiments to it, and it was empty.

In the middle of the day, a little boy brought me a piece of paper with two stick figures on it. He told me it was for my locket since I didn't have a picture in it, and he wanted to give me something so I will always remember him by. My heart instantly melted! It was such an innocent and thoughtful sentiment. Just what I needed today. I gave him a big hug and a gracious thank you. Soon, I had 3 other kiddos coming up to me with their own illustrations for my locket. I happily fit them all in there.

It's things like this that rejuvenate me everyday and make me feel so blessed to be in the profession I am. Even if I'm not in the best of moods, there will always be a child who will instantly brighten my day and warm my heart right up!

More Than A Teacher

Yesterday felt like kind of a bummer post. I just wanted to inform you all that today I had a fantastic day and made some important connections. I have high hopes. In the spirit of all this teaching talk, here is a little diddy I found online today that made me smile. I have a lot of teacher friends that read my blog, so this is for you!

What's In My Bag?

This theme has been floating around blogs for awhile now, and I always think it's interesting. Hopefully you think so, too!

I have two bags to go with both sides of my life. The first bag is my teacher bag that I take with me to school everyday. The second bag is my purse that I use when I'm beeboping around town or going on all those romantic dates Kevin takes me on. I want to start by saying everyone in my life hates this purse and thinks it's stupid. However, every single time I come across someone new, they LOVE it. I mean, who doesn't love a fox purse that comes equipped with ears, button eyes, and a floral print? I was very hesitant to buy this purse for the simple fact it had EARS. But (staying true to the meaning behind this blog) I am an 8 year old in a 23 year old's body and I knew I had to have it. And, I got it on sale at Target for $10! What do you think? Love it or hate it?

So... here's what's in my bag!

Sunnies: Forever 21, $5
iPhone: $50!!! (That never gets old!)--I'll be posting DIY cover ideas tomorrow!
Earbuds: I listen to music constantly
Lipstick: Freebie from Clinique (Thanks again, Grandma!) This is a 4 color palate with a brush. It's the perfect amount of matte and gloss
Wallet: Gift from my aunt for my 21st birthday... been using it ever since!
Chapstick: Damn wintery lips
Sub card: This is a "business" card I leave after all my sub jobs, a little self-promotion on my way to securing more sub jobs! I always carry one around with me, you never know who you're gonna meet!
Sharpie pen: My favorite kind of pen
Gum: You don't want janky breath!
ID badge: There are SO many stores that offer educator discounts! I always carry this with me just in case
Keys: Shows how few responsibilities I have... car, apartment, mailbox; Napoli keychain, bracelet from my little buddy Haley, and spreading that peace!

My second bag is also a favorite. I got it super on sale at Target for $4! It's big and it has lots of pockets. I also love the print on it.

Planner: I am OCD, I love crossing off items on my to-do list, and I love seeing all those sub jobs lined up!
Lunch box: Insulated from my mama! No school lunches for this lady.
iPhone: Oh, did you know I got it for $50? I'm sorry. That's the last time you'll hear that.
Camera: For taking pictures of great ideas I see in classrooms
Water bottle: I drink about 2 of these a day! I got to boot camp everyday and need to be well hydrated!
Wallet: Usually empty
Emergency books: A few of my favorites just in case I come to a class with no sub plans!
Bag o'Sharpies: I'm obsessed. See the DIY here.
Sub cards: More self-promotion. Secretaries, I'm coming for you!

There you have it. I feel like that was way too much information for a "What's In My Bag?" post but I'm ok with it. If you see me on the street, please don't mug me.

Messy Side Bun

I workout every night, therefore take a shower every night because boy am I sweeeaaaatttyyyyy! Stick with me, the point of this isn't about how much I sweat.

Because I take a shower at night, I don't see the point in showering again in the morning. However, now that my hair is pretty long it always looks cracked out of its mind in the morning. So, I have been rocking the messy side bun pretty much everyday. (The good thing about subbing is nobody realizes you are rocking the same hair-do day after day).

I found this picture on Pinterest and I thought it was very pretty and I liked the description that accompanied it, and it looks similar to what I create in the mornings. I thought I'd share it with you in case you have cracked out morning hair as well.

