Grateful

Another holiday will soon be here...a time for giving thanks and a wonderful time to teach children the idea of gratitude.  I like to create this "tree of Thanksgiving" with the children. They trace their hand and we write something they are thankful for on it.

It's also a good time for journal writing...I saw this idea on Pinterest and created a template for my class. They draw a picture in each square and then sound out and try to write the word that goes with each picture. Some of the children didn't complete all 6, but that's ok. ; )  I think it's important to teach children that not everyone enjoys the same blessings, so it's important to give thanks for what God has given us.

This is our Morning Prayer for November (it was a free download from Kindergarten Hoppenings quite a while ago...not sure if it's still available on her blog or not...)

During November, we do "Thankful Thursday" at prayer time. Every Thursday, we go around the circle and take turns saying something we are thankful for.

Thanks for checking in and have a super day!

The Lost Sheep

Hello! Here's another little game I've added to my Religion center. It is a version of roll and cover using a religious theme.

Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep!

On the board, the sheep are black and white. As they roll the numbers, the children cover the sheep with a colored version. Simple but fun. I used DJ Inkers clip art....so cute! You can download the Lost Sheep game here. I also have a Pinterest board of Christian themed projects!

Thanks for checking in!

**Edit: I have had several messages from people who want to print the game, but their administration will not allow sharing outside of their organization. I'm sorry for this, but I can't do anything...please contact your school/organization's admin if you can't download or print. The sharing settings are correct on my end. Thank you!! (Your organization will sometimes not allow an email from me, stating this...so I have tried to share, but simply cannot let you know that!)

October??

Oh my...I cannot believe it's already October! These first few months of school have flown by and my little blog has been neglected! I've had several ideas for blog posts over the past few weeks, just have not had the time to sit down and get to it. Nevertheless, I would like to share a few ideas with you from my Religion Center.  I feel fortunate to be able to have these type of materials available for my students. One of my goals this year was to add new materials to the center to incorporate religious themes along with our literacy and math skills. One of the first activities I added was  roll and stack Noah's Ark.

 I used DJ Inkers clip art to create the mat. The children roll a die and build a stack of cubes to match the number on the ark. You can (or should be able to!) download it here.  I have not had the best luck in sharing with google docs...so I hope it works for you!

I printed several mats on different colors of paper.

Thanks for checking in...up next: The Lost Sheep Activity!

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!

A little organization....

One of my goals this summer (which didn't actually happen over the summer) was to organize all of my center materials. I like the idea of having them organized by month, but do not have the storage space to do each month separately. I decided to group the centers into Sept/Oct/Nov, Dec/Jan/Feb, and Mar/Apr/May into a 3 drawer cart.

                                  (I downloaded these cute labels from Miss Kindergarten.)

I sorted through the items and pitched ones that I don't use, had missing pieces, or were outdated. I like these big drawers because I can fit everything in them...like counters or manipulatives.

And then, when I was done, I still had a pile of stuff left...these items I just sorted into reading and math for now, but eventually want to break them down into skill tubs.

The best part was seeing everything I had...now I know what I have to begin the year and what skills I still may need to supplement. Sorting is always a good thing. ; )

Thanks for checking in and have a great day!

Word Wall Title Freebie

I added this title to my word wall...you can find it here if you'd like a copy! Thanks for checking in and 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!