Top 5 office to classroom ~ Life Hacks

If you follow me on Instagram, you'll know that I love posting life hacks! And I know that you all love them too because they are my most "liked" and commented on posts.  I've decided to make it easy for you to view my favorite SLP office Life Hacks which may transfer into many other school settings. 

5. Are all of your students taking your pencils? Simply mark your belongings with your favorite duct tape. It takes no time at all and if you are decor obsessed, you can even match your room with the tape. 

 4. Pom Poms are one of my favorite crafts. You can use them for so many life hacks. From dry erasers (glue to the cap of a marker) to EET warm fuzzies, (Product here: Warm Fuzzies EET Companion Activity) these soft fuzzies  are useful and fun. 

3. Old tights or socks make great rice packs. My students absolutely love making rice packs. They work great for calming sensory kids and are something the kids can take home to keep warm at night. Here is a blog post and free sequencing activity on making them. 

2. Keep germs at bay with this simple little trick.  My students no longer throw their dirty tissues on the table~ yay!  

1. I hate when my testing books get unraveled. Search your craft drawers for a bead that will fit on the spiral and glue it into place. You can also use clay for this trick. 

Bonus: This is one of those Life Hacks that I use at home and work. It saves time and frustration to know exactly what type of battery all of those toys and electronics use.

I hope you found something useful in this post. Let me know your favorite Life Hack in the comments below. Be sure to follow me on Facebook and Instagram for some new surprises to come. 

Step-by-step guide for painting wood furniture

I have been putting off painting some furniture because I feared the process and dreaded the work that I thought would be involved.  Well, like many things in life, thinking about doing it was much harder than actually doing the work.  The process wasn't complicated and the drying time didn't take long at all.  I was so pleased with the final results.

I have two different projects that I'm going to be showcasing here.  First, I have a set of dressers for my daughter's bedroom.  They were a dark wood and we wanted white.


  My second project was freshening up this old beat up shelving unit in my office.  

Supplies 
Screwdriver, medium (80 – 120 grit) sanding wedge, Zinsser Cover Stain Primer, latex paint color of choice, Floetrol, 2” angled quality paintbrush, water based polyurethane protectant. 

Prep

Clean off dust and dirt from the furniture piece and

remove drawers, knobs, and legs. Put sheets under the piece.  Sand if you must.  If you have uneven wood, scratches, shiny finish, you will want to sand.  The goal is to rough up the piece so that the primer will adhere.  I sanded my dresser set, but did not sand the wooden shelf for my office because the wood was pretty dull.  

Prime
I believe the trick to this project is to use the Zinsser Cover Stain Primer (gold label).  It is like a glue primer that adheres any surface without sanding.  So if you hate sanding like I do, you can skip the messy dust and go straight for this fast-drying primer.  

Paint 

If you used the bonding primer, you will not need to sand before paining.  I used a semi gloss latex paint and added Floetrol (according to instructions) and applied two coats.  The Floetrol is a conditioner which extends the paint and minimizes paint lines which leaves a more professional look.  

  

Seal
Because these are high traffic pieces of furniture, I sealed the paint job.    Use only a gloss water-based polycrylic sealer. Be sure to paint with the grain of the wood and seal the top twice for durability.  
Check out that shine! 

I took my dresser legs outside to prime, paint, and seal.  

Ta Da!  Here are the finished pieces.  The matching tall dresser came out so nice and my office shelving unit got an extra big makeover as I added chevron liner.  

Click HERE to see more photos of my speech space!     

There you have it, my step by step for a lasting paint job on wood furniture.  So stop thinking and just do it!  You won't be sorry. 

Life's a Beach ~Cabin Fever Freebie!

It's cabin fever week at my school and I went all out with my speech room luau!  Complete with  Hawaiian music, island food and festive decor, my office made quite the splash.  It was a treat to see the reactions of my students as they showed up for their sessions!

I found pomegranate coconut juice and offered healthy snacks of pineapple and watermelon.  Many of my kids tried the fruits for the first time and even ventured out to sample the macaroons.

Beach balls were bouncing, shades and leis were donned, but no current party would be compete without photo props.

I contacted Linda from Love the Day and she gave me permission to share her way cool Photo Booth props.  I look forward to sharing my students' pix with their parents at our open house this week.

Summer Photo Booth Props

Students worked on summertime games and activities while relaxing in their lounge chairs.  

Summertime Products

It's funny how mixing it up a bit can really cheer everyone up and help with the hum-drum of the same ol'.  If you're sick of feeling stir crazy with cabin fever shake it up with a luau!

Time for the FREEBIE!  If you haven't tried language logic tasks with your students, you're in for a treat.  I made a cabin fever themed logic puzzle for you to enjoy.  

Cabin Fever Freebie!

Helping hands! Card holder creations.

Years ago my co-worker made these fabulous and functional card holders for my students.  I needed more for larger groups and since I'm no carpenter, I decided to find some alternatives.  

In this image, students are playing an inferencing game from  Tie Dye Language

Duct Tape

My child is obsessed with duct tape wallets.  She's made one for every family member and is moving on to her classmates. It was no surprise to me that she found this great use for the wallets.  

Pool Noodles   

I love this one since it's inexpensive and so simple to make.  I could make 6 card holders with just one $1 noodle!

Snapping Blocks  

These are so popular!  This simple arrangement was made by snapping together two lines which formed a natural slot to hold up the cards. 

Or you could have your critical thinkers create something a bit more elaborate like this one.  

  

Check out Allison's blog at No Time For Flashcards for these fantastic ideas using everyday household items. 

I would love for you to share your helping hands ideas.  Feel free to share on my Instagram and Facebook page!