D.Z. Mars Creative

 My dishwasher bit the dust about a month and a half ago.  As I'm taking a year off work and going off my savings, I decided not to replace it and have instead been washing dishes by had. Oddly enough, I've found that I kind of like it, and I've worked out a way to get around the "gross factor" and keep everything rather not-disgusting.  I wrote and article for Hubpages that you can find here: I realize it's hardly anything earth-shattering, but I hope it helps someone in the same situation.  As a side note, my old dishwasher makes a great pantry!

Here's my first video preview on Teachers Pay Teachers: a new product that covers the four sentence types in a printable graphic novel type zine, complete with worksheets. $5 for the 12-page printable booklet that includes four worksheets. Worksheet format also included if booklets aren't your thing. Get the product here.

  It's hard to keep kids engaged with grammar. I always try to make my sentences and activities as silly as possible to keep the kids interested. One of my favorite ways to keep kids paying attention is to use their names in example sentences. I pick a numbered stick, ask the child if I can use his/her name in a sentence, and write the sentence on the overhead. The class corrects the grammar in my sentence or finishes a sentence starter with a certain grammatical task. Today, I created and posted a packet of "old school" notes on prepositions (5th grade Common Core skill). The packet features a Squirrel Banjo band. The worksheet on identifying prepositions tells a story of an annoyingly loud Squirrel Banjo Band, a visit from an (unnamed) president, and a happy ending for all involved. It includes two pages of interactive notebook notes (Old School notes are on grid paper and meant to look like sheets from before mass-production), a drawing and practice activity, and ...

 Here's yet another variation on my Halloween Cat color-by-something.  In this case, it's a Color-by-Spanish-Numbers (to 100).  It's available in my TPT store for $2.50.  Great way to keep the kids busy on Halloween while reviewing Spanish numbers.

 I put up a new product on Teachers Pay Teachers:  It's a French self-correcting riddle sheet (you can only answer the riddle if your French translations are correct) that focuses on color adjective agreement.  Uses "il / elle est" and some possessives. This is  compatible with lesson 12 of Discovering French Bleu, but it can be used independently as well.                                 

 I created a new post at Family Car and Van Camping about recording camping memories.  There's a free printable, too, for you to record your own camping memories.  Head on over to get the it!

 Today's activity included a new post on my Family Car And Van Camping blog about using shelf-stable dairy products when I go camping.   Shelf-stable dairy has been a game changer for us when we've gone camping lately.  Click below to read more.

  I'm back!  And here's my newest Teachers Pay Teachers item :  an "old school" (hand-drawn and -written on dot-grid paper) crossword puzzle featuring basic French ER verbs.   This can be used with any basic chapter on ER verbs for French class, but it is compatible with the list of verbs for lesson 7 in Discovering French Bleu .  It is an introduction and only uses infinitive forms of the 18 basic verbs. If it were up to me, I'd draw all my worksheets and assignments.  I love black and white ink drawings and find drawing much more relaxing than doing art on the computer. One of the things I like best about my iPhone is that it has a built-in scanner.  In case you weren't aware, you can go into "notes" on your iPhone, push the camera button in notes, and you'll see a "scanner" option.  I generally scan the item I want and then I screenshot the scan because I can then easily manipulate and edit the photo /scan in photos. This is also a n...

My students are starting to have a lot of missing assignments.  What can I say... it's that time of year.  So, over my Thanksgiving break, I made this cute little mouse missing homework record sheet . I figured others might be having the same problem, so I posted it in my store on Teachers Pay Teachers.

So, I've finally had time to make a color-by equation activity I've been thinking about for a while.  You can find it HERE in my TPT store. It's a winter holiday color-by-number for 5th-7th grade math students. This activity has numbers represented by equations. For example, the number 12 might be represented by the square root of 144; 2 squared times 3; 3 to the second power plus 3; 48/4; or just the number 12. In order for kids to enjoy this activity, they should understand exponents and square roots, as well as order of operations and different ways to represent multiplication and division (dot, x, fraction, slash, division symbol). This activity should not be used for students with trouble seeing small numbers or for children with dyslexia or dysgraphia. Picture depicts a bunny rabbit bringing presents to put under a decorated pine tree in the snowy woods. File includes worksheet, colored key, and copyright page. Roughly 1/2 of the numbers are hand-written and ...

If you're short, or you like long pants, and you're not into high heels, you might find yourself with your pants dragging under your heels and getting wet when walking through grass.  Or, maybe you're into buying too-big pants for your kids so they can grow into them, but you don't want them tripping over their pants legs... whatever works... Here's a quick tutorial for how to make magnetic strips that keep your pants rolled up.  They're cheap and quick to make, and if you color-coordinate them with whatever you're wearing, you'll look super-awesome as well ( I made that last part up ). You will need: -A piece of felt in whatever color you want -Coordinating thread (and a needle if not using a machine) -Four super strong round magnets Cut a strip of felt about an inch to an inch and a half wide.  Make sure your magnet can sit on it and have a border around it.  The strip should be as long as you want it, plus about 2"-3" extra.  ...

As a fun little side project, I created some Rubber Ducky themed PDF printable nameplates.  I may actually use these in my classroom this year, as my theme colors are turquoise/teal, lime, and black.  If you're interested in having these in any other color combination, please feel free to contact me on the teacherspayteachers comment section for this item! :)  I may turn this into a whole theme at some point when I have more time. Click on the photo or here to get to the link.

