summer time and the livin' is easy. aka too many DIY projects later...

one of my kiddos left this on the board on the
last day of school!

i hope everyone has had a fun and relaxing summer...i know i didn't keep up my promise from my last post in what, march??? ooops.... forgive me?? Well, to make it up to you, i have TONS to share....updates, ideas, DIY projects, and lots of photos!! so get excited, ok? GREAT.

my absolute favorite place to be... seagrove, fl (outside destin)
my family goes every year.
i earned my full week of laying on the beach this year! ;)

at the beginning of summer i was worried that i was going to run out of things to do...has that happened?? NO. I have kept myself busy and the time has flown by...why is it already the end of july?? 

• Question: who took a ton of stuff to work on from their classroom at the end of the year, and is just NOW starting to look through it???  

           that would be.....ME, ME, ME, Me!!!! 


when i walked into target about two weeks ago and saw this particular sign....i decided it was time to get busy preparing.... :)

i mean it is just cruel to children to have this up so early in the summer!!!!

ok ok...now to the good stuff! 

I am so excited to start using the 'daily 5/cafe' program in my classroom this year!!!...one of my favorite things about the daily 5 is the 'i pick' system and 'shopping' for 3 good fit books once a week!! i know that last year some of my kiddos would spend half our reading time searching for a good book....instead of actually reading a good book!!! I wanted my kids to have a separate place to keep their good fit books because i don't know about your kiddos desks....but mine become a black hole after about 2 weeks! ;)

I looked into buying the chair pockets, but they were a little TOO pricey for me. Natrually i headed over to my second home, hobby lobby...and picked out some fun colorful fabric to make my OWN chair pockets, or 'reading bags' in my case. 

• They are super easy to make, all you need is....fabric, thick elastic, fabric scissors, ruler/yard stick, pins, and a sewing machine (is faster)/ or needle & thread.

the fabric!!! (minus the top right...that is for my apt)

the elastic i used

you need lots and lots of pins!!!

my new favorite toy!!!!! i learned how to use it
this summer.....

 once you have all your materials...cut your fabric to the size you want them....make sure you have your 2 pieces of fabric 'bright side to bright side'...pin all four corner, and then put your piece of elastic inside of the 2 pieces, about an inch to the top and pin each side of the elastic to the fabric...so it stays in place!! Just like my picture below....

ready to sew!!!

make sure you only sew 3 sides together....then turn your bags inside out...ok now...you need to fold the top edges down and iron them so you can stitch the top to look more finished, and so they don't fray!!

finished bags!

I hope you could follow my (probably) confusing directions!!

next on the list....i made these adorable 'crate' seats for my small group table (i made 5)....that you can also use as storage! they are SUPER easy to make...

All you need is... crates (i got mine at wal-mart), thick foam (it comes as a roll, i got mine at hobby lobby), plywood to fit in the top of the crate (i got mine at home depot, they cut it for you for FREE), scissors, and a staple gun.

staple gun & fabric scissors  

home depot to get the plywood cut ready to be covered!

cut your fabric about an inch larger than
the plywood!

cut one piece of the thick foam the same size as the plywood and
a second piece about an inch or so smaller. place the smaller one
on the plywood first, then place the larger piece on top.

Then you just wrap the fabric around to the back of the plywood (pull very tight) and staple the fabric around the edge of the plywood! I also made small pieces of fabric to use as 'pulls' to staple on the bottom of the plywood. if you use the crate as storage, the pull makes it so much easier to pull the 'seat' up!!.... just like the picture below!

fabric to use as a 'pull'

now you've got yourself, your very own, crate seat!!! :)

 

all 5!

I had alot of extra fabric from the reading bags & crate seats so i made pillows for my reading area!! :)

pillows pillows everywhere

front

back

front

back

I hope you have enjoyed some of my DIY craft projects that i have had fun with this summer...if my quick directions didn't help you, please don't hesitate to email me...sophie.kranz@gmail.com 


Also...if you don't already have a pinterest account, you need to get one NOW...and if you do have one feel free to follow my boards (sophie kranz)...i will warn you though....it is soooo addicting!!!! 


i'll leave you with this inspiration for the new school year...

21 valentines???

heart day card via 2008

i hope everyone had a wonderful heart day this year... i am not usually a big fan of february 14th, but this year i think i'm going to like it more and more...getting to decorate the classroom for the kids, seeing how excited they are, all the fun themed activities leading up to the valentines day party (that our wonderful room mom's put together for us), and of course having 21 valentines. 

the kiddos had a blast, and i was exhausted....so the day was definitely a success!

these are my 2011 heart day cards...yes i used the same song...but its a perfect song, wouldn't you agree???...i think the 2011 card got a little bit more 'classy'... i had so much fun making these for my family and friends/co-workers! :)

more pictures to come of our heart day activities, valentine bags, and a glimpse of our party...so be on the lookout.

now i must get back to my 'hott date'....report cards.....

