Day 53: Smelling Tubes

For day 53, I was supposed to make something that requires mainly your sense of smell to use.

After spending all year as an Autism Spectrum Disorders teacher and absolutely falling in love with the position and the kids, I moved schools and jobs to a Pre-K varying exceptionalities classroom. It's bittersweet... I will miss my kids like crazy and I am scared to death of starting something new, but I'm also excited about the new experience.

So, lately I've been blowing up Pinterest with Pre-K ideas (much to the dismay of my followers, I'm sure) and found this one from ShareandRemember just a few days ago.  This is a montessori-inspired project where you fill up old spice jars with essential-oil soaked cotton balls and let the students smell the different scents.

I only have a few (I only had a few essential oils/extracts on hand and could only spare 3 empty jars) but will add to the collection as I go on. I also don't have printer ink, so my students will have to deal with handwritten labels.

For my scents, I used vanilla extract, cucumber melon essential oil (leftover from Lauren's bath salts) and Peppermint extract.

Day 51: Hedgehog Pillows

On day 51, I had to make something that would not usually be cuddly into something that was. I actually completed this at the beginning of the school year, but was so caught up on Day 50 that I never got around to posting about it.

To make these pillows, I just used scrap fabric to make the shape of a hedgehog and eyes, stuffed, and sewed.

 They aren't the most hedgehog-looking creatures and my students had a fun time guessing what they were, but they were a good addition to my reading library.

Day 52: Cookie Monster Bean Bag Toss

Okay, so it's been almost a year since I last posted on this blog. I've been teaching away and creating lots of cute stuff with and for my kids, as well as for myself, but I just  haven't been blogging about it!

But now it's summer, and for the first summer in years I have very little to do!
In other words, time to craft!
Already, in the week that I've had off, I've probably attacked about 20 things from pinterest, and I have more on the docket for today.

I've been better with keeping up with my toomanycraftstoolittletime blog, and I'd love for you to head over there and check out what I've been doing all year!  I also got engaged and had many friends get married, so there's lots of cute wedding-themed things over there!

But now, back to teaching 365.

Day 51 was to create a project that you have to completely flip upside down to use.  Now, this caught me up for quite a while and I just couldn't figure out what to make.

Finally, I made this Cookie Monster Bean Bag toss (inspired by Smile Like You Mean It) that I had been meaning to do for the longest time.  Of course, you toss the cookie bean bags in the mouth, and when you're done you open the box and turn it upside

down to get them back out!





To make this, I drew a cookie monster on scrapbook paper and mod-podged it on a box.  I cut out the area where the mouth is.  I then made 12 cookies out of light brown and dark brown felt, hot-gluing them and filling with rice.

This only took about an hour, and I bet my kids will love it!

Day 50: Parking Lot Sight Word Game

For Day 50, we were supposed to be a minimalist and create something using white materials.  I was a huge minimalist and only used one material... posterboard!! I created a parking lot game, from jugglingwithkids (picture from jugglingwithkids).  I just took white posterboard, drew parking spots on it, and had it laminated.  Now I can write sight words in the parking spots and students drive their toy cars to those spots.  They absolutely love it!!

Day 49: UCF Wreath

On day 49, we were supposed to work with quantity over quality, or work with a lot of something. I chose to work with a lot of scraps of fabric to make this rag wreath themed around my college, UCF.  This could work for any theme or any school, and I think I might eventually make one for my new Elementary School.

I made Gator wreaths for Christmas last year, and they turned out great!

Day 48: Jack and the Beanstalk Word Wall

On day 48, we were supposed to make something tall.  I made a word wall for my classroom that is 'Jack and the Beanstalk' themed.  I got the idea off of my travels through pinterest.  I just took a long piece of green butcher paper  and crumpled it up.  Then I stapled it to the wall.  I cut out a big cloud to put on the top, and the words say, "Grow with Words".  I then used a die-cut machine to cut out 26 leafs, and added a letter to each leaf.  As we go along and learn new words, we add the words to the letter they belong to.  Perfect for my fairy tale classroom!

Day 47: Musical Flowers in a Number 2 Pencil Vase

Today I was supposed to work with flowers - artifical, real, etc.  I decided to make my own flowers like the ones I made on my musical wreath last year.

To make these, you simply cut out a circle from a piece of paper, cut a spiral in the paper, roll up, and hot glue.

I put them in my number two pencil vase, perfect for a classroom!