Do you craft in your classroom?

This week I am thinking about my morning work stations. Not all of them are closely tied to literacy, but they usually have some kind of tie in- even if it's just a log to record thoughts and pictures into. My personal favorite stations is the Creative Station. This is what you might call an "art" center, but more. The children in this center choose from several different activities that go along with our overall theme.

My favorite part of this station is scribble art (see info below about K Crew). The children use handwriting motions to make pictures. This increases their control and handwriting and the best part is that they think they are playing!! This picture is an example. I teach how to read the directions. We don't label each step and end up with the finished picture. These are laminated front and back with a small smiley face in the upper left corner of the finished side.

They can make a scribble art entry into their "dictionary", there is usually some sort of step by step art project with cutting and gluing, there are stencils, markers, rubbing plates (homemade I might add) and stamps. Sometime during the second nine weeks they start asking if they can add their art to their writing journals. I LOVE this idea and let them go for it, with a few sessions of modeling what is expected of course.


This station, along with a few others, are stocked with ideas from the ladies over at K Crew!
The have wonderful books on just about everything! I have used their Buzz Book for years and then started adding more and more! They have the coolest deal going on this summer. It's $5 fridays where one of their books is on sale for just $5!! You have to be on their email or facebook to get the code but it is SO worth it!!

I also wanted to pass this bit of information on... I was at Michaels yesterday getting the bag that I am painting with the winners name when I came across this sign atop and empty display... I KNEW the blogging teachers out there needed this info! The sign says in fine print that the 15% off all purchases runs 7/1-9/9/2011. We have two Michaels here and I had a buddy check out the one closer to her... guess what no sign. Good thing I had texted it to her. The manager at that store said that they had not planned to put that up until the mailer with that info in it came out (sometime later this summer) and he was surprised that she expected the discount.

I'd love to hear about your creation (art) station and what kind of things you have there.