Smashing good day!!

I had a chance today to work with my teaching partner about our plans for the first semester!! I am SOO stinking excited. This past year was her first year teaching and her first time working with themes. I'm old school whole literacy thematic teaching queen! To say the least I am excited that she is falling in love with themes. We are going to start off the year with Camp Kindergarten. I am SOO excited about this theme because the whole idea is to get the kids acclimated to the school and learn what the expectations are.

Then we move into my second favorite theme... Chicka Boom Room!! All based on the book Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin  and John Archambailt. This will be our theme for 2 weeks as we cover the letters and sounds of the alphabet. I make some of my MOST favorite classbooks during this time. I love listening to the kids read our classbooks over and over. This year I want to add a chicka tree to my room. I just need to figure out the technical part... and then BAM I'll have my tree.

The other thing that made today a WONDERFUL day is that I attended a teacher training that made me happy. It was given by some of our state parks. We went to an agriculture museum and to the Toltec Mounds. I learned so much and couldn't stop thinking about how to use these places in my classroom. I want to see about having the gals from the Toltec Mounds come to school and talk about Native Americans.

I have lots of ideas floating around in my head that I need to get down on paper or get started on. So later gator!!