Better Late Than Never

So, as I was writing about the updates in my classroom nearly a year ago, I realized I never shared the "how-to" on my wall map that was painted a couple summers ago. I started writing this post, and was holding onto it thinking that I would save it for the next "Pinterest Challenge," which you can read more about here, here, here, and even here. But, one was never announced, so this post has been sitting in my draft folder for quite some time now, and I figured it was finally time to go ahead and it "Publish." 

I mentioned that I was starting the project, even shared the final product, but never really explained in detail the whole process. Granted, it's a simple process, and I really didn't take many photos along the way, but I still wanted to share in case there was someone else out there who wanted to attempt something similar. 

The first step in the process is to figure out what you want on your wall. I searched Pinterest for a map that had easy lines on it. As much as I love barrier islands, those seemed a little too tedious to paint. I settled on this map. Straight lines. Perfect!

Then, I rummaged through my supply closet and found some transparency films that my mom had salvaged from an old house. I printed the map onto the transparency film. The next task? Finding an overhead projector. Luckily, I knew that the math department had a couple stored away in a closet (perks of being the only social studies teacher in the math building) and said closet was unlocked over the summer.

At this point I bet you know where this is going, huh? Place transparency on projector. Hook up to electricity. Center it on your wall and get it to the desired size. Grab pencil. Trace.

I thought about adding a "You are Here" star on my map, but decided against it. If my students didn't know where Florida was on a map, we had bigger problems to deal with....

Once everything was traced, I returned the projector to the math closet and got busy deciding which states would be which color. I had bought 5 different colors of pre-mixed paint in quart size containers. Red, yellow, green, grey, and blue. I wrote the name of the color inside each state. Then I grabbed my brush and started painting.

These were both taken after 1 coat of paint. The grey covered much nicer than the red and the green. Probably because the grey was satin and the other colors were semi-gloss. Learn from my mistakes - don't use semi-gloss paint. Oh, and ignore that weird line going down through Montana and Wyoming; there was an adhesive strip that I still needed to remove.

I did the entire first coat by myself. Got a little messy in the process, but that's the fun part! A couple days later my mom came out and helped me paint the remaining coats on the map. It was nice to have an extra set of hands because we could tackle two colors at once.

The finished product:

Some other things that should be mentioned:

• I used a black sharpie marker to draw the dashed lines around Alaska and Hawaii
• You can still see the pencil outlines around the yellow states if you look hard enough.
• You can still see the word "yellow" in the yellow states if you look hard enough.
• I really shouldn't have painted Michigan blue; some students think it is the lakes and not the state itself. I have to remind them that there are five Great Lakes, not two. (And, yes, I teach high school juniors....)

As you saw in my most recent classroom tour, all of the walls got a fresh coat of paint, including the white around the map. I also added a border around the map to give it a more finished look.

Overall, I'm in love with my map! And the students love it too. It really has been helpful in getting the kids to understand where things in history are happening and not just the what and the who.

Things My Students Say: Awkward Ride

So you can imagine, as a teacher, I hear all sorts of random and crazy things coming out of the mouths of teenage students on a pretty regular basis. Usually, I just laugh and move on. But sometimes, the things they say are so funny that I have to stop and write it down so I can share it. And even though school is out for the summer, I've had a few of these in my draft folder waiting to be shared. I wish I was making this stuff up....

Student #1: What would happen if you jumped off the Empire State building naked?
Student #2: Well, that would be an awkward elevator ride up....

I guess they assumed that they would be naked during the elevator ride???

Cat's Meow: Favorite Toy

We've had our little man Cruz for about 4 years now. We adopted him from a local pet store shortly after I moved out of my parent's house so that Periwinkle would have a playmate. We had no idea how different their personalities would be!

Periwinkle is very chill. She's perfectly content with finding a comfy spot on the foot of the bed and laying there for hours on end. Cruz, on the other hand, likes to be the center of attention. He loves to play, and wants you to play with him.

When he was a kitten, we bought a wand to keep him playful and active. Little did we know that this wand would still be hanging around 4 years later, and it would become his favorite toy.

I seriously don't know what we'll do when this thing bites the dust....

Does your animal have a favorite toy that they've had since they were a kitten/puppy?

