Centers... and some new things on TPT

Hey Y'all!
Back in the fall I started something new/ different and I have to say that centers are now a BREEZE! Our must do baskets and choice baskets really make it easy for me to get in small groups and differenate my instruction, and centers.

1). Must do Baskets- These change out every 6 days, but it's not all new items. Most of the time I'm moving things from blue to purple to green to pink baskets. There are somethings that my blue baskets aren't ready for and those items I keep in the magazine bins on top. The pink baskets are truly my high flyers and their baskets are just that, skills that are above the current skill level. For example, my little high flyers are working on ending sounds while the rest of the class are working on beginning sounds.

Most months I am only changing out for all new activities every 2 weeks. My high flyers get new things more frequently because their things aren't easily traded to another color group. Of course I can pull an activity at any time and replace it with something different.

2). Can do choices- This is what my kids do when they have completed the task that I need them to do. Each neighborhood has books, puzzles, and baskets. I also have things like listening center, sensory table, writing, and magnetic centers assigned to each of the neighborhood. I have spent a lot of time discussing/ training my kids to know that a can do center has 2 people working together. Or you can work by yourself. I do this to cut down on the noise.

Changing out can do centers was tricky for me at first. Getting activities that the children could do independently and not turn into free play proved to be a challenge. But we made it past that. These baskets I change out when I notice that the kids aren't "picking" to do that anymore or that they are turning it into free play.

Here are some of my choices for can do baskets:

Fine motor activities:

Spinner games that we have used in must do baskets but still need some practice with.

Open ended matching or ordering games:

Matchy matchy games: think memory, or matching of any type.

We also have a computer area, books, sensory table, and iPads in our room that children can use.

This week is spring break for me and I am working to put up in my TPT store LOTS of $2 center game files. Each of these packs have 3 types of cards and 3 recording sheets. In the letter and sounds packs there are upper case, lower case, and sound cards and recording sheets. When I use these in our must do baskets I use a recording sheet and the children pull a card out of a "bag" and find it's match on the recording sheet.  When I put these games into the can do centers, I leave them open ended so that the children can decide what to do with them. Sometimes they match them upper to lower, sometimes the put the cards in ABC order. It's up to the kids and that means that they spend more time working on that item. I am obsessing over these jen hart Designs letters!!! Aren't they super cute?!?!? My kiddos are going to loose their minds!

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Closing up for the year....

Hey Ya'll!

WOW! Can this year really be over? And end this way? For the first time ever I am unsure of my teaching future. There are so many things swimming in my head and I'm not sure I want to spill them out of my head but I also don't know what to think.

Let's roll back time. This has been absolutely the hardest year in my teaching history. I had some of the hardest kids and the class dynamic was HORRIBLE. I taught "friendship" lessons right up to this last week! I've never had to do that. I've never deal with the attitudes that I did this year. Talk about an "oil and water" class. You couldn't break them up enough to keep the peace. EVERY time I had a sub my class went crazy and the sub would leave me a note saying how horrible the whole class was. My favorite note was the one where the sub said that she would pray for me because of how horrible my class was. And that she would NEVER sub at our school again. Oh yea! My kids ran off a sub. I can't begin to say how many times I cried and cried over things that I knew I would never get to change. Here is the break down of this year.... 20 kids (I started with 21). 7 of them were girls... of the girls 3 had MAJOR attitude issues. I'm talking teenage mean girls kind of attitude. One little one started the school year with answering a question with "bitch please". Yep that was how my year started with the girls. Then there were the boys. 14 boys who were ALL boy! Of those 14 boys, 4 of them received behavior services for aggressive behavior (one of them came from a behavior based pre k). Then you have those with ADHD. Or the ones who's parents refuse to see that their child needs help... stomping your foot and throwing things is NOT a normal reaction 173 days into the school year. But heaven knows I couldn't get anyone to hear me.

I won't go into the attendance issues or the fact that this was the LOWEST group of children I have ever worked with. The year ended with one child still not being able to identify the letters in their name. They learned to write that name around February, but mom wouldn't let us test. I promise you this child has a processing issue but I can't get mom to do anything. UGH! We fought in our building being a distressed school and were questioned on EVERY thing we did. We were forced to write ridiculously long lesson plans... which took away from me being able to research or look for help for my struggling kids. And yet every chance we had teachers were scolded for not moving kids farther. I mean really! UGH!

