Saturday, February 16, 2013

Dollar Store Treasures- You have my heart...

You know those stores that you shop at so much that they start to know you by name, profession, coffee order etc? Well I have a few of those. The first being Dunkin Donuts. Although my heart will always belong to Starbucks because they were there for me during college when I was writing my thesis, Dunkin Donuts is filling that void because there isn't a regular Starbucks here in Dover, DE. Whomp- Whomp.

Every morning I get large black coffee and an egg white flatbread sandwich....every. morning. It started out just as a quick breakfast when I was running late, but now it is every. morning. It's ridiculous. They now know me by name, know I'm a teacher, know the license plate of my car (which is kind of strange and led to a conversation at the drive through window), they know I'm running late if I get to DD any later than 6:20am, and they definitely know my order. They also know that my order will change to iced coffee once it warms up outside.  This weekend I am going to try and make an "at home" version of the flatbread because this routine is getting expensive! You wonder why I crank out so many clipart sets to sell! 

The other store where they know me by name is....the Dollar Store. There is a Dollar Store right around the corner from me and it's deadly to my wallet. I'm sure many teachers can relate. However, when I see all the dollar treasures that I find, I forget about that :)

I made a trip to the Dollar Store a couple weeks ago and hit a jackpot (in my mind) and just never got around to taking pictures to share. So here they are! Prepare to get excited :)

These little sparkle clusters were in the gift wrapping section but the lime green and blue are PERFECT for my room! They are flat on the bottom so I am going to staple them to the corners of a bulletin board because I think they are ADORABLE! Nothing like a little lime green and blue sparkle in life :)

They come in packs of two for a dollar :)



My next exciting find was some bins. Hello, my name is Krista, and I have a bin problem. I really do. But let's be honest, teachers need bins! It's the only thing that will keep everything I buy at the Dollar Store organized! Although I have cut back on the amount of bins I buy (the reason being that I have most of everything I own already in a bin), I found these green bins and had to pick them up!


They are a great size because they are very wide and deep. They would make great turn-in bins because they don't scrunch the sides of papers, they are wide enough for notebooks and plenty of room to have a whole stack of them in there. Also, they are going to be great for putting out center materials because I can fit a manilla envelop in there and then any extra playing pieces of manipulatives that go along with the activity. Have I justified buying these yet? :) They are sturdy too- some Dollar Bins are pretty thin and can crack- not these babies!

I have saved the best for last....and if you have already discovered these and I am just late to the game, please don't crush my excitement :) I found the most precious little finger trackers for beginning readers....

Is that not the cutest thing you've ever seen? I just about died when I saw them (it was icing on the cake that they were green and blue which matched my classroom haha) My finger is huge compared to a kindergartener or first graders, so I could only get it on the tip of my finger. How perfect to have them finger track while they read and make the eyeballs "LOOK" at the words! Even though I know my third graders won't be using these, the first grade teacher inside me from last year couldn't pass them up, so I bought enough for a reading group of firsties....


They come in a bag like this:


There are SOOO many ways I could use these suckers! I love that they are called "finger spies" because then I could do a quick phonics game in small groups, too. To review vowels sounds or word chunks I could say, "I spy a word on this page that has a short "e" sound" and the kiddos would have to use their little finger spies to find and point to a word. They could also do this in partner pairs. I was also thinking they would be great for story retells, mini theaters, mini lessons on dialogue between characters....have I justified this purchase? haha 

I have many more things to blog about but I'll try and divide it up into posts so this isn't a marathon post like I sometimes do. I'll leave you with a few ink drawings of the clipart I'll be working on this weekend....I am finishing up a Police Squad Kids set and "hopping" right on to my easter/spring sets. I just can't get enough of this little bunny critter!

18 comments:

  1. Oh my word! Those finger trackers are soooooo cute! I will definitely have to be on a hunt for those the next time I go to Dollar Tree! Were they in the education section?? Thanks for sharing!

