I don't have a pencil!

"I don't have a pencil!"  "Could I have a pencil?"  "I need a pencil."
How many times have we heard that??  I wish I had a nickel for every
time a student asked for a pencil.  I also wish I had a nickel for every
pencil that walked out the door.  I have heard countless conversations 
between educators about the dilemma of the pencil. 
"How do we keep students from taking them?" "How can we continue
to provide every student with a writing utensil on a daily basis?"
Thanks to a friend from church (who made the comment one Sunday, 
"I just wish there was someone who would decorate my room
for me.")  I began investigating different classroom avenues for classroom
decor AND supplies solutions. 
 I saw this pencil trick on a popular craft store's website and decided to try it. 
The crayon crafts will be another blog!

Surprising, it worked really well and was so easy. 
First, take a sheet of foam (I love to shop at discount stores) and cut varying lengths. Cutting different lengths gives the finished product a better look.

Next, cut the foam rectangle in half. 

Use a variety of colors  OR if you are departmentalized, use a different color for 
each class.Now, you are ready to hot glue the foam to the pencil. Lay the foam flat 
and run a thin line of hot glue near the bottom (where it is solid - opposite of where 
you made cuts). Make sure that you do not include the eraser in the glued area. 
Keep the eraser in the cut area so students will have access.

When you are finished, you will have a container full of colorful pencils!

THE PERKS:
1. Not as expensive as buying flowers and tape to attach to pencils.
2. Faster to make than attaching silk flowers to pencil ends. 
3. The eraser is still usable. To make using the eraser easier, you could trim 
     the fringed ends.
4. Not as easy for students to 'dismantle'. Yes, they will probably find a way to 
    take the foam off, BUT foam glued to wood is very durable.
5. I tried to pull it off or unwrap it (after letting the glue dry) and was unable 
    to do so - with normal force. 

*** I am starting a new category in my Etsy shop called Teacher's Corner. In it I will offer things like the picture frame (above) and the pillow below at teacher friendly prices.

This pillow is made of classic teacher print and burlap. I thought that burlap would make it more durable for the classroom.  I only have a limited quantity of this vintage fabric available, so let me know quick if you are interested in having some for the classroom.  I am not selling the pencils on Etsy, but if you don't have time to make them, I will sell them here for $3.00/dozen + S&H. Send me a comment if you are interested and we'll set things up.
In the meantime........................
Check out my Etsy shop for other decorating items!

https://www.etsy.com/shop/GentleReflections?ref=l2-shopheader-name