Disclaimer: For those of you who don't know me personally, this is not me. I'm waaay prettier ;) ;)

Here's what you do (partially my directions and partially from the pin on Pinterest)

1. Tease hair all over. Emphasis on teasing the hair on the side of your head and at the crown. Note: I usually tease the body of my hair as well because my hair is very thin. This makes for a fuller bun.
2. Secure hair with an elastic in a mid to low side pony a couple of inches behind your ear. We suggest putting the pony on the opposite side of your head as your part.
3. Create a messy bun by spreading all the hair in the pony out evenly from the center of the ponytail. (I realize that sounds confusing but I don't know how else to word it). You can opt to leave some front pieces of bangs out to make for a more flowy look.
4. Give it a spritz of hair spray and let dry for a few seconds.
5. Pull the hair in your pony up to make another bun and secure with an elastic. MAKE SURE you have long ends sticking out. This will be kind of a baby bun.
6. Now you get creative. Take the ends that are sticking out of the bun and begin bobby pinning them in different areas around the base of your bun, near the elastic. Play with it to get your desired look.
7. Hair spray the crap out of it.
8. Curl the (optional) loose ends you left out. I usually pin mine back loosely to keep them out of my way while I'm teaching.
9. Spray some more.
10. Enjoy your extra 20 minutes of sleep by rocking this beautiful hairdo.

{{If you know the source of this photo, let me know! The link on Pinterest doesn't lead anywhere and I want to give credit where credit is due.}}


And here is my take on the messy side bun after a full day of teaching and headed out on a date with my boy.

And here's the great part about having a brooch bouquet for your wedding: you can wear the brooches until then. I got this one from my BFF Tonia. What a lady.

{{Dress: Heritage 1981 and you can also find it at Forever 21. I got it on sale for $13! I wore it with purple tights and grey boots. I am in love with the outfit and it might be my new favorite. I tried to get Kevin to take my picture to make an outfit post out of it but he said that was stupid. He doesn't understand blogging. Maybe I'll have to awkwardly do it my self with photo booth and hope nobody sees me. I feel so awkward taking pictures of myself.}}


Hope you guys have a great weekend! I'm headed to boot camp this morning (Saturday morning workouts are quickly becoming my favorite thing) and my grandparents are in town so I am looking forward to having lunch with them. What are you guys up to?

Be Back Soon!

I will be absent from the blog for a little while... I have my first big girl job interview tomorrow! I've been practicing my answers to questions and typing them out to help me, getting my portfolio perfected, and deciding what to wear. Wish me luck!

I have been wanting a blazer for awhile, and have been looking around, but I wasn't ready to spend a lot of money one one. I looked at express and I couldn't find one for less than $100. I bought this blazer from Forever 21 for $24 and I love it! I bought it before I knew I had an interview, but now I'm glad I have it. I had planned to wear it for fun but I think it will be perfect for my interview. I love it with a dress, tights, and boots, too!

Blazer: Forever 21
Blouse: Forever 21 (I thought my outfit needed a pop of color)
Pants: Younkers (my mom bought them for me when I started my very FIRST field experience at UNI! Now I'm interviewing for my first job)
Shoes: I got them back in high school, all I remember is they were on sale. I'm not a big heal wearer, and I didn't want to wear flats for my interview. I'm confident I won't trip over my own feet in these little guys.
Necklace: Graduation gift from my parents. I thought it was a good sentiment to wear to an interview. Maybe it will bring me good karma.


(OK, so I know it sounds like I'm putting waaaay more thought into what I'm wearing than my answers. I promise I'm not. I just needed to take a break from practicing questions.) :)

End of One Chapter

Today is my VERY last day of student teaching. Which also means it's my very last day of required college attendance. Which means I'm basically a college graduate. WOOOOO!! I'm an alum!

In honor of finishing up my requirements, I made some goodies for my class. I will miss those little boogers and the teaching staff sooo much! It was a great experience.

Crayon Wreath

What you need:
Cardboard -- Anything sturdy and circular, I've also seen embroidery hoops used
Crayons -- I used 48, but you can use 64 for a bigger wreath
Hot glue
Fabric or ribbon -- Anything you want to use for an embellishment
Scissors

Cut circles out of your cardboard. I didn't do a very good job of taking pictures of this part. Once you have the outer circle drawn. You're going to need to make it look like an "o" by cutting out the middle. You want a semi-thin circle.

 Cut out fabric to cover up the ugly cardboard

 Secure the ends with hot glue and wrap around, over-laping as you go.

Lay out your crayons so you have a general idea how to space them. Start glueing your crayons down with hot glue. The crayons in the top right corner have been glued down. I wanted to be sure all the labels faced up and all the crayons were glued similarly.

I made a few fabric rosettes to glue on, but that is certainly optional. I cut out a strip of fabric to use to hang the wreath.

I kinda want one for myself now.

I also thought it would be fun to include what I made my my kiddos.