Category: Do-it-Yourself
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Working with Paper Puzzle Pieces
When your working with puzzles, it’s always great to have a little guidance. Whether you’ve been teaching for 1 year or 10 years, it’s always great to have some extra help. Here are some tips and tricks for working with paper puzzle pieces.
Tip #1 – Gather your materials!
Let’s face it. There are not a lot of puzzles for subjects like the 3 Branches of Government or animal life cycles. Time to grab all the materials, clip art included, for the puzzle you’d like to make. Save some time by having the source materials with you for easy access.
Tip #2 – Find some puzzle pieces!
When you have your designs all figured out, it’s time to decide what type of puzzle you want. Do you want the traditional puzzle or something different. Maybe a two piece puzzle or even a 3 or 4 piece. I have a few free puzzle templates in my TPT Store.
Tip #3 – Use strong paper!
If you decide to create your own, print them out on some durable paper. I bought a pack of 75 white cardstock sheets from Big Lots from $2.50. The stronger the paper, the longer they will last!
Tip #4 – Laminate them!
Just about every school has a laminating machine. Once you’re done print and cutting them our, get them laminated. Laminating the cards will help them last much longer. If your school doesn’t have a laminator, simply take them to Office Max, Staples, or a postal store (like Postal Annex) and have them laminated there, though it can get a little pricy.
You could always buy your own lamination machine. They can run anywhere from $20 to $100, depending on the model and make. I bought mine from Wal-Mart for $45 (including the 20 thermal pouches). They do sell starter kits for $20 which includes 3 pouches.
Tip #5 – Store them!
Now your cards are ready for student use, but where to store them? I’ve seen teachers store them in soap bar boxes from the dollar tree. Others have them in plastic bags with rings. If you’re on a budget, I’d go for the latter. You can buy plenty of zip-lock sandwich bags and label them accordingly.
Tip #6 – Buy them
If all else fails, buy them already made! Time is always a factor. If you need it by Friday and it’s already Wednesday, you may have to buy them yourself. There are plenty of sellers on TPT with tons of puzzle pieces sets.
Tip #7 – Teach Kids to handle with care!
One of the most important tips is to teach your students to handle the puzzle pieces with care, especially if you made them. Whether you plan to use them 1 time or 100 times, students should know that these pieces need to be taken care of properly so that student next year can enjoy them too.
I hope you found these tips useful in your classroom. Don’t forget to stop my TPT store for some printable puzzle pieces!
Create an AWESOME Coupon Book!
Do you have coupons or reward tickets in your classroom? Here’s a fun way to organize all those coupons and reward tickets you give out to your students in 5 easy steps.
Here’s everything you’ll need to make your book:
- Coupons/ Reward Tickets
- Scissors
- Stapler
- Scrapbook Scissors (Optional)
Step 1: Print it!
Print out your coupons. There are several different coupons/reward tickets on TPT. You can purchase my coupon book for only $2.
Print out your coupons. There are several different coupons/reward tickets on TPT. You can purchase my coupon book for only $2.
Step 2: Cut it!
Cut out each coupon/reward ticket. With my coupons, simply cut on the dotted lines.
Cut out each coupon/reward ticket. With my coupons, simply cut on the dotted lines.
Step 3: Organize it!
Add whatever coupon/reward tickets you like. Choose the ones that apply to your class. You don’t want a coupon for “Free Smartboard Time” if you don’t have a Smartboard in your classroom! Line up the solid black lines as best you can.
Add whatever coupon/reward tickets you like. Choose the ones that apply to your class. You don’t want a coupon for “Free Smartboard Time” if you don’t have a Smartboard in your classroom! Line up the solid black lines as best you can.
Step 4: Staple it!
Staple the book together in the center left-hand side.
Step 5: Perforate it!
Here the tricky part! Open the book. Cut about 1 inch into the solid black line on the top AND bottom of each coupon. DO NOT CUT ALL THE WAY THROUGH. There should be about 1 inch of paper still there. Depending on how many coupons/reward tickets you have, you can cut them all at once. You can use the Scrap paper scissors for cool wavy designs.
Here the tricky part! Open the book. Cut about 1 inch into the solid black line on the top AND bottom of each coupon. DO NOT CUT ALL THE WAY THROUGH. There should be about 1 inch of paper still there. Depending on how many coupons/reward tickets you have, you can cut them all at once. You can use the Scrap paper scissors for cool wavy designs.
Create books to give out to your students or create a book of the same coupon and hand them out as you go! You can purchase my coupon book which includes 15 different rewards.
I hope you enjoyed this “Create it” tutorial. This DIY coupon book works for just about any set of coupons you use. Be sure to pin this post to use anytime you need it!
1,000 Follower Spectacular – Day 8
It’s here, it’s here! I finally made it to 1,000 followers. I’m so excited! I wanted to have a small huge celebration. So big it would take an entire week to celebrate! Each day will includes spectacular new games, $1 Deals & freebie steals, and much, much more! You can find out more with in my 1,000 Follower Spectacular Invitation.