4 snow days and a project.

just to give you some background information....dallas NEVER....no way no how....ever ever ever cancels school due to 'inclement' weather....why you ask?? i have no clue...because when the weather forecaster  e.g. pete delkus (because he delivers) come on and says, "there might be a wintery mix on the way"... dallas shuts down, but the school district never does. we always brave the storm for education. BUT not this time around....we were granted 4 full snow days, and it was amaze....until i needed out of the house..... here are some pictures to enjoy....

you never.ever. see this in dallas. REAL snow.

just because. its texas.

this is when i realized i needed out of the house, and
missed my job....i was wearing a beret and
dressing my dog up in burberry.

on snow day #3....i decided that i had watched enough law&order svu, criminal minds, and sex and the city; they all always have marathons...and its hook line and sinker for sophie. anyways...last weekend i bought little valentines to make for my kiddos, so i thought this would be the perfect time to fill them out because 'normal no snow day sophie' would wait until the last minute to fill them out and my mom or sister would have to help. (i start WAY too many projects at a time, for those of you who don't know me)

here  they are in all their glory....

ok, this is the card that each kiddo will get...my mom and i found them at this AMAZING store, paper source at northpark. if you like scrapbooking, cards, stationary, funny/fun gifts, stamps, and/or creating in anyway shape or form...i advise you to go now. 

I wrote each students name on the card with small note... 'my favorite thing about you'...here are some examples if you were wondering ....you are always sweet to others....you are a great leader....you are a wonderful artist....you are a fabulous writer....i think you get the point. BUT each student has a different note.

then.... these are the envelopes i stamped and wrote their name on the outside in pink (i'm obsessed with stamps by the way).

this is the final project together....they don't look like much...but i'm pretty excited about them....and hey, they are better than the 'hello kitty' ones i would have bought from target, right??

i am also going to make them bags with their name on it...to play the part of the 'valentine mailbox', so they can deliver cards during the class party....also, we are very lucky in second grade with parent support this year, and they will have a present for each child to go home with....but since i am an excited 1st year teacher i wanted to get them a little something from me....they will each get one of my 'home made' cards, a fun valentines day pencil, and of course the ever popular conversation hearts.

so all in all that is what one of my snow nights consisted of....also finding like 30 (not an exaggeration) new centers, activities, worksheets, etc... for the kiddos to enjoy when we finally get back to school. yes thats right, sophie said FINALLY...working was never 'my thing'...but we won't get into that now...just know.... i'm obsessed with it now, so good thing i love my job! 

that's all i have for you today, hope you enjoyed....i know i enjoyed history in the making during my 4 dallas snow days this week....stay warm.

i ventured out today for lunch with one of my good
girlfriends....this was out the window of where we
were lunching. my favorite flowers.

before and happily ever after.

I wanted to give you the grand tour of my classroom....i am going to give you some before pictures...and then the after pictures to follow... get some popcorn and enjoy.

(our classroom theme is crayons...get it kranz/crayons.....say it out loud.)

Welcome to Miss Kranz's pack....come on in....

this is what i had to work with the first day i walked in my new  "home"
this is the back of the room.

desks desks and more desks.

the front of the room....

how was i ever going to start...were the thoughts going through my head...good thing my family is amazing and was willing to help.....but KATIE (my sister) was the biggest help of them all, i don't know how i could have done any of the work without her!!! let me remind you this was the end of july in DALLAS TEXAS and we had NO A/C....zip zilch zero...noooooo air.

the front of the room with a face lift....and katie hard at work.

the side bulletin boards....i thought i measured wrong....freaking out.

never fear....double up on the border and you'll be FINE.

my new chair i got from uptown country...my favorite home store EVER.

my RHS corner....katie made a 'voice' bubble that comes from the eagles
mouth and says....oscar the eagle says... i write on it with expo marker.

my small group table all jazzed up!

my back shelf....katie came up with the cute idea of setting up the books on display like a library. all (some) of my favorite books. 

my calendar wall....its interactive with velcro and laminated so the students can write on it with visa vi or expo marker.

our "drop off" station....
this is right by the door when the students walk
in.

classroom jobs

our math wall....for math vocabulary.

the science area....katie and i rigged and made those bulletin
boards. (the magnetic letter are no more. they are now
in a box safe and sound for centers)

our word wall....it looks good up high...BUT let me tell you,
it sure is a pain to add words to.

the table book baskets (excuse the books are all messy)

books, math tool boxes (for each table), chapter
books, and math manipulatives!!

this is outside my door, a student writes in chalk
to tell where we are if we leave the classroom.

my 'teacher' area...behind my desk....

lesson planning supplies and what not.

no classroom is complete without a mini
fridge....the plastic drawers are for each day
of the weeks plans/papers.

this is where i file all their graded papers...

teacher bulletin board, pictures and things that
make me happy.

Rules for D.E.A.R. time...we have it every morning
after the announcements.

"our poster closet"
this is where i keep all my posters....i just
tape them onto hangers.
i'm obsessed with making posters. 

reading wall.

so there you have it....the before and after of my "home away from home"....

Let me know what you think!!!