Get to Know You Necklace Freebie


I'm so excited to be partnering up with Michaels for their #Create2Educate Instagram Sweepstakes! First, I'm going to share one of the projects I do to start each year using some of the great products at Michaels, then at the end of this post, you can learn more about how you can have the chance to win a $50 gift card to stock up your classroom craft cabinet!
This is a great craft project for the first few days of school and it's a fun twist on the traditional "all about me" activities. I loaded up on beads and supplies from Michaels to get a head start on this year's necklace:



Basically, the kids follow the glyph, or code, to assemble a necklace that will tell things such as their age, how many pets they have, their likes and dislikes, etc. 
Click HERE to get the two printables below for the project:
I usually have the kids work on paper plates and arrange their pattern. This keeps most of the beads off the floor. I also have the kids wrap one end of the string around their non-dominant hand to keep the beads from sliding right off as they put them on. Trust me - that comes from years of experience...



When the beads are all on, I help them tie the cords. As soon as the whole class is finished, we roam the room wearing our new necklaces and use the "Find Somebody Who..." sheet to learn more our our new classmates! The kids always love this project and they end up wearing the necklaces long after that first day. If necklaces aren't your thing, try keychains or bracelets.

Michaels knows that fun projects like these are not usually funded by our schools and it's usually the teacher who spends their own money to bring creative project like this one to the classroom, so Michaels is kicking off the 2013/2014 school year with the #Create2Educate sweepstakes!

The guidelines are pretty simple:
Create your own Back-to-School project—anything from classroom décor and organization, to a learning activity for your students. Then, enter the Michaels sweepstakes by uploading a photo of your creation to Instagram using #Create2Educate.
Each day we’ll feature our favorite Instagram photos on the Michael’s #Create2Educate Pinterest board, and we’ll randomly pick one lucky teacher daily to win a $50 Michael’s Gift Card.  

Create as many Back-to-School projects as you’d like and upload photos of them to Instagram for more chances to win.

#Create2Educate opens for entries on July 21st and closes on August 3rd. Head to Michael’s and get inspired today.


Don’t’ forget that teachers get 15% off of their purchase all year long at Michaels!


When I went shopping, I loaded up my cart and I've actually made quite a few more projects. Here's a sneak peek. I'll be posting more detailed pictures, directions and free downloads during the week!


What are you waiting for? Go on, get your craft on!
Freebie Fridays






20 comments

  1. Such a cool idea!!! Great post my friend :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Love the necklace idea. Thanks for sharing.

    Debbie

    ReplyDelete
  3. So crafty! Great idea with the necklaces. Love the Hot News from Home bucket!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I used your necklace activity last school year with my second graders and we loved it! Thanks for the management tips -- paper plates will definitely help curb the "oops" and pinging of heads on the floor... we found some beads at the end of the year when cleaning out the bookshelves!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Love the necklace!! Such a great idea and I love how it's a twist on the glyph. :)
    Your new projects look awesome . . . can't wait to see details.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Love this idea! I've been looking for a fun get to know you activity!
    ❤ Karen
    flamingofab@gmail.com
    Flamingo Fabulous in Second Grade

    ReplyDelete
  7. What a great beginning of the year "Get to Know You" activity. You are so crafty!!
    Connie Anderson
    Welcome To First Grade Room 5

    ReplyDelete
  8. I have done necklaces like that for the last few years and they are always listed as one of the most favorite things we have done by the end of the year. I love the "Find someone who" idea! ~ Lisa

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thank you for this great idea. It is a new spin on a People Search I have been doing in my classroom for years. I think my second graders are going to love this highly engaging activity. I posted a link to your necklace freebie on my teaching partner's and my website called Creative Connections in the Classroom. You will most likely have many more viewers!!! I enjoy reading your blog. Have a great school year.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I love this idea. I ran into a teacher friend at another school at Michaels and she told me about your idea. I ran home and looked it up because I already follow you! I printed it out and have already started purchasing the items I need for the necklaces. I love this idea and have shared it with my team mates. Thanks for the creative idea!

    ReplyDelete
  11. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  12. For some reason, the link to the 2 pages won't work for me -- is this on your TPT store as well? I'd like to try the project this year -- it may be the jump start I need to get the juices going... :o) Thanks for all the great ideas --

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hi Maureen,
    Try this link - it's GoogleDocs instead of Dropbox :)
    https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B2qCl_85_KpyYXVaSkVwaXRMNVU/edit?usp=sharing

    ReplyDelete
  14. Thanks Denise! You rock! :o) Going to Michael's tomorrow...

    ReplyDelete
  15. I had already planned on doing this project and had bought many of the same beads as you have pictured here, as well as the cords. However, I couldn't get those letters on the cord. How did you do it? I liked those way more than the square letter beads. Thanks! :)

    ReplyDelete
  16. I found the same thing with some of those letter beads. Some of them are bigger than others, but I ended up snipping a little end piece of the string (with the shoelace coating) on a slant so I could slide them through. Hope that helps!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Awesome! Thanks, I'll give that a try! That should be perfect!

    ReplyDelete
  18. I decided to give up on those beads! I took your advice and cut a slant at the end of each string, but I still couldn't get most of the beads on! I figured if I was frustrated, the kids would be even more frustrated and I would be lacing all the beads!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Came back to find out how to get those little numbers and letters on the string --- managed to make it work. Thanks for the advice! :o)

    ReplyDelete

Back to Top