Let’s begin with the Gift Card giveaway of the Day! Today, you can win a permanent game license. That means every game ever made. Past, present, and future games! A prize worth over $300.
Today’s $1 Deal is for everyone. Someone requested that I make more backgrounds for powerpoint. I thought about it and decided. Why not? It’s part of my name. Why shouldn’t I have some backgrounds?
This collection includes 14 backgrounds in PNG format. I used my own clip art to create this set. Commercial friendly and easy to insert. Great for any powerpoint project.
Get on sale all this week for $1.
Today’s freebie is about everyone! Since I made those backgrounds with my own clip art, I thought maybe I should offer it as clip art too.
This is my first set of clip art. I made these a while ago but never really did anything with them besides make 1 or 2 backgrounds with them. Now you can make your own as well.
Comes in 10 colors and includes a B&W version. Formats include both JPEG and PNG. Commercial friendly and easy to use.
You can get this game for free all this week.
That’s all for today. Be sure to stop by my Facebook page for some flash freebies starting at/around 5 pm EST. Click “Get Notifications” so you’ll know when they start!
Liebster Award!!!
I’m so excited! I’ve been nominated for the Liebster Award!. Thank you so much M&M Bilingual for the nomination! I’d never thought I’d be one to receive this award but will gladly accept it! =)
This is such a wonderful button and I’m happy to add it to my blog. I’ve seen it on a few other blogs and had no clue how they received it. A week or 2 ago, M&M Bilingual nominated me and learned a great deal about it. The Liebster Award is given to new bloggers. It’s a great way to get support and encourage others as they blog!
1. Why and how long ago did you start blogging?
I started blogging way back in 2013. I was pretty new to it at the time. I wanted to share my thoughts about education as well as a little bit about my store and myself. I heard it was a great for me to connect with other educators. This definitely proves it!
2. What one word sums up the heart of your blog and why?
Passion! I love what I do! Even though at the moment I don’t have a classroom, I love education and helping others. Before blogging and my store, I just wanted to help students, but through my blogging journey, I came to love helping students, teachers ,and educators alike.
3. Is there something you learned late in your blogging journey that you wished you knew before?
How to schedule posts. I would always just write a blog post and post it that same day. About a year ago I learned how to schedule posts and now I could schedule them ahead of time! Makes blogging a bit easier.
4. What is your favorite pastime other than blogging?
Besides making ppt games, playing video games (Hint hint – that’s where the name came from!). I come from a family of gamers. We all love playing games. From board games to card games, computer games to video games, my family can’t get enough of them. My recent obsession has been Minecraft. I find myself playing it quite often, mostly for the building aspect. Who doesn’t love to build stuff!?
5. How many hours per week do you dedicate to your blog/TPT?
If it weren’t for sleeping, eating, and my niece and nephews, practically every hour. Since TPT is my full-time job, I try my hardest to put in 40 hours each week. Being self-employed has it perks. =)
6. What category of blog posts do you enjoy the most?
I love blog hops about classroom ideas. It’s great to go from one teacher/blogger to the next and get wonderful ideas that I can use in the classroom.
7. Where does your blog inspiration come from?
My inspiration comes my own experiences in the classroom as well as my day-to-day life. My youngest nephew is starting preschool this coming year and my oldest nephew will be in kindergarten this fall. They are also my inspiration!
8. Which post that you’ve written are you most proud of?
My New Year’s Resolution post. I had 3 goals this year —> Blog more, get healthy, and finish projects. I’m happy to say I am definitely blogging more. I am trying hard to get healthy. I’m exercising more and eating better. I am finishing up projects that I started so I very proud that I am sticking to those goals.
9. Is there a post that you are planning to do but have been postponing it for a while?
I have 2 that I plan on doing. One I know will be done before I go to the TPT Conference. The other is a post about using PPT Games in a new way (besides the traditional way). Pictures are the only thing keeping me for doing it.
10. What is your favorite aspect of blogging?
The writing! I love to write so it’s pretty natural for me to write a blog post. I’ve even written and published a book, not to mention notebooks full of fantasy and realistic stories I’ve written since high school.
11. Which idea from a blog would you like to try yourself?
Simply a blog hop! I’ve join several blog hops over the years and I want to try to do a blog hop of my own. The idea I have is very original and I think many will want to try it out. I love Jessica McClain’s You Ought to know Blog hop. It’s one of my favorites!
Here are some blogs that I follow and would love to nominate!
2. Cheryl from Techie Turtle Teacher
3. Mrs. McClain from Buzzing with Mrs. McClain
4. Kelly from Glitter in Third
5. Marine from Tales of a Very Busy Teacher
Rules of the Liebster Award:
Link back to the blog that nominated you
Answer the 11 questions posted by the nominator
Nominate 5-11 blogs (with less than 200 followers) and link to them in your post
Contact the nominees and let them know they have been nominated