And then we were emailed that there would be staffing changes next year. There is a really good chance that I won't know what I'm teaching until late summer. And that I might not be in K. I have not been quiet that I want to move to pre k, but I doubt that will happen unless I look for work elsewhere. So how do I feel about changing grades? Not sure. Some moments I think that I would be happy moving but then I start to panic. I love working with the little ones, but is it time for a change? UGH! I'm really not sure about all of this. And worse is that I am such a planner and not being able to do that has me worried. We are also on the states distressed school list and get lots of suggestions and people watching what we do. I fear that if I move grades in a critical year with the state watching every move we make that I won't have the ability to make mistakes. Like I have no room to breath or be creative. This is where the fear comes from. 

Honestly, there has been a lot this year that has forced me to a place where I am almost unsure of who I am. I remember once hearing that so and so had a mid life crisis and I thought... really? a mid life crisis. They must not have been very sure of themselves. And here I sit wondering if I am having the same thing happen. No I'm not out buying sports cars or chatting down men. But I do wonder who I am or better who I want to be this second half of my life. And no a potential grade change isn't the only thing that has me thinking this. I started loosing weight in February and am 32 pounds lighter than I was on Valentines day. That is enough of a loose that I don't recognize myself in mirrors. I mean if I'm standing there looking, yes I know it's me. But say I'm at a public bathroom and catch a sideway look at the mirror. I have to take a second look to see who it is. That my friends is a little unnerving. And I've had to downsize ALL my clothes! So I'm trying to limp to the end of the school year on 1 pair of work pants, that are really too big and that I have to wash nightly. I'm wearing a size that I haven't worn since before my kids were born, and I am able to walk in to Old Navy and buy clothes. All of this is SO different, not bad, just different and it's enough to make me off kilter.

Don't get me wrong, I love this. I love what is happening to my body and lifestyle. But I am not one who does change well. And I feel like there has been almost too much change thrown at me at one time. You also have to know that NOT a single coping mechanism that I used to use can I use now. That is dr pepper and surgery sweets are out, so I'm struggling to find balance without them. I don't write all of this for anyone to feel sorry for me. I need a place to process and this is it.

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Never a dull moment....

I am SO excited to share with everyone this amazing product.  Let's back up a minute and talk about the standard pencil sharpener. It's HORRIBLE right? Never gets the pencils sharp enough, and that grinding sound that tells you that the pencil is being "eaten" to death. I have spend many years looking for the perfect pencil sharpener. You know, one that is quite while sharpening, one that makes a sharp point, one that doesn't break or cost an arm and a leg.

Well that has all changed for me! See I found this beautiful PINK sharpener from Classroom Friendly Supplies.  I know what you are thinking... yes it is beautiful but honestly is this better than my electric one? Yes this sharpener is da BOMB! Y'all I can't say enough about how sharp my pencils are now! It's quiet- no loud grinding. It still sounds like a pencil sharpener but not like the pencil munching school district supplied monster that used to be in my room. This little beauty is awesome! Here is how it works:

Attach it to any surface using the included clip. It's the metal and black piece from the first picture. This holds the sharpener in place, although Classroom Friendly supplies also sells a plate that can be added to any surface. In my classroom, I don't have it attached to anything. I just hold the sharpener in place and crank. And no my hand doesn't hurt after sharpening 20+ pencils! I am telling ya this is the bomb diggity!

Now that you are all attached you are ready to sharpen. Ignore the fact that i need paint on my drawer.

Ok here is the cool part, and honestly it's the reason that I am letting my kinders sharpen their own pencils again! You pull the metal front out. It clicks into place when you have it out.

So this is the "start" position. To insert a pencil, you squeeze the black nobs on top together and slide the pencil in. Then crank!

Can you see the nobs on top? They hold the pencil in place. And crank... crank.... crank until you hear  the sound of the sharpener change. And you feel the crank change. It's almost like it gets smooth feeling because you are at the sharp stage.

And take the pencil out. LOOK at how SHARP that point is! Now lets talk wear and tear. I have owned many sharpeners from the school district monster to the expensive electric sharpener and nothing that I have owned has been able to withstand 5 year olds! Not until this beauty came along. I read lots of blog review saying how sharp the pencil is, how quiet this is, how the blogger loved it. But y'all, I didn't believe it until the end of this semester. I sharpened some pencils right before our class party. These are those glitter pencils that I never allowed to be sharpened in my room. Y'all know what I'm talking about... the monster sharpener eats them to the eraser and they clog up the electric job. But little pink sharpener would not be stopped!! 20 glittery Christmas pencils and it still sharpens like it did on the first pencil.

