Summer!!

Geez...it seems like the only time I ever blog is during the summer.  I guess this year was super busy and crazy all at the same time.  It was over too fast.  Here I am with my youngest napping and my oldest entertaining herself with her toys.  What else would I do?  BLOG!!!  

This is what I left on June 2:

It really looks sad once you pack everything away, but I like how it's a fresh start for the next year.  I already have things that I will change, but for now I look through pinterest for fun ideas and different classroom arrangements.

I really am excited to see what happens.  I will be taking a break from being the inclusion classroom next year, which makes me sad and happy all at the same time.  My oldest daughter will be starting kinder next year and this change will hopefully help me stay more focused on her and the success that she has.  I am very excited and scared all at the same time.  She is growing up too fast.

Hopefully I can get some projects done even though I brought absolutely nothing home to work on.  (score one for me/mommy)

An almost finished room

Here is my room in pictures.   I still have a bit more to do...adding student work, a curtain for my computer table, table signs, and a few finishing touches.  

It's game time

I can't believe the summer is almost over.  Today we were allowed into our classrooms for the first time.  I stayed for at least 6 hours.  Thank goodness my daughter was entertained by another teachers kiddos and by her own classroom.  Her teacher was nice enough to let her play for awhile.

This year I moved to a new room...and it is fabulous.  It has a great layout.   Here is what I did today.

This will be my small group area

This is the writing area.  I am going to use the board to display their writing.

This is a view of the math shelf and my word wall.

A view from the front door

Large group area

It is still a work in progress and I have a lot left to do.  Wish me luck!  I am back at it tomorrow.

Summer Project 1: Giant floor pillows

This summer I decided to finish up projects that I never did last year.  The first one I started was to make giant floor pillows.  I saw a post on pinterest and bought the fabric last year, but never got around to it.   Maybe because of my two little ones running around.  

Here is the post. 

I am almost done with the first pillow.  They are going to be BIG.  I think 2 of my kinders and fit on them at a time.  I am going to try them out this year and if they cause problems I will just make smaller ones next year.  

I didn't use a pattern and I certainly didn't cut very straight, so we will see how they end up.   (fingers crosses they are like the pictures above)

My Christmas present from 2 years ago being put to good use.

Here is me about to pin the sides together.

 I'll add to this post as I complete my project...STAY TUNED.

UPDATE!!!!

I finished the pillow and it is SOOO big.  I love it.  I am still deciding if I need to make another or make 2 smaller pillows.  

It's like big dog sized...I am thinking 2 kiddos can use it for read to self or one can snuggle on it and read.   

Classroom learning space project

I recently wrote another donors choose project.  This time for a classroom carpet that will become a place to sit and another learning space to use during station and small group time.  It's expensive, because classroom rugs are not cheap.  Most schools already have them, but mine does not.  I have been using a simple blue rug I got from big lots, but that one isn't lasting.  :(

Time for something new...we have carpet, but that too has seen better days.  I wanted to try sit spots, but those too are expensive.  Anyway, to try and get it out there more, here is my project.  Click on the picture to help my project.

Thank you!

Summer blogger???

That's what it seems I have become.  I try to do better each year, but it doesn't seem to work for me.  I guess being a mother of 2 and a teacher doesn't exactly leave you with much free time.   It's summer again and I find myself making plans to do things for my room and not really getting much done.  

This coming year I am moving to a new room.  I managed to snap a few pics at the end of the year after I put all my goodies in.  This room belonged to a friend of mine that got moved to 2nd grade for the past year.  She had to move rooms so I moved up into hers.  My room is now becoming pre-K.  My furniture is on the window side of the room and the 2nd grade furniture is on the door side.   I am hoping it gets moved before I get to get to decorating.   

With this room I get more bulletin boards and a better Promethean board.  I am happy!!!

 

Now, on to thinking about classroom arrangement.  I has a flipped floor plan that mine did last year, but I think it should be easy to come up with something that works.  Fingers crossed!

Freebie Friday

Some of ya'll have emailed me about my line up chants that I made in the past.  I need to change the email that my blog is connected to because it is not one I check often.  So, if you have emailed me without any response I apologize.  But you can get the chants here.

I originally saw this on What the Teacher Wants Blog and changed it up a bit.  

There is also one on this blog to download.

Wow...where did the time go?

So, I guess I was terrible at blogging this year.  Wanna know why?  Here's a hint:

Yep, you guessed it.  I had a baby girl.  I was super busy being a full time mom and a full time teacher.  I was lucky to have 6 weeks off with my new little one and then it was back to school.  Flash forward to now and it is SUMMER.  What comes with summer?  MORE TIME!  So, back to the blogging world I go.  I hope to do better than I did last year, but I am a mom to young kiddos, so who knows what will happen.

