Classroom tour!!!

This week has been insanely exhausting!! Thank goodness my classroom is finally 90% finished. Still a few touches here and there, but still ready for 20 first graders tomorrow morning! Here are some pictures of the work in progress

I didn't have a small group table in my room, so I had to improvise!

Although I am mentally and physically drained already, I am SO excited to start the year! Happy first days :)

Student Binders

During my long-term sub jobs, one thing I found myself getting frustrated with was trying to find student information and data. When having a conference with a parent, I would normally rummage through tons of folders and files to put together everything I needed. 

I decided that for my classroom, I would have one binder for each student. In this binder, I would have copies of all student information, contact information, health info, and every piece of data that I collect along with work samples. This will make it super easy to prepare for conferences or assessments. 

Here is a picture of the finished product:

(If you would like to download this binder cover, I have it available for free here from my TPT!)

My mom and I went school supply shopping last week (a day that I always DREAMED about as a kid each year). I've been wanting to do student binders for awhile, but just had to talk myself into the investment. Luckily, Walmart had these 1" binders for a little under $2 each. I have 18 in my class this year, but I bought 20 just in case I get new students.

Found more use out of my little label maker :)

My mom also introduced me to these! They are divider tabs. Since I was only planning on using two dividers for each binder, this would allow each divider to line up neatly.

I bought cardstock on sale at Michaels to use for the dividers. It is thicker and more durable so hopefully it holds up well!

I made my labels using my label maker. One divider would be for Student Information and the other for Student Data.

This is what the dividers look like after you attach the tabs to cardstock.

Then I attached the labels, and hole punched the card stock.

 Done! And ready to be filled :)

Today's DIY Projects

As the last few weeks of summer quickly pass by, I am starting to wrap up all my classroom projects. I am finally feeling like I have a classroom that is coming together. I am so anxious and excited to get started and jump into this new position! 

A few weeks ago, I found this brand new toy organizer at a Goodwill for only $10. 

I loved it because it was sturdy and the perfect size for my classroom. I also loved that the slates were removable to make the boxes larger!

After brainstorming a few ideas for this little organizer, I decided it would be a great storage station for communal classroom supplies. If a student needs a pair of scissors or a new glue stick, they can just walk up to the "Supply Station" rather than getting out boxes or bins. 

This is the (almost) finished product. The bottom middle section still needs a label because I'm not sure what other supplies I should include. Can't wait to fill it up!

I laminated the labels and attached them to the wood with velcro adhesives. This way I can change the label if I find that my students are needing other supplies.

This is my other project I worked on today. I think it might be my new favorite DIY classroom addition! 

I found this amazing freebie on TPT for the crayons. The download includes crayons with labels and ones without. I used the ones without and added my own color words through Word. I then took a trip to Michaels where I found cardstock at 40% off. I got one in each color for backgrounds for each crayon. I also got the blue glittery paper on the heading from Michaels. After laminating, I taped them together on the back using packaging tape. 

Everything is slowly coming together and I am so excited to actually get into my classroom and get started! :)

Brain Breaks

Throughout my long-term substitute jobs, I have discovered the magic of brain breaks. As soon as I started to see more and more wiggles on the carpet or eyes start to wander around instead of paying attention, I would stop what I was doing and make time for a brain break. In the past I have just had the students get up and follow my lead on some jumping jacks or Simon Says. Since I will have my own classroom this year, I have put together a compilation for myself of good brain break videos that will get those wiggles out. (It also gives the teacher a 2-3 minute break to recollect and refocus.)

Check out my Pinterest board to see all the brain break videos I've found so far. 

I am planning on embedding the videos on a separate file for my Smartboard so they are easily (and quickly) accessible. 

Happy Thursday! :)

More bargain finds!

I have been quite the busy bargain hunter! I have mostly been finding great hauls of used books for my classroom library- the stack just keeps growing! I visited a Goodwill last week in a wealthy community about 15 minutes out of town. My jaw dropped when I spotted this toy organizer in the corner...for TEN DOLLARS! It is in PERFECT condition and looks like it has never been used!

The best part is that the slates that divide each section can slide out!

I think I've decided to use this for classroom supply storage. In case the students need to borrow anything like scissors, highlighters, glue sticks, etc, they can find it easily here. No bins, baskets or shelves-just a simple grab from the box! I have already started creating cute labels to dress it up. Stay tuned to see the final product!

Did I mention my mother is a saint? These plastic storage organizers are an obsession of mine...and she found them on sale at Target for only $10! Yes please!! :)

As soon as I heard Target was having a sale on storage organizers, I couldn't get there fast enough to see if there is any other goodies for me. I always hit the dollar spot before looking around the store. Jackpot! Pocket charts for ONE DOLLAR!!!! The red case behind them is a bulletin board border organizer (that was $3...but still a great buy!) The stickers came in a pack for a dollar as well. *Patting myself on the back*

Things that are on my list that I still need to buy/find:

- Pencil Sharpener

- Book Bins

- Math Manipulatives Station/Bins

- Tabletop Easel for guided reading table

- Fabric and Borders for bulletin boards

The reason I haven't gotten these things yet is because they seem to be the more expensive things. I am kind of waiting to see if I can find them for cheap. Fingers crossed!!

Writing Center Supplies

Tonight I worked on my writing center! I was lucky enough this weekend to find a yard sale just up the street from me. Best part? The girl running the yard sale was a TEACHER leaving the primary classroom and selling a lot of her classroom stuff! I scored a few plastic storage organizers (my FAV bargain buy) and a TON of cheap children's books! If you want to look for any good yard sales in your area... I went to craigslist and typed in "teacher" as a search and it came up there. You can also type in "yard sale" or even "classroom" and find a lot of great stuff.

Anyway... back to my work in progress-- my writing center supplies.

I've already started to design my bulletin board for my writing center... I posted that in my post "DIY". These are bins to organize the types of things my students will have options of writing if they can't think of anything on their own! I made the labels on Word, printed them out and used packaging tape to attach them to the drawers. 

The materials I have in these drawers so far were bought from Michaels. Michaels has a sort-of "kiosk" where they sell little things like this for 1-2$ each. Everything I bought was 1$ each. These are note pads I bought that can be used for list-making.

These are cute farm animal cards I bought (also for 1$). 

 For "write the room", I made these worksheets so students can find words around the room starting with each letter. I made a different worksheet for each month so I can switch it out. The one shown is for "back to school". I did this with the kindergarten class I taught and they had so much fun with it. Something about getting a clipboard and walking around the classroom jotting words down was just so thrilling for them?

Michaels also has recipe cards for 1$ in the same section. 

These are just a few of the journal sticks I made. I still need to find a good jar for them to sit in. I typed up journal prompts, printed them out and used packaging tape to adhere them to the popsicle sticks.

I think it is so important for children at this age to have as much exposure to writing as possible. Offering these choices to them allows them to find a type of writing they enjoy, which will encourage them to practice, practice, practice! I always tell parents at conferences, "Give your child as many opportunities as possible at home with writing. Whether it's making your grocery list or writing a letter to a friend or relative. The more practice they get, the better their writing will be and the more they will enjoy it. Building confidence is key."