    Covered in Glitter and Glue

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  2. Oh my word!!!!!!! Ok, A) Love Dunkins (and Starbucks, but Dunkins is closer....) they know my drink too!!! Scary:/ B) I have to have those glittery thingies.....did they have them in pinks????? LOVE! C) I have to have those finger spy dudes!!! I think my 4thsies would LOVE them:) Too fun!!! Thanks for sharing:)

    4th Grade Frolics

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  3. Oh!! I love the finger spies. I have several different types of "trackers" for my kids to use, but those look extra FUN!! Yep, I've got to get some!! I just found some on Amazon.

    Dawn
    Adventures in First with Mrs. Key

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  4. I love, love the Dollar Tree! Whenever I go to town, I have to go by the Dollar Tree. Like you I sometimes forget my budget when I go in the store. I love all your great finds and have never thought of using the little fluffies on a bulletin board. Awesome idea!!

    Teresa

    2nd Grade Pig Pen

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  5. Love your finds! I definitely need to go shopping!
    Cheryl
    Crayons and Curls

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  6. You are making me laugh! My Starbucks is right down the road! They know me too! So does the lady at the deli at my grocery store. LOL! I call that great customer service! I'm in love with your dollar store finds! I think you inspired me to visit mine today. I'll be heading out soon. Thanks for sharing!!
    Gina
    Beach Sand and Lesson Plans

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  7. I am off to the dollar store tomorrow to try to score some of those finger spies for my K class! How adorable are those! I think if i rotate between those and my monster fingers I may get everyone to point everyday! That would be amazing!!

    Don't feel bad about dunkin- basically these is a mcdonalds, starbucks, and dunkin on the same block all on the way to school. Its the death of me AND my boyfriend works at my school so if I go and don't get him food I'm in trouble (some days I just hide my cup.)

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  8. I love this post! They know me by name at my Dunkin Donuts too! That is so funny.. they miss me in the summer time when I'm only going through once in awhile when my daughter has a sporting event on that side of town.
    I love the Dollar Store too. The finger spies are fabulous. I can't figure out how I would use them with sixth graders.. but you are making feel like I need to go out to the dollar store and see what else is out there!

    Michele
    Coffee Cups and Lesson Plans

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  9. My kids love the long finger nails you get at halloween. They are the ones that go over your fingeer, up to about their first knuckle. and have a really long nail. They come in a pack of 10, and cost $1. This year I bought a pack to keep at home, and a class set for each of the boys' teachers. They love them! I'll be watching for the finger spies now...

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  11. I also am completely OBSESSED with bins! Of any and all kinds! I can't help it. My husband seriously has to purposefully distract me when he sees that we are about to pass that section in stores. HA.. I really do feel like I should be part of an ABA "Addicted to Bins Anonymous" group! Glad to hear that I am not alone. ;) Love your color choices! :) I'm your newest follower!

    Carly
    First Grade Fabulosity

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  12. I love your blog! Just went to Dollar Tree today and looked for finger spies. They had one left. Hopefully they'll get more in soon. Thanks for the suggestion!!

    Aimee
    aimee@vanmiddlesworth.org
    Pencils, Books, and Dirty Looks

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  13. Awesome finds! I love the finger spies! I'm headed to Dollar Tree tomorrow!


    Stacy
    Live Love Laugh and Teach!

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  14. I've been a follower of your tpt store, but didn't realize all of the adorable clip art posts I was seeing on pinterest were from you until today! Love love love it! I am a new blog follower--and just a fun fact, I saw on tpt you're in Dover, DE...I'm in Lewes! Small world!

    Erin
    Creating & Teaching

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  15. Did you get those finger spies at a dollar store?? They are so cool. Haven't found them anywhere in North Idaho yet :(

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  16. Your clipart is so cute! What kinds of pens/markers do you use to make them? Adorable!

    Bri
    The Price of Teaching

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  17. Hi, I live in Spain. How much money cost the finger spies? How I can buy finger spies? Thanks. I´m sorry my english!

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  18. Can't u send me some finger trackers and I can pay for them pls. Thanks Andrea. Da_1_latina@hotmail.com

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