Wednesday 5 September 2012

First Day and Classroom Pics

Oh boy, this year is definitely going to be an adventure! We had our first day of school today and we really got nothing accomplished. lol. So many procedures to get through! Morning routine, religious exercises, bathroom rules, hallway walking, recess time, snack time, lunch time, music class, home time... Hoo boy! :) We made it though! I have quite the mixture of students. Some cuties, some quiet ones, some space cadets, some class clowns, some Lacey-Walker-Nonstop-Talkers, and some low bunnies. Love it!


I did manage to take my kiddos pictures with my Pinterest-crazed picture frame. I snuck them out one at a time to snap a quick picture while they were having some free exploration time with some mah manipulatives. I just put out tubs of bear/animal counters, pattern blocks, links, unifix cubes, and dominoes. We just rotated the tubs every ten minutes or so. Fun and easy math block! (And it stopped all the asking for playtime.. sorry, we're not in Kindergarten anymore!)


Alright, on to the classroom pics! There's still a million things I wish I could do and a million and one things to organize. Bleh. If you read my blog often, you probably know I love labels. So moving into someone else's classroom that is full of all their stuff and not labelled (how I like) stinks! I feel like I can't get truly organized because there's too much stuff! I still have boxes in the corner of my room! Yuck! Oh well, what can ya do! :) Here's a smattering of pictures...

My Classroom Door... The kids love Pete already!

Here's a view of my classroom from the doorway. 
26 (plus me) bodies is a lot to fit in this room!

My mailboxes... It's a shoe organizer I found at Kmart. 
I put the students' names on binder clips and clipped them to the shelves. 
They stay on very well! I have 26 students though, so I had to add an extra tub on top.

 Here's my Daily 5 rotation pocket chart, word wall, 
levelled books, and student book boxes.

Here is my ABSOLUTE FAVOURITEST SPOT IN MY ROOM! 
Sorry for the shouty caps. 
I love my library space. 
Sure it's missing a few pillows or cute chairs, but look at that rug! 
Adorable! Found that at Target.

The dark brown shelf on the left holds tubs of books sorted by author or series 
(with some matching stuffy friends for reading buddies!)
The light brown shelf on the right holds theme books. 
Right now it is full of school-related books.

This is my author study wall. First up--Kevin Henkes! 
His books are perfect for back to school.

Here is my guided reading area. Nothing special. 
No cute crate stools. Maybe one year.

 Here's my calendar area. Love it! 
My Mimio software just got installed today, 
so I'm looking forward to playing around with it soon!

On top here I have my listening stations. 
In the five blue tubs are mp3 players with head phones.
Below that are my word work tubs. 
Not exactly set up, but we're no where near ready for word work yet!

And here is my math shelf. 
I seriously just started to organize it after school. 
It was a mess. Don't believe me? Look here. Scary, eh?
The tubs with the yellow labels are "Math by Myself" activities 
(hands-on centres to complete independently).
The red labels are "Math with Someone" activities.
The bottom shelf is just extra maniuplatives.
The white tub is all my math books. I have a ton!

 Here's the table beside my desk.
 I need to cover it. It's ugly. And has a few splinters I'm sure.
The supply caddies turned out cute though!

My Daily 5 math rotation pocket chart, computers, alphabet up top, 
behaviour chart (not done the clothespins yet), and daily schedule.

Here's my back counter area. I love my cupboards! 
I'm not a huge fan of hard cover books, so I usually take off the flap 
(if the cover underneath is the same). 
Then I cut out the pics of my favourite characters for a display!
The green and blue tubs are to help me organize--there's a tub for laminating, photocopying, 
correcting, filing, and sending home. Right now the tubs are covered in a layer of junk.
 
And that's it! Hope you enjoyed the tour! 
I hope I can come visit you again soon. I am pooped these days!

7 comments:

  1. Your room looks great! I had my first day today too...exhausting with all there is to explain!
    Anita
    Mrs. Bremer’s Kindergarten

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  2. I love the way your room turned out! You still managed to give it your own style, even with filling in someone else's space. The rug is perfect for your library spot! It's a lot of work to get ready for your little ones...and never seems to end...lol

    Thanks for all your great ideas and brainstorming with me to help me get ready as well!

    Hugs,
    Mom

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  3. Your room looks amazing! I can't wait until I am able to go back to school to begin my teaching career though not looking forward to the Praxis Exams I'll have to take.

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  4. Love that you shared all your classroom set-up! I am wondering where you found the caddies as I am currently searching for these! Thanks for the wonderful ideas.

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  5. Hi I was wondering where you got the letters for you 1st day of kindy sign? I have been looking online and cant seem to find them to print. Thanks :)

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  6. Sorry, they were letters I bought from a teacher supply store. Not sure the name or brand.

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