Weekend Adventures: Card Making

Over the last few years, my mom has gotten involved with her local VFW. She's made a lot of friends along the way. One of those friends invited us to attend a 'Cupcakes and Cards' party at her sister's house, who happens to be a Stampin' Up demonstrator. So, a couple weeks ago, I went to a card making party with a group of 50 and 60 year-old women. 

At this particular workshop/party, we got to make 13 unique cards. It's one of the larger parties that Dee, our hostess, has each year. She was crazy organized! We all got a large folder with 13 separate ziploc bags that had all the paper materials we would need to create each card. Then, there were corresponding tupperware containers that had the instructions and any of the stamps that were needed.

I didn't take too many pictures during the party itself - I had my hands full with ink and glitter - but, these are some of my favorite cards that we made:

I seriously love the fact that I've got a small stash of cards that I can go to when I need to send a thank you or a simple hello to a friend. It makes me want to get more involved in card making. But then I remember that we're still on a budget in this house, and card making supplies isn't a part of that budget. Maybe one day...

If you'd like more information on Stampin' Up, you can check out Dee's website here. 

Currently...

thinking - about everything we need to get done today

enjoying - summer vacation & sleeping in

feeling - refreshed, and yet tired at the same time

wearing - pajamas

needing - to put in my contacts

wanting - some breakfast

watching - Pioneer Woman

waiting - on the hubby to come home from a long 26-hour shift

listening - to the cats chase each other around the apartment

drinking - glass of milk

weather - sunny

I don't normally post on the weekends, but since I'm awake and waiting on the hubby to get home, I thought I would check in. What are you up to this weekend? Hope its a good one!

Summer Reading List

I don't get much time to read during the school year. Especially when the second semester rolls around and I've got my hands full with teaching AP courses. But I make a point to keep a mental list of the books I'd like to read so that I can check them out from the local library over the summer.

These are a few of the books on my list:

10 Days that Unexpectedly Changed America by Steven Gillon | I've already started reading this one. I've heard that some AP teachers assign this book as summer reading. So I wanted to see if it was something I could incorporate into my own AP course. 

The Divergent Series by Veronica Roth | My kids have been talking about this series for a while now. And now that the first book has become a movie, I'm all the more motivated to finally see what this series is all about. The movie looks good. But I wanted to read the books before watching the movie, because if I watch the movie first, I know I won't read the book.

A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry | This one should be a quick read. I bought the book years ago at a yard sale for a dime, but never read it. Our juniors are suppose to be reading this book as part of their English curriculum next year, so I thought I would read it and see how we might be able to incorporate it into both English and History.

A Land Remembered by Patrick Smith | This is where the if-there-is-time-I'd-like-to-read-this part of the list begins. And it begins with another school-related book. This one has two volumes, but I've heard its another quick read.

A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn | Some AP teachers use this as their course textbooks, while others use it as a supplemental text. I've heard a lot about Zinn's perspective on history, and I'm interested to read it myself.

Start by Jon Acuff | This book is actually on the hubby's list of books to read this summer. He just checked it out from the library yesterday. But I think I'm going to swipe it from him once he's done. 

Smart Money, Smart Kids by Dave Ramsey and Rachel Cruze | Although we aren't parents, I still can't wait to get my hands on this book. Towards the end of the school year when all the standardized testing has passed and we're finished with our curriculum, I try to give my students a few lessons on personal finance, so I'm always looking for new things to add to the mix.


What books are on your list to read this summer?

Cat's Meow: Fighting

We knew introducing a new cat into our home would be a serious transition for our first two furbabies. We just weren't sure how long the transition period would be. Well, nearly 6 months later, they still aren't getting along, as evidenced by recent scratch that appeared on Callie's nose.

We're not sure when it happened, or who caused it, but we assume it was Cruz. He's usually the instigator. And he's the one that Callie has had a tougher time warming up to. She and Periwinkle tolerate each other, but they still have their moments. 

We're still waiting for the day that all three of them will get along. Glimpses of that life happen on rare occasions, like when we treat them to wet food.

But we're keeping our fingers crossed that that day will come sooner rather than later...

Any suggestions for helping cats get along? We've tried nearly everything we can think of, so any ideas are welcome!