Quick and Easy Shelf Covering

Hello! The first day of school is less than a week away! I often put curtains on the shelves in my room to cover items for storage. I tell the children that anything behind the curtain is not usable right now, but will be rotated out over the next few months. Here is a quick and easy curtain I made using a Dollar Tree table cloth.

When I bought it, I thought the whole things was polka dotted...turns our that's just a border and the center is white...but that's ok, it still looks cute.  I used a tension rod on the shelf and set it to the correct size. Then I stapled a rod pocket and slid the rod through. Once I had that done, I measured the length from the shelf to the floor and cut off the extra. (I kept the width the same, because it was perfect.) Pretty quick and easy and pleasing to the eye...rather than a shelf full of stuff. ; )

I made new labels for my math shelf...needed them desperately.  The top empty space will be for math centers...once I get them sorted and ready.

Lastly, here is my birthday display...hanging above my calendar area. I explained how I printed the months on the cupcakes here.

Thanks for checking in and have a great day!

Heading back...day 1

Time to head back and get my classroom ready for a new year.

Progress today: Calendar Corner, class library, and helpers chart.

 (That blank black space is for numbers I still have to laminate...out of laminating film at school.)

Ready to go!

Hello! Here are a few photos of my *finished* room...really, it's always a work in progress, isn't it??

 Housekeeping/dramatic play area for September....

View from the back of the room

iPad/listening center. I have 3 classroom iPads.

Writing center

A few of our reading buddies; magnet center to the left.

Religion center

Circle/large group area, math wall

Thanks for checking in! Have a great day!

Day One!

Not day one of school, but of classroom set up! I went into my classroom and worked for a few hours today. It always feels good to get things a little organized. I feel like I made a lot of progress! Here are a few before and afters:

I was happy to see that my SMART board is now mounted! It used to be a portable board, which was nice, but the cords were always a problem. This will be much nicer.

Here's that same area in the front of my room after I put up my word wall (on the right) and reading focus on the left. The children's cubbies are also in the front of the room.

Here is my math focus/calendar wall. The shelf under it houses math materials....I'm still working on that area!!

This is the 'before' of my writing center. I worked on the writing focus board today. I started to put out a few supplies, but again it's a work in progress.

On the left I hung up ideas for writing, color words, alphabet chart, etc. The section on the right holds pocket charts for our daily schedule and the "Today I will learn..." pocket chart.

Here's a sneak peak at my classroom library....I get so discouraged....frustrated....don't know the exact word for it...at my lack of space!! I guess even though it's a small area, it serves the purpose. I just wish I had room to spread out the books and reading buddies.

That's it for today! Thanks for checking in and have a great day!

Classroom Tour 2011

Hello! Well, school starts Monday...and I think my room is ready. There is always something to work on...we could be there 24/7 doing school work! But, I am pleased with my room and excited to meet my new class. Here are a few more photos:

This is the view as you enter my classroom. To the very left is my writing center (you can just see the chairs and part of the table in this picture.) I have a very small classroom and need to be efficient about using my space. 

                                                This the view from the opposite corner.

This is my computer center. I have 3 MacBooks for student use. I use iTunes for my listening center at this table as well.

This is a picture of my "games" center. I have board games as well as handmade learning games.

Right next to that is my ABC center. Right now it has letter matching activities, alphabet puzzles, letter magnets, and an old computer keyboard to practice letter recognition. I made those "munchers" a few years ago, but they are still in great shape and the kids love using them.

I have my helpers chart hanging on the back of my file cabinet, next to my desk. I change helpers every Monday.

This is the shelf that holds puzzles and to the right of that are the "building" toys like legos, lincoln logs, and Knex.

I have a few more photos to share, but it seems to be taking a long time right now, so I'll be back soon with another post on a couple of writing center activities. Thanks for looking and have a great day!

A few classroom photos

Hello! I've been working in my classroom and took a few pictures.
Here is the world map and landmark cards I posted about here.





This is my reading area. The small baskets on the top of the shelf are sorted by character. The others are sorted by subject/theme: animal books, abc books, etc. I also have other book baskets around the room with math/counting books, social studies/science books, religion, etc. The yellow tub to the right of the shelf holds the big books.




Thanks for looking and have a good day!

Kindergarten Classroom set up photos

Hello! It's hard to believe we'll heading back to school soon. Here are a few photos of my room "before." During the next few days and weeks, I will finish setting up learning center areas and update you on what the room looks like "after." The photos are: writing/listening center, reading area, and dramatic play area. I have a lot of work to do! I have been inspired by other teachers who share their classrooms online--what a great way to get new ideas! I hope you will find some useful ideas as you watch my classroom come to life. : ) Enjoy and happy school year!!