I know, I know... you don't believe me do you? I didn't believe it either. But y'all I let my kinders use it! And it still sharpens like it did the first day. I can't tell you how many pencil sharpeners subs or students have killed dead. Yet no one has been able to harm this sharpener. It has my stamp of approval (and that of my kinders!) You honestly can't go wrong with this sharpener.

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Before... a view of my room!

These are the pictures of my room. I was surprised when I first saw it... it is so small compared to my old room. But very quickly I fell in LOVE with it. So lets get started. This is the front door (well actually only door). I am going to use this BB for a focus wall and my birthdays. 

This view is just down from the door. I LOVE this long shelf! It has hooks under it. Now to be honest, the day I took this picture my room was FREEZING so the fan on the wall confused me.

At my old school the projector was in the ceiling and it caused all kinds of shadows and you had to use speakers from the computer to hear. I am so looking forward to having these big speakers on either side of the smart board. Oh the carpet is going down the hall to a first year teacher who has an Eric Carle theme going on. I think the caterpillar is going to be so cute in there!

This corner is where I plan to put the teacher area/ small group table. That computer table is HUGE and has got to go! I think that I am going to use that cart or maybe get a student desk... 

I have new chevron fabric to use for the curtains. And I plan to slide these computers down a bit. The book cases are going to move too...

The door there is to the bathroom. And the file cabinets are going going... 

These last 3 pictures are the shelving that I have across the back of my room. They will be cleaned up and have curtains over them. The fabric is grey and white dots.

So that is the new room. Can't wait to share the finished room!

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Teacher week is finally here!

Tuesday is our first day of teacher meetings. But it's not my first day back in the building, I've been working for about two weeks. I know crazy! But I really didn't spend more than a few hours each day in my room. I had SO many mister projects that I needed that time to fit them in to the misters schedule.

The misters biggest project was using homasote board. This board can be used as a bulletin board. It's real purpose is sound proofing. This picture is before I made it cute ;). It's the grey board next to the way to stinking big TV. I found some super cute fabric at Hobby Lobby that is grey chevron. I decided that all the fabric in my room this year would be grey. I have two. The chevron fabric on the front board and grey with white polka dots everywhere else.

Another mister project was to finally give me coat hooks! They are tight but I finally have somewhere for backpacks to be hung .Right now they have the kids everything bags hanging on them. At the end of the day we are going to hang them there. Last year I used buckets but I was never really happy with that.

We have a new school wide economy system (jury is still out on this working for me or not). And I created "wallets" for each kinder to keep their money in. I think they are SO cute!!

And the biggest news is that my BFF is moving to my school!!! I am so excited to be working with her again! I feel like our Kinder team is going to be the strongest ever! So I've been helping over in her room too. And so has the mister!

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Little by little

So I shared what  my room looked like when I walked in on Monday. Here it is now... with a couple of days to work on it. This time I took my pictures standing at my back door. ;) Just changing it up a bit. So the big brown squares are our cubbies. Each child is asked to keep a change of uniform in a bag for accidents. We keep this in the cubbie along with "mail". And you see the back of my chart stand. Just on the other side of the cubbies is our whole group area. This area takes up the majority of our room. It's BIG time important in my little world. 

So this ext picture shows the dividing shelves that I have in the middle of my room. Pocket charts hang on the back of the shelves. I choose to talk about our tables as neighborhoods. There are two neighborhoods behind the shelves and one behind my chart stand. I dream of having a room that is a rectangle so that all three neighborhoods could be in a row.  

This is a great shot of the hex table that is behind my chart stand. It also shows the IKEA shelves that I LOVE! They are covered in stuff that will not be there. The bottom step is where we deal with folders. The pink drawer is where we put folders last year. I am considering changing it out to a white and green drawer so that I can have the kiddos change out the folder and homework. We will see. :)

This back wall is going to say "Read, Baby, Read". This summer I had the AMAZING opportunity to work with KIPP: Delta ELA (elementary). The teachers there were so inspiring. One of the KIPP chants that they do is Read baby read. I fell in love with this chant and plan on teaching it to my kids. It shows the importance of reading through a progression of phrases like "reading is knowledge" and "knowledge is power". I LOVE this!! So my little library area will now remind me of the hard working men and women of KIPP: Delta!

Alright for the next few pictures I walked to the front door. See my pink table?? That will be my writing station which goes on the other side of the TV. And the manipulative cart thing is no longer there. I've moved it. I am thinking about getting rid of the little table here at the door. It's been a writing station, sign in table, time out table... just about everything! But my pink table will be the writing station so I think that this one can go!