That pile of "stuff" in the corner                                  If you live in a tiny place or just don't have enough storage in your home, you may end up with a pile of "stuff" in a corner. OK, it's neatly stacked up and it's in storage bins, but when it's in a room you frequent every day, it might ruin the visual appeal of the room. Here's how to make a quick fabric storage panel / curtain (also works as a freestanding headboard for a bed!), with no tools, little time, and if you plan it right, for under $45. You can probably put the whole thing together in under 20 minutes, which is great for the "instant gratification" DIY set (of which I am part). What you'll need: -A fabric shower curtain (72"x72" is standard) -Shower curtain hooks (will not be visible, so buy the cheap kind) -A rolling garment rack that stands at least 72" high and extends to about that wide (less is ok on...

I've been working on ways to cover my shelves and make my room look more unified, all without spending too much money.  Here's how I've been doing this: Take black butcher paper and cut to desired size. Put a cute picture from a calendar in the middle (Dollar Store calendars rock) Put a border at the bottom. Laminate the whole shebang. Attach with a strip of color-coordinated duct tape to the shelf above. If you're working with a very wide shelf, it might be a good idea to make separate "doors" that are half or 1/3 of the width of the shelf.  That way, you don't need to lift a long, heavy flap.  Just lift the little door you want to move. As an added bonus, you can say, "Hey, Joey, go get a dictionary.  They're behind the tiger!" The side of my cheap utility shelves that make the side of my classroom library area:   Covered back side of my (sagging) utility shelves.  I store class library books on the other side...

So, this year, I'm trying really hard not to spend a ton of money on my classroom.  I think last year, I spent well over a thousand dollars, which is kind of silly.  This year, I want to totally change my color scheme (from every color known to man in a dizzying melange guaranteed to induce hyperactivity) to teal/lime/black.  I'm hoping to accomplish this with spray paint made for plastic (Rustoleum in light blue and lime green) and black background paper.  I reallllly want to buy black fabric, but I don't want to spend even more than I'm already spending. This is part one of how I am uniting my color scheme for (somewhat) cheap this year.  I will do more posts when I can actually get into my classroom, which is currently being used for a summer academy, I've been asking around for those cruddy wire shelving storage cubes that get put together with the corner connectors.  Everybody seems to have some to give away because they fall apart.  The tr...

Here are several days' worth of activities and plans that are compatible with Lessons 1 a,b,c of Discovering French Bleu (lesson numbers are for Nouveau edition, although it is the same vocab as in previous editions).                                       Includes the following topics: basic greetings, introductions, number 0 to 69, how to ask from where people originate. This PDF has 17 pages which include: -Cover -3 pages of instructions, plans, and games -3 pages of interactive notebook printables -3 pages of keys for the notebook -Printable "I have, Who has?" game -4 pages of vocabulary flash cards -A vocabulary crossword puzzle -Key to the puzzle

I spent most of this morning creating a new printable center for my teacherspayteachers store. This item features a Sherman's March to the Sea / Civil War printable file folder center activity that doubles as a worksheet. The questions on the worksheet are compatible with pretty much any book (trade or text) having to do with Sherman's March. This center activity is perfect for independent research in a trade book- and internet- based classroom. This center is a self-checking riddle sheet. If the students correctly answer each question, they will solve the answer to the riddle. If it is not correctly completed, the riddle reply will not make sense. The Common Core requires students to analyze primary sources, including photographs and art. Included in the center is an essay involving a series of three images / photos of Sherman's March. Students are asked to evaluate Sherman's tactics and methods and the ethics involved, while using details from the images as sup...

I've been a good and prolific little writer as of late.  Today, I wrote an article on my Hubpages about how I built a free-standing pet gate with no tools and under $25.  I actually came up with the idea just by wandering around and around in Home Depot until the moment came to me. Click here to read the article. Here's what the finished product looks like:                                                    I'm rather proud of it.  My cats have not found a way to jump over it or move it in the week and a half  I've had it up. The best part about all this is that I can now have my bedroom door open again... haven't been able to do this since M-the-bed-peeing-cat moved in 5 years ago.  Now, in winter, my bedroom won't be 20* below zero at night!  The humidity level from the shower won't make the room turn into a mini-Juma...

One of the topics about which I'm very passionate is that of real food.  I mostly eat "junk" only when I'm out somewhere and eating for entertainment value as opposed to nutrition.  Almost everything in my kitchen is a basic ingredient that can be turned into a meal: millet, rice, barley, vinegar, oil, vegetables, fruit, etc.  On the occasion that I have boxed foods (I have a secret addiction to plastic-pouch Indian foods), I make sure every ingredient is easily identified. I think one of the main issues in this country is that of fake / faux foods.  I've seen coworkers or friends proclaiming they need to be "good" and eating nothing but iceberg lettuce sodden with low-cal, low-fat ranch dressing.  This is actually not good; there's practically no nutrition in that.  At best, you'll end up hungry, and at worst, you'll end up with cravings (which tell you you're missing some actual real nutrient) that will drive you to an eating binge la...

                                     I was sitting here at home minding my own business when my cats began dashing back and forth across the patio slider door, slamming themselves in to the luckily cat-proof pet gate I had created for it ( click here for directions ).  On the other side of the gate, this crazy chipmunk baby was not only eating my green beans but also slamming into my screen door as the cats slammed on it from the inside..  So they were pretty much slamming noses across the screen, which, had the screen not been there, would have been bad news for the chipmunk.  There was a whole lot of slammin' going on over here, if you can't tell. Total wildlife trying to get in through my patio:  many worms (who manage to slide under  the closed glass patio door;  one bullfrog who also liked to slam repeatedly into the door to try to get in (my Prince C...