SIZZLIN' SUMMER SUPPLIES! LETS GO SHOPPING!

     Why do we spend our summer thinking about our classrooms?  The minute summer hits,  I start to think what can I do different next year.  How do I want my classroom to feel, look, work for my students.  I LOVE decorating my classroom and I LOVE changing it every year.  If you love the environment you work in then you not only want to be there, your students want to be there.  

     So what ends up happening is I start on a TEACHER DISCOUNT HUNT to find the best deals of the summer.  I LOVE it when I find a deal, and it feels oh so good!  Today my journeys brought me to Michaels.  What teacher does not love Michaels?  Michaels has everything from decorating decor, classroom supplies, and cute ribbons, stickers, stamps, paper you name it!  Ready, Set, Go!!

My first fabulous find were these oh so darling IPAD and MP3 cases.  One of my biggest pet peeves is when my students walk across the classroom with one of my very expensive IPads and there is no protection that surrounds it.  I always cringe at the thought that they will drop it and my IPad with be history.  I found these soft cases in oh so cute colors that fit perfectly, not only the IPad but the headphones too!  What a deal...$4.99

Now I can use these chevron cases for my MP3 players and head phones.  First weeks of school is for rules and routines, and my kiddos will learn to place their head phones and player back into the case before leaving the listening center.  No more tangled, wrapped around chairs, on the floor, head phones...yeah!  What a deal...3.89!

I love polka dots and these photo storage boxes were only $1.66 each!  I am planning on using these for all my markers, glue sticks, glue bottles, large crayons, scissors, and tape.  I LOVE the idea of having lids too to have that neat and tidy look.

Here is my idea...Last year I sent home one furry friend and a matching book with a student each day.  My kinders would read the book with their mom or dad, write or draw a picture in the sleepover journal and return it the next day.  Well that was in a DREAM world cause we all know kindergarten and sometimes furry friends don't return for a few days.  All my kiddos would just wait and wait and wait for their turn.  I have many furry friends and by the end of the school year my entire class would bring home maybe two!  So how about 4 furry friends going home with 4 different students in these adorable reusable tote bags which by the way are very difficult to ruin.  These bags were $1.20 each....WOW!

 Here are some fabulous finds to use in my classroom.  I use the stickers above for my Zero The Hero counting charts and I must go through thousands of these stickers....$1.00 for 765 stickers!  I fell in love with these school bus pointers.  I can see these at my guided reading table in a cute pencil holder ready for all my kinder readers...$1.00 each!  The first two weeks of school I love getting to know each other with names and ABC's these letters are perfect for my Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Tree...$7.99.  Below I found these incentive charts that every teacher needs for...$2.00.  Amazing!

Darling, darling, darling!  I love fun decor and I found these items in the $5 and under section of Michaels.  Ribbon clips $.99, big pens for my writing center $1.50, large clothespins &1.50 and ribbon $2.99.

Now entering my decorating department where I found colorful items for my new desk!  A lovely family that lives in my town donated this adorable desk to my classroom.  Last year I barely sat down once at my HUGE desk that takes up a lot of kinder room.  My BIG desk went bye bye and now I have this little gem to add charm to my room.  Simply adorable!

and finally I found the perfect clock for behind my desk....$5.99 and these cool chevron shelves....$3.99 for two!  Wow!

Not to totally confuse you but I have to show you my find at TARGET!  I've been wanting to update my classroom library and I found the perfect boxes to do that.  They are canvas, wide and narrow at the same time.  My picture books will fit as well as two rows of chapter books if needed.  Best of all they are polka dots....only $6.99 each.  So excited to put my library together and I will have pics to share!  If you have any comments or great links to share about fabulous finds or classroom libraries please comment below!

Happy Shopping!

Organizing My Kinders!

The month of September has really taking over my classroom!  I've been busy getting the year started with classroom routines, organization, and everything that a little kiddo might need in kindergarten :)

I would like to share with you how I organize my centers around my little friends.  

My center time is organized into 5 groups.  Each day my kiddos visit two centers.  I began center time by setting up our classroom rules during literacy or math centers.

1.  Use an inside voice.

2.  Stay at your centers the entire time.

3.  Do your best work.

4.  Ask a parent volunteer or teacher for help.

This is our third week focusing on center rules and knowing how to find which center to go to.  My kiddos are getting to be good at finding their name and reading the center board each day.

I organize my literacy centers in this 6 drawer file cabinet that I found at Target.  Each drawer is labeled with the same center card that is displayed on my centers chart.  The drawers are pretty deep so I can keep all supplies in each drawer ready to go.  Once I announce the centers for the day, one child from each group will go get the appropriate drawer and bring it to the labeled table to begin working.

My Literacy Centers are:

Word Work Center:  Practicing sight words and CVC words

Poetry Center:  Poem of the week

ABC Center:  ABC's and phonic practice

Write the Room:  Monthly challenges

Listening Center with response

Computers:  Starfall and KidPix

ITouch:  Language Arts Practice

Magnetic Board:  Magnetic letter practice

Puzzle and Games:  Language arts games

Writing Centers:  Monthly challenges