Magnet Tutorial

I hope that everyone has had a fabulous summer! I know that so many of us are in "back to school" mode, especially those of you starting school in a few weeks.  I wanted to share a tutorial for these super cute magnets that I made :) I saw the idea somewhere on Pinterest and tweaked it for myself to make it a little easier and cheaper.  Here is what you'll need:

~Flat glass stones (I got mine at the Dollar Tree but you can also find them on Amazon)

~Scrapbook paper of choice (I used a pack I had already purchased from Michaels that I keep for crafts)

~Black Sharpie

~Hot glue (any craft store, Wal-Mart, etc.)

~Round magnets (I found mine at Handcock fabric and used my teacher discount!)

Total price= $13.00 to make 100 magnets.  (I needed 3 sets of 30 and then had some left over) I purchased everything except the scrapbook paper and hot glue since I already had those.  

(The cookie sheets pictured are not necessary for this project.  They are just what I'm using to put my magnets on in my classroom!)

Step 1: Choose your scrapbook paper and lay it out on the table.  Using a sharpie, write student numbers on the scrapbook paper (no larger than the rocks). Make sure to spread the numbers out so that you can glue the rocks on top.  

*** Skip this step if you are not numbering your magnets.  I numbered mine with student numbers but if you are just using them for decoration, move on to Step 2.  

Step 2: Next, take your flat glass rocks and hot glue them on top of the numbers (or on top of the paper if you're not numbering your magnets) as shown in the picture below. I put a circle of glue around the number and placed the rock on top of it.  I learned quickly that I can't see where I put the glue through my rocks which is a huge plus!  Make sure to center your rock over the number so that it is even.  WARNING: The rock will magnify your writing slightly so make sure you don't write your numbers too big.

Step 3: When you're finished gluing down your rocks on top of your numbers, you should have a row of rocks as shown below.  Next, simply cut them out making sure to neatly trim the edges so that you can't see any access paper from the front.

Step 4: Lastly, turn all of your magnets upside down.  Using the hot glue gun, glue a magnet to the back of each rock.  I bought self adhesive magnets for that extra support.  I peeled off the back to the magnets and then hot glued them.  I'm hoping this will make them more durable.  

I totally should have gotten a manicure before doing this tutorial! 

Now, this is what the finished product should look like! (This finished product is another set that I made with different paper.  I can't seem to find the picture of the polka dot papered magnets, but same thing!!)

Some of you may be wondering what I plan to do with 100 magnets?? Well, I saw a super cute bulletin board on Pinterest where you use cookie sheets as magnet boards and students can move their magnets for groups, centers, etc... Since I do Daily 5 in my classroom, I plan to have a bulletin board for Daily 5 rounds (Read to Self, Read to a Buddy, Word Work, Work on Writing) to hold students accountable for their choices.  Following the Daily 5 model, students are supposed to check in before each round.  Magnets will be a super fast way to do this.  

Next, I plan to do have a Math bulletin board for Guided Math groups (which I don't completely have planned out yet since this will be my first year really implementing Guided Math). 

Lastly, I needed a third set of 30 magnets for students to check in each morning by doing lunch count.  A cookie sheet will be hanging on the back of my classroom door with different sections.  Each morning, students will use their magnet to their lunch choice and this is also how I will take attendance.  

When I begin to set up my classroom, I will be sure to add pics to the blog so that you can see the final product! I'll also be adding a lot of other cool organizational tips that I learned my first year of teaching! 

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