So here is the back of the shelves. You can't tell but it's that peg board stuff. I have hooks that hang my pocket charts. I plan to line them up from end to end!

And last... looking back at the reading table. I love having my area in this corner. There is a sink behind me... great for art projects that we do in small groups. The metal shelf is no longer up there... that is how I pack for summer.... stack up as much as I can.


Well there is a little tour of my room. I hope to have everything ready to roll early next week. I'm holding out for the fire marshal... he makes me CRAZY!

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First Look at 2013-14 School Year!

Well here it is. My room as I got to see it the first time! WOW... lots of stuff and the bathroom has most of my tables and all of my chairs stuffed into it! That would be my oldest... she is in her last year at middle school. I am very grateful that she likes to come help! So the views are from me standing just inside the hall door... aka the front door. We also have an outside door... aka the back door. 

So straight across from the door is the TV (there is a computer that hooks up to it but that is stored with the other computers during the summer.) And my smartboard is adjacent to the TV. I really wish that when the smart boards were install that they were put at the front of the room and not in the corner. But it is what it is! The wall space between the TV and the corner is where I want to add some of the homasote 440 board. It's kind of waisted space. There is a computer drop that runs the wall but isn't not all the way in the corner nor is it over by the TV. It's horrible where it is placed. So I am hopping that the mister will use some 1x4 boards to lift up the homasote 440 and then I will have a bulletin board area there. I am thinking that this will be my writing center area and it would be great to have a bulletin board there. 

This next picture is the back door, as it appears from the front door. Let me tell you bright read doors DO NOT blend well with room decor!  So this years theme is bright rainbow colors. I'm hoping it will help with the red door and the primary blue computer counters and storage area.  My word wall goes in the open space under the window. The cubbies go in front of the window.. but not up against the wall. The back faces of the cubbies face the word wall. This is where the other part of the homasote 440 is going to go! I am going to turn that into our calendar math area. My chart stand goes next to the cubbies. This gives us the edge of our whole group area. We use carpet squares for our carpet that get picked up when we need to do art projects... which almost always happen on the floor ;) 

In this next picture you see the bathroom door open and my cubbies that the mister needs to fix. I have made new table signs too. You probably see the houses hanging from the ceiling... I call my tables "neighborhoods".  I like how it helps build a since of community. 

Alright now we hit the primary blue counter tops. There is a sink under all of that mess!! My teacher table goes in front. I do not let small children wash their hands without supervision! Before anyone freaks we use hand sanitizer for our classroom bathroom. Then our big trips to the bathroom in the hall everyone, even those not going potty, washes their hands.  Oh and all of that mess comes down and goes else where! 

And now we reach the computers. See primary blue! The bright rainbow theme is going to be the only way to hide the things I can not change. I am lucky to have 5 classroom computers. The first one runs the smartboard and one of them attaches to the TV. But it is wonderful to be in a school that is lucky enough to have technology! I also have the primary smartboard clicker system and 4 ipads that stay in my room. At the end of the computers is a cabinet, I keep a lock on that cabinet because that is where ALL the technology stays. 

So that is where things stand. I've got a lot of work to do. I plan to purge as I go. I just don't have the storage here that I did at the other school. 

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A productive day...

Today was an amazingly productive day. DH came and got all my tables the right height. He totally rocks! Once all my tables were level, I was able to move them into place. While he worked, I worked on hanging things. I LOVE how everything is coming together. Here are pictures from today.

This is the view from my door. The little table is my writing center.

This is the view across my room (corner to corner). I know lots of classrooms have bathrooms 

but at my old school I did not have one. I am SO excited to have one! The

red door is an outside door. The overhead station in on the wood cart.

This is looking back at my teacher table. Each kiddo has a cubbie and we will keep backpacks 

in tubs behind the the cubbies. The metal shelf on the right at the back of the room is 

where my classroom library will be. 

This is my smartboard/ whole group area. The cupcakes will hold our birthdays and

the shoes are our Pete the Cat color posters. And my word wall is below the window. 

So that is what my little world looks like now. I can't wait to get the last little bit done! I am tell you this is a dream come true! I am so blessed to be back in a place that will grow me as an educator. Over the last few days I've been able to visit with my team. There are 4 of us all together. Each one is bringing something wonderful to the table. We are going to be able grow each other! I can't wait to meet my little ones. I am hopeful to get a list soon... like as in tomorrow. Chances are it will be end of the week.

Well that's today's update. Thanks for dropping by!

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