During the summer break, I have tons of things that I want to accomplish (for school) all the while still being a good mommy...the list is endless... 

Here's whats on the plan so far:

1.  Read this book and revamp my Daily 5 time.  I have tons of pins on pinterest I need to look through.

2.  Make a Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Tree - have been wanting to do this for years.  I finally have a carpet roll.  It's a smaller one, but that's ok. Maybe something like this:

This pic comes from Love Two Teach. I love how she made it magnetic.  Click on the picture to see her blog about it.

3.  Get my Donors choose project funded.  Click on the picture below to see my project.  It is for leveled books for our classroom library.  I don't have very many for my students to read during Read to Self time.  This project would really help out my students.  Please check it out.

4.  Make new curtains.  This will require me breaking out my new sewing machine.  Shouldn't be too hard, right?  My curtains right now look like this:  

Not a great picture but you can see they need some revamping.  I need more color, maybe a blue and green theme.  I'll have to see what Michaels or Hobby Lobby have.

And the list could go on.  Maybe I'll say this is part one of the list.  I will try to accomplish these before I move on to other things.

Stick a fork in me...I am done, maybe...

Am I done?  Is a teacher ever really done?  NOPE!  My room is complete for the most part.  Now it's lesson planning and getting things ready time.

 And there you go...that is my classroom in a few pics.  Teachers start back tomorrow and we have 7 days of inservice/training.  Our kiddos start the 27th.  I am excited and nervous to go back, but it is going to be a great year!

Classroom Day 1

So I have been to my room one day and I got quite a bit done.  Yayyy!  There is still a LONG way to go.  Thanks to my super husband for moving my furniture for me and my sweet little girl for keeping herself occupied while mommy worked.  Good thing I have tons to keep her occupied -kindergarten is full of games, toys, and fun things to play with. 

View of part of my room. - listening, writing center, and a giant chalk board that will somehow become a display of student work and display words for the writing center.

View of large group meeting area and computers to the left.  My Promethean board is front and center.

Small group table.  Still need to put up reading strategies in the back.  Shelf to the right will house my supplies, papers for the week, and the student's book boxes.

View from the door of the student tables.

Math tub location with reading center to the right and my daughter in the corner.

writing table

This is where my word wall will go.  Just needs some border and the alphabet.

So, that's my room so far.  I'll head back next week after a trip to the teacher store for border and wal-mart for some other goodies.

Check out my new cart

 

It was just delivered today.  I am so excited to use it in my classroom to house and organize my small group supplies.  Speaking of classroom I get to get in on Thursday.  I am so looking forward to it...but not because this time around I can't move the furniture (did I mention I was 15 wks prego) so now I have to have a clear plan of where I want everything to go or else my hubby will be moving things around all day, like I normally do.  

I haven't done much school related other than make a long list of all the things I need to get done.  

Stay tuned!

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Yep- I have been out of the loop a while.

Been missing much

Ok, ok, so it has been a LONG time since I have visited the blogging world.  This past year I started at a new school and let's just say it was like my first year teaching all over again.  So many things to make, so many new things to learn.  Things have finally calmed down a bit since summer started.  Well, ok not really...I have been running around after my 2 1/2 year old. 

So, I finally decided after a little pinteresting, blog stalking, and TPT viewing that I would get back into blogging.  So here I am!!!

I think it is finally time to face the facts...school will be starting sooner than I would like and maybe it's time to get some things done.  Oh, did I also mention that my laptop crashed...I got that back finally too!

Let the adventures begin...more to come with activities, pictures, and adventures.

Where have I been?

At school!!!   That's where I have been.  Busy, busy, busy...parent conferences, math tubs, daily 5, reading, writing...all the while being a mom and a wife.  Wheww....it's exhausting.

and I just found out yesterday that a flash drive full of teacher stuff now doesn't work.  :(  Looks like I'll be backing up files left and right now.

Classroom...done?

View from the door.

View of the side of the room from the door.

view from the back wall.

Guided reading and small group area.

Calendar/Morning Meeting area - you may be asking where is the calendar?  Well, I am waiting for them to move a Promethean board into my room and here is where it will go.  If it isn't there by meet the teacher I'll put up my own calendar goodies.

Another view - still need my rug

math tubs in back and student book boxes on shelf.

gonna turn these doors into name word wall, post the counting jar, and something else I just forgot about.

Word work

Reading - still need books

writing and part of word wall

Listening and I can read environmental print board

Science!!! and giving tree

math area

Well... almost done.