Rainbow Fish

The Rainbow Fish has been a favorite picture book of mine ever since I first read it to my daughters so very many years ago.  It is a wonderful story that still delights children today.  We read it on Friday, and made cute Rainbow Fish from paper plates.



A work in progress...

We painted Friday and finished them today (Some of them were really wet and took a long time to dry!)  I drew cutting lines on the back of the plates before the kiddos painted.  The cut out space became the tail, I had some shiny paper left over from a previous prom (I am a co-sponsor with my fourth grade teacher friend).  A wiggle eye completed the rainbow cuties!



Where I Work

Three days down, and now for our first full week of school.  I know it will be very tiring for both my little students and me, but I am really looking forward to getting into a more "regular" routine.  We spent time going over beginning of the year things (morning routine, walking in the hall, eating in the cafeteria, etc.) last week.  Of course these procedures will continue to be a major focus, but we will begin our math and reading lessons tomorrow.  I promised captians for my classroom photos - click here to go to my Classroom Tour page to see them.  I am excited tobe a part of Blog Hoppin's Where I Work linky party.  It's a great way to take a peek into some pretty amazing classrooms!

Click to visit my Classroom Tour page

Tomorrow's the Day!

Tomorrow is the official start of the 2012 - 2013 school year!  All corporation staff members will gather for breakfast, the superintendent's meeting, and then off to our home buildings for lunch and more meetings.  Our Meet & Greet Open House is also tomorrow evening.  It will be a long, busy day.  Tuesday is a work day, and on Wednesday the kids come!  I have been going into my classroom to set up and make sure everything is cute for when my new little Kinders come in tomorrow night.
Here are some pictures I snapped today.  I'll add captions later...  :).

Only One Week to Go!

A week from today school really, truly starts!  We teachers go back for meetings and such next Monday & Tuesday, and the kids come on Wednesday.  (I wonder if they would be surprised to learn that teachers are just as anxious about the first day of school as they are.)

I have been going into my classroom now and then to work on bulletin boards.  Today I snapped a few pictures of my newly decorated boards. 

My main bulletin boards - I guess you could call this the "Focus Wall."  I covered all of the boards with light blue fabric and used Poppin Patterns flower border around each.  The middle board is decorated with some flowers from the Poppin' Patterns line.  I made the sun and sign with my beloved Cricut.

I am using a Garden Theme for my classroom - our leader will be the Worker Bee! (Words on both signs are from the "Nursery Rhyme" cartridge, and the cute little bee is from "Create a Critter" cartridge.) 

I used my "Fabulous Finds" cartridge to make these cute Stations signs & "Simply Charmed" to make the flowers.  I spent hours assembling the flowers!

I found the cute felt pots on clearance at Michael's.  To hold up the sticks, I stuck them into upside down clay pots.

I bought this shredded paper to cover the clay pots, but am somewhat afraid of the potential mess...  What do you think?  Should I risk a shreddy mess in order to cover up the pots?  

 

 I hung these cute lanterns in the corner - I love how they look!  The pink poster is last year's picture "I-Chart."  Once my new crop of Kinders builds some stamina and are able to work independently, I'll make a new poster with pictures of them.

This board features a flower theme (plus a tree that has been there for several years - I like it too much to take down!).  I'll take pictures of my 18 new cuties on the first day of school to "plant" into my flower box.  These pictures stay up all year.

Back to School Work Day 1

It's August.  The Back to School dreams (nightmares?) have arrived!  I recently dreamed that I went into my classroom to find every wall covered with hideous blue noise reducing curtains - and I had to leave them up (it didn't matter that my bulletin boards were covered too!).  I'm not sure what sparked that dream, but yikes!  Maybe it was the blue (nice - not hideous) fabric I purchased for my bulletin boards, or the fact that I've been helping my daughter to set up her first classroom (kindergarten - yay!), and hadn't really stepped foot into mine.  I have gone in a few times to drop off stuff that I'd picked up here and there, but today was my first "official" work day.  Yesterday I made a trip to the school supply store and got new borders to go with my new garden theme.  I am really excited to decorate - I was inspired by Schoolgirl Style's garden theme.  I found cute lanterns and daisy decorations at Party City and will use her Poppin' Patterns border and accents along with some of the gardeny things I have.  Now, all I need to do is to get the furniture in place, unpack stuff that was stored for summer, change out the fabric on a few bulletin boards, etc. 

I snapped a few "before" and "work in progress" pictures.

"Before" view from the door.

Messy counters & tables.  I am going to change out the green fabric on this bulletin board.  I may use it as a table cloth somewhere in the room.

This blue fabric matches that on the board above.  I plan to put this piece where the green is & cover all three of these boards in the light blue fabric I purchased yesterday.

I wonder whose snow boots and sneakers were left behind.

That pocket chart needs a new home!

More disarray!  Those brown bookshelves in the back are literally held together with duct tape! 


Now, for the work in progress...

Manipulative and Puzzle Center (background), wire shelves that will hold something (another one of these will hold the Skill Tubs), and a newly created "Skill Spot" - I need to think of a name for this one...

The Pocket Chart Skill Spot

Library/Literacy Center - with a new purple rug!

Writing Center - the shelves to the right will hold writing materials, and I plan to get some hooks to hang things to the peg board backing of the Manipulative Center cabinet.

Those empty wire shelves again.  The creatively named "Cart Table" Skill Spot, the Dramatic Play area and a homeless shelf.  I need to find a place for this up against something as it is quite tippy.

The Math Center



The Sand Table is on the left.  Last year it was partially on the carpet and gave our poor custodian fits, so I decided to put it totally on the tile this year.  The table in front of the bulletin board will be the Listening Station.

Well, so far so goodish.  I need to think about a few things before I commit to this floor plan.  But, for now I think it's pretty good - and best of all, there are no hideous blue sound proofing curtains anywhere in sight!  :)