The Best Pencil Sharpener, Now in...

I know I've blogged about these little pencil sharpeners before and have even given a few away, but today they are releasing their newest color - PURPLE!!!! You know you want one...

Not only are they the best at getting a quick, sharp point, they are also WAY quieter than most sharpeners. You know you hate it when kids have to sharpen a pencil and you aren't even able to talk over it. (Unfortunately I still have to deal with this in other classrooms in my building. Maybe I should encourage some of my students to buy them as teacher gifts?)

They're quiet, easy to use, effective, clean, AND they were actually created by a teacher! Plus they come in 6 bright colors. Classroom Friendly Supplies sent me one to test. This time I actually mounted it to my desk, which helped a lot because I don't have to hold it in place. It also came already assembled (even though assembling mine from a few years ago only took a minute or two).

I decided to take a short video to show how easy it is to use in case you don't want to take my word for it.

One little tip that I've learned over the years: avoid cheap pencils. This sharpener is so effective that it will rip the led out of those pencils almost every time. I stocked up on Ticonderoga at the beginning of the year, and they work perfectly!

These really are the best, and prices aren't bad either. You can even make school bulk orders! Go get yours now before they sell out!

Monday Made it + My giveaway ends tonight!

Whew! First week of school and a Monday down, got most of the new students tested for their first running records (mostly high kids), and now I'm able to relax and get ready for my church community group.

I decided that I wanted to participate in Monday Made-It because I HAVE been doing quite a few things recently. Plus I didn't end up putting together my Five for Friday since Steven's needed the computer more than I have and I didn't really take any pictures last week since the first week for me is pretty boring. I'm not going to give long descriptions for these because they're pretty self-explanatory.

I shared about my door decor a few weeks ago here, but now I have the file available for free if you would like to use it in your classroom! Click on the picture above to access it.

I talked about how I was going to paint two of my pieces of furniture that were looking a little shabby a WHILE back. Well, they are completed and now much nicer additions to my classroom, which is looking better than it ever has! This is a view of my reading and writing stations. The two black pieces are the ones I repainted. Then I bought the bins and made the cute black labels to show what levels are in each bin. I think it look SO much cleaner than before!

Sorry the lighting is pretty crappy. I'm using my phone for pictures, and it's on its VERY last leg. As in I'm buying a new phone this weekend after we get paid. Then we'll hopefully have prettier pictures! 

I also created my favorite set of literacy centers that are available in my TPT and TN stores. Who doesn't love Duck Dynasty?

Oh, and a fun personal made-it that my husband and his dad did for Keagan:

Phase 1: Activity board (the light is his favorite)

Phase 2: Chalkboard side to the activity board

Keagan is LOVING this! It's his new favorite toy. Too bad we don't have space at our house to keep one there. At least he has it to play with at his Papaw's.

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Okay, just a few quick reminders before I go:

I've had SO many people enter this giveaway already, but I want to make sure you know that it ends at MIDNIGHT!! If you haven't entered yet, now is the time to do so.

Jivey is also having a giveaway right now, and if you don't win my pencil sharpener, that's one of her 5 prizes! Go check it out. You will love her blog!

And I have surpassed 500 followers (YIPPEE!) due to this pencil sharpener giveaway. I have a little something up my sleeve, but I'm not quite ready to disclose anything yet. We're still in the planning phase (yes, we - I'll disclose that I'm teaming up with someone). Keep your eyes peeled!

Win a PINK pencil sharpener!

I'm so excited to officially announce this! Classroom Friendly Supplies has upped the ante and now carries their amazing sharpener in blue, green, red, black, and PINK!!! When I first got mine a little over a year ago, they only had blue and green, so they're really cranking out the new colors. I KNOW this one is going to sell out quickly, but for now it's still available.

If you buy the PINK sharpener right now, $1 will be given to support cancer research. What's better than buying something awesome AND helping with a noble cause?

Haven't heard about these sharpeners? Click on the picture above to read my personal review.

And even more exciting, I get to give one away (any color) to one of my fabulous followers!! The giveaway runs until midnight next Tuesday, so be sure to enter before then! I made this giveaway really simple, and there's only three things to do for entries. When you like Classroom Friendly Supplies on Facebook, please leave him a comment and let him know I sent you!

****IMPORTANT NOTE: These pencil sharpeners can only be shipped to U.S. Residents. If you happen to live out of the country and win, I will offer winner's choice of THREE items from my store to make up for it. Sorry about that...****

a Rafflecopter giveaway

And may the odds be ever in your favor! Today's my first day of school, so I'm hopefully sleeping peacefully right now in preparation!

Have you seen this pencil sharpener?

I'm sure most of you have. The awesome little manual pencil sharpener created by a teacher? I actually got mine at the end of the school year, and it was like Christmas! The only bummer is that it was literally the last day of school, so I had to wait 3 months to get to really play with it and try it out.

We finally got back to school after Labor Day, and I started showing it off to my teacher friends. My para had MAJOR doubts ("I have to actually crank it?"), but after a few trials, she was converted quickly.

This was the first week with students (remember, I'm a reading specialist - don't hate me!), and my 5th graders have really learned how to use it. They think it's awesome, and I think they might break pencils on purpose just to use it.

 How does it work? Well, you have to put it together first when you get it. There's only 3 or 4 parts, and it comes with directions (at least online, I honestly don't remember if they had them in the package). Then when you're ready to sharpen, you pull out the metal part (see below), and pinch the black thingies to stick in your pencil for a perfect fit. Once the pencil is in, let go and it holds your pencil in place.
This is important because you will need both hands to sharpen. One needs to hold the sharpener in place, and the other to crank.
SIDE NOTE: I couldn't get it to sharpen one day, then I realized I was cranking it the wrong way. If it feels really lose, try the opposite direction. You have to crank toward you.

Once the cranking gets really easy, pinch the black thingies to pull out your pencil. Here's my favorite part, they are perfectly sharp! Look at these pencils below!

The whole sharpening process is very quick, even if the pencil is brand new, so you don't have to worry about your arm getting tired. And it really is very quiet. Not silent, but it's WAY quieter than an electric sharpener or the old fashioned manual ones. Plus it's so cute! They now come in green, blue, and red. You can order one or even put in a school order for a VERY reasonable price. I love my sharpener!

WARNING: I just went to the website to link up, and they are unfortunately sold out right now. However, I will continue checking and post again when they restock. I promise it's worth the wait to get one of these!

Happy Friday!