around my room 2012 edition

Setting up my classroom, making new posters and crafts, and getting new pens and markers makes me so excited for the year to start.  I have spent many hours working in my classroom the past week.  I think it is important to love my classroom since it is really my home away from home.  I want my classroom to be fun and inviting.  I hope that is what I have achieved for this school year. 

I rearranged my reading center.  I feel that it has opened up this space.  I hope it gives more room to spread out and read!

I have decied to use some of the http://wholebrainteaching.com/ rules procedures this year.  I found these rules on pinterest from http://www.3rdgradethoughts.com/!  Check out her blog she has some great ideas.

My boyfriend told me he was making something for my classroom.  I couldn't figure out what it was at all.  I was so excited to find out that it was a book bag tree.  He made it himself!  I am so proud to display it in my classroom. 

 

I bought these curtains at Ikea to help hide some things that might be a distraction to my kinders and it makes me look more organized!

 



I had these last year, but I added some more pom poms!  I am a little addicted to them!  Not allowing myself to make more right now though!

Each year we have a new school theme.  Our school voted this year "Wild about Learning."  In kindergarten we decided to put our own little twist on it and decided to use monsters.  I love how cute and fun they are!

This is the board outside of my classroom.  I found my inspiration from pinterest!

My assistant painted our back door with chalkboard paint at the beginning of the week.  I am excited for my kinders to be able to write and draw on the door during center time. 

The next three days will be staggered days.  We have a third of our kinders.  I plan to take their picture in front of the door and share the picture with their parents.

 

Here we go!  Let's get the wild year started!!!

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around my room 2011-2012 edition

I have a new addiction...pintrest!  I found some great ideas this summer that got me really excited about decorating my classroom.  If you have not checked out pintrest you might want to!  Lots of great recipes, decorating tips, and ideas for everything!

I think it is important for your classroom to be comfortable and inviting.  I mean we spend so much time in there.  Even as a teacher I am in my classroom a lot more than my room at home!  I want it to be a place that I love!  I am beginning to feel that way about my room this year. 

First thing I found that I wanted to make were banners hanging down from the ceiling.  I went to a local fabric store and found cute Dr. Seuss fabric to match my room and got to sewing! 

 The cute fabric I chose to use.

 I cut the fabric into triangles and then sewed the two pieces together. 

 I then pinned the triangles into folded bias tape.

Last step was to sew the triangles and bias tape.

Very simple and it did not take me long at all.  These are very popular right now at weddings and showers.  I plan on sewing some more soon!

I also made some tissue paper pom poms to hang from the ceiling as well.

My boyfriend did an excellent job hanging it all up for me! I love the way it all turned out!

As you walk in the door, there is my book shelf.  I have personal favorite books and baskets from Highlights to keep stamps, stickers, and other teacher items in.  I also keep my Homework Folders on this bookshelf because it is right beside the cubbies so that the students don't have to move far when they unpack in the morning.

I have some important times on the wall by the clock because kinders always want to know what time lunch is and what time they go home.  This year I am hoping to help them be able to read a clock better and recognize the times better.

This is our behavior chart.  It is really similar to my behavior chart from last year, but I thought I would add a little more to it after reading this great resource, http://www.newmanagement.com/ebooks/clip_chart.html

It is a great way to be positive and remind students of their choices.  By starting at green it gives every child a chance to do his/her best.  Read the eBook.  You will not be disappointed!

I love the tennis balls on my chairs.  I regret not having them last year.  Such a wonderful investment!!

This is my teacher table.  I am going to use this table for centers, intervention time, and just a place for me to work.  I enjoy having this big space.  I bought the basket at Target.  It was for picnics but I thought it was a perfect size for notepads, pens, and markers. 

Now my favorite space in my room....

 

(You can see part of my magic carpet!  I love it!)

I let my students read in my rocking chair or in the bathtub, but only one at a time.  My favorite teacher, who inspired me to be a teacher, had a bathtub in her classroom.  I had to have one myself.  My parents bought it for me from Craig's List and I painted it.  The students are always in awe of it!

So here is my updated room!  I am excited about all that is in store for this school year!

Let's Go!!!

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seuss makes things more fun!

My oldest sister has a hobby I wish I had.  I don't have the patience for it.  I would rather go out and buy something!  She sews!  She makes the cutest aprons, oven mitts, pot holders, and baby burp clothes.  I can't wait to have my own house one day to be able to buy a lot of them and wear them while I cook up great meals for my husband and kids (I will be dreaming about this for a while)!!!  She sells her things here at etsy.com.  I love that she makes these because I have so many friends getting married and having babies, and these make fantastic gifts. 
As I have talked about in previous posts I love homemade and handmade gifts.  They are so special knowing that someone thought about you while putting their own time into making something just for YOU! 
Emily does that a lot.  She is very thoughtful and creative in her little sewing business. 
I have talked a few times about having a teacher apron.  I have thought it would be fun to wear and having everything right there on you and not worrying about where you put something (because I do that a lot).  I didn't know Emily was making me an apron for Christmas.  I was super excited to open this...

My own teacher apron!!!  It is perfect because it matches all my Dr. Seuss stuff!  I love the bright colors, the polka dots, and the FUN pockets!  My students have asked everyday for me to wear it!  I am able to put so much stuff in it!  I have put markers, pens, pencils, stickers, and smelly chapstick.  The smelly chapstick idea came from a friend who also teaches Kindergarten!  She shared the idea with me from a Dr. Jean workshop she went to.  (I want to go to a Dr. Jean workshop REALLY bad!  Love all her ideas and songs.) 
I use the smelly chapstick when I see students working hard on something.  I use this instead of using candy or stickers.  They love to smell it while they are working.  I just put a little dab on the hand they are not using to write with so they can smell while they are still on task! 

I love my apron and it adds uniqueness to my classroom!  Read what Emily had to say about it on her blog too!  Thank you Emily for the great Christmas present!!!!  I love it and so do my kinders!!!

classroom decor inspiration

I had never thought of doing the whole classroom "theme" because I had been given so much stuff from my aunt and from another teacher at the school I did my student teaching who both recently retired!  But....my church has a fund raiser every year for missions called the "Parade of Tables."  This year I wanted to do something I could also use in my classroom one day.  So Dr. Seuss became my inspiration!  I decided I was going to focus on The Cat in the Hat.  I started collecting stuff and making stuff and I fell in love with it all. This was the first inspiration....

My uncle is a awesome carpenter and he cut it out of wood for me then I primed it and then painted it.  I painted both sides of it.  He stands a little over 5 feet tall.  I think my students will really LOVE him in our class watching over us!

So my classroom has become very seussical!!! 

I have been excited to find a lot of posters, stickers, signs, and books.  I will be sharing some more pictures and other projects I have been working on soon!