Life at the Target Dollar Spot...freebies on their way

Target Dollar Spot:

I can't decide if Target Dollar Spot is a friend to me or not. It is summertime and I should be relaxing. School will be looming in front of me in just a few weeks. But... I was in Target and the Dollar Spot was calling to me (once I grabbed a Starbucks coffee). I just glanced over. You know where you just sort of sweep the bins cause you are totally in summer mode and not ready to think about your classroom. I resisted the call to check them out.

The bins were pretty chaotic so I was even less interested in exploring them and hit the main part of the store first. I raced down the first aisle (those bins were calling to me) and slammed around the corner.  Believe it or not School Supplies had taken over the entire back end of the store. Who knew? Nothing was on sale that grabbed my attention so I made sure I didn't even slow down. But then I noticed  black charts hanging on a back wall. BLACK. I swear if they has been any other color... Yup, black pocket charts for $1.99. I was sucked right into the Target School Supplies drama. I was not leaving those in the store, no sir.  So I threw 2 into my cart and knew I was now hooked. OMG. Target has hypnotized me back again  and it's only July. Please insert hanging head in shame. Now I knew I was checking out the dollar bins. What else was I missing? I had to pay better attention.

In the Target Dollar Bins:

As I looked more carefully I found all kind of bulletin board cut-outs that I could use with the kids at the beginning of the year. Oh crap, the theme was crayons so use your imagination. I was hooked. I took the big crayons and made color labels for them and used a ring to hold them together. 

I am a sucker for alphabet stickers since I can use them for all kinds of projects during the year. Right now I am using them for large glass gems so my students can do some alphabet activities. I always need more for my water bottle tops too. Score! I even found talking bubbles that I think will be fabulous when kids draw self portraits and write words in these. 

Can you ever have too many giant dice? Let me help you. No. They get grungy from those sweet little hands that use them all year after wiping their nose or using them after recess. Iwon't even remind you of the ones with glue on them. You get the picture. At the beginning of the year my games are simple. I am just teaching procedures so nothing fancy. If you want the backpack freebie you can grab soon. I will link it soon.

I was really excited to see scented bingo markers for a dollar. They were in some new colors, different from the Dollar Tree version. Here's a trick. If they get too juicy blot them with a paper towel and remind your students not to push down too hard. Good luck with that!

I am addicted to these markers because I use them early in the year for many different activities. I am working on a new one as we speak! "Spotlight on Numbers" just needs to be edited but I am using it in September for beginning number sense. I think the kids will really like this one. It is one of those packets that can be used throughout the year as their mathematical understandings grow. 

I have other packets in my TpT store that teachers have really liked so here is a quick glance at some of the possibilities if you want to know... Click on the picture to get to my store.

  

I only bought a few sets of these foam blocks but I am going to put words on them so students can build sentences. I will keep them simple at the beginning and scaffold them with sentence strips where some students will just match the words up. It will be important to keep all the blocks the same color and package them in separate containers. Wait does that mean another visit to Dollar Tree?

I am not sure what to do with these crayons gel clings but they are too cute not to purchase. I was thinking of putting them in the widow of our recess door but if you have a better idea I would love to hear it. I haven't used this before.

Isn't this banner adorable. This is such a great word for kindergarten. If you believe you can do it, you can... right? That goes for us too. So BELIEVE.

So that's it for now and if I have some DIY projects finished in a few days I will be happy to share them with you.
Target is not my friend. I am so sorry but I could not resist. I will do better. Hehe.
Happy Shopping!

Back to School Bargains for the Week... don't miss Fran's picks

It is way too soon for me to be thinking about going back to school but as I cruise around I cannot resist picking up a few million things. I love the Dollar Spot in Target but I try to be selective about my purchases. The file tote bag is a must have for three dollars and I could not pass it up. It is perfect for files you need to carry. I might get a few of them. They could be "cutified" for teacher gifts with a label and some adorable file folders.

The mini pocket charts are back and I love them for the kids to use at literacy and math stations. I bought the crayon banks because they will be adorable in my room and we collect pennies for community service and counting to  100. The banners were only a dollar and match my room to perfection! I cannot wait to use them. I can even trim a bookcase with these since they are small!

It was time to buy new mini buckets for each student and they had them in just the right colors. I was jazzed to get them and now I just need to make labels. I was dancing up a storm over this find! Woohoo I love containers. Stop judging. I get it.

My husband actually picked up the two sets of puzzles for me when he was in Target. Boy do I have him trained. I didn't ask for them but he gets it now! I can give you tips on this if you need some. I don't need these but he was so thrilled with his purchase that I was extra enthusiastic. Do not ever turn down a husband buying you things for your room. Trust me.

This bargain was a hot one to say the least. I walked into Office Depot with the ad in my hot little hand and asked where the scissors were. I was bummed because they were so crummy so this cute, young girl came over to help me get over my disappointment. Well first she realized I was a teacher and told me I had no limit on quantity. I resisted throwing me arms around this total stranger. Now I was a little more interested. Nothing was grabbing me until I hit the Sharpies and asked in my best teacher voice if  all of them were a quarter. She said probably not but she would adjust them. Holy Guacamole! Sharpie has come out with their version of paint markers that are great but not cheap. I had visions of using them on black chalkboard items to make signs for my room. I bought a few zillion and felt like I won the lottery! Woop! Woop! She told me the glue sticks were great and to grab some. I was not about to argue with this chick. She also grabbed twistables for me for a couple of dollars off the clearance rack. Life is good.

Next stop was the Dollar Tree and I loved these trays for students to use in work stations to hold their materials. They also had some cannisters that will be perfect for holding supplies. Once again they went with my decor so I was all over these. What's a dollar or two or three?

Costco has always been a dangerous place for me to shop. It should be called the Hundred Dollar Store. Who leaves with just one thing? I salute you and respect your control if you do. Naturally I hit the aisle with school supplies and flipped when I saw this set. I love binders in every color. White ones depress me. I know I have a problem? I am making a binder (or two) for each month of the year to hold my stuff. I need to be better organized... right?

By the way my whole room is going to be done in Pete the Cat decor. I am making it all so stay posted. My kids adore him and I am giving them what they love the most. That's why everything will be red, blue, and yellow with a hit of green. What are you buying and how are you doing your room this year. Leave a comment cause I want to know.

Target Addicts: Did You Spot These?

Seriously, I need to stay out of this store for the rest of the summer. I am not even kidding! I flipped out when  I saw the capital letter stamps and the dotted numbers. I can make a million activities with those to make practicing numbers and letters less traumatic. The little baskets are just the right size for the stamps and a small pad. Check it out. I will post some worksheets later to use with these stamps. I need TA (target for addicts) intervention. Do you? Ladybug Teaching Files is having a linky party for hard-core shoppers who can't resist containers,stickers, plastic stuff, teaching awards, etc. Does this sound familiar? Check out all the posts on her fantastic site. She has a blog that I think is rock star quality

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