Classroom Makeover

Usually this time of year is when you are packing up your classroom....not re-doing it!  Me on the other hand, I get super motivated at the end of the year to switch things up; so I can feel less pressured at the end of the summer.  I have been super inspired by all of Mealnie's fabulous ideas at School Girl Style.  Her classroom decorating blog and business are fabulous!  If I could ever do it, I would totally start my own classroom decorating business!  Not just give advice and ideas but actually put together classrooms for other teachers.  It is my DREAM!  Anyway here are some of my classroom changes for the 2013-2014 school year so far.  My sweet kids this year have been really enjoying the changes too since they have a few weeks left.  One of my sweet little girls came in one morning and said "how come you keep changing everything??"  Below  are a few pictures of my classroom with tips I have taken and adapted from Melanie and School Girl Style. 

Tip # 1:  Decide on a color scheme and stick with it- Mine is primary colors- red, blue, and yellow.

Tip # 2:  Choose one border and stick with it!  Use double borders to make your boards pop, using coordinating colors.  All of my bulletin boards have red or yellow paper backgrounds with a double border. Every bulletin board has Dancing Dots on black border on the edge with a bordette double border (yellow, red, or blue).  Half of my borders have the new 3-D ruffle border trend using bulletin board paper, but it takes a long time and after multiple days of this my sister and I said four boards of ruffle boarder were enough! 

Tip #3:  Get rid of excess furniture that takes up space.  "Centers" mini pocket charts from a local school supply store.  (I will do a separate post about how I manage my centers)

Tip #4:  Accessorize and organize with coordinating baskets and labels.  Leveled library baskets from Really Good Stuff.  Primary polka dot labels from School Girl Style

Tip #5:  Add stuffed animals and matching books to make your classroom feel more early childhood friendly, cute, and welcoming.  This is my own personal tip because I teach first grade and after I started re-doing my room, simplifying, and organizing I felt my classroom was missing a child friendly, cozy feeling.  So I added some of my cute Khol's Cares for Kids $5 dollar stuffed animals and matching books to display.  The don't take up floor space and they are simple enough to add around the room or remove quickly when cleaning.  They don't give off the "cluttered" feel. 

Writing station with Cara Carroll's Writer's Eye bulletin board idea adapted with bright colors to match my classroom.  Click here to get this writer's eye freebie. 

-Rate your writing display from Hooty's Homeroom

-What do Writer's Write poster originally from Cara Carroll but remade by The Teacher Wife

-What Can I Write About? anchor chart (traced on poster board using my promethean board) from The Inspired Apple

-Kid Drawn calendar, birthdays, numbers, and healthy habits posters from Carson Dellosa.  Y'all I am seriously crazy about these kid drawn posters.  They have been around since I first started teaching five years ago,

 but I think they are precious, kid-friendly, and timeless.  I'm guessing they are about to be discontinued because they are on clearance and I've contemplated buying a second set of everything as a backup for when my sets I have no get too faded.  I have almost everything on the link above!  Pretty obsessed....obviously.  

End of the Year Party

I know a lot of schools are out for the year and you've already celebrated your end of the year party or end of the year parent presenation.  We decided to combine them as one this year and I created an invitation for our first grade team to use.  You can click on the thumbnail below to download your own FREE copy for next year.  There are a few options to choose from.  Enjoy!



Five For Friday (Linky party May 31)

Today was field day!!!  It was a blast!  We came in fourth of 5 teams which was actually last place becasue two first grade teams tied for first.  Woomp woomp....It's ok though! 

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We went out in the courtyard right out my classroom's back door and signed each other's beach balls with Sharpies.  It was a super cute idea and I will definitely include it in their gifts next year!  Don't mind the ugly gift topper.  I got lazy! 

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I've been re-decorating and doing a huge makeover in my classroom.  A post on that later!....

But I've been following School Girl Style's tips.  Double borders and mathing/coordinating bulletin board paper.  Here's a sneak peak....

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I joined pinterest with a teacher/blog account.  I have my personal account but now I have a "firstgradeheart" account! Check me out here:  http://statigr.am/firstgradeheart

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My sweet baby enjoyed a Cookie Monster cupcake for breakfast.  It was a gift from one of my students.You only live once and I love to see this sweet face! 

Number Word Posters Freebie!!!!

I am helping design one of my best friend's classroom and she happens to be next door to me!  I am starting now since I have a little more freetime.  I am following the same techniques I used from Melanie over at School Girl Style to re-design my classroom.  I made her these simple number word cards to replace her older number word display.  They are very simple but add a pop of color and can easily be used if she desides to chance color schemes in the next couple of years.  I am posting these bright chevron print number word posters as a FREEBIE to y'all too! 
You can also click the image below to be redirected to my TPT store in order to download the free document.



Balloon Madness!!!

We are in survival mode....well I'm in survival mode!  We have something like 9ish days left of school.  We have lots of fun things planned.  I am officially pulling out all stops to keep these sweet kids of mine busy!!  We hung a few balloons up as party decorations and as a behavior incentive idea similar to Hope King's.  In each balloon is a fun activitiy to do with the kids.  I will pop one every couple of days if the kids are staying on task. 

We also completed Abby's balloon people from her Busy Bodies packet.  We completed the gum one a few weeks ago and the kids had a blast.  They had to decorate/make their balloon person using sharpies and/or construction paper and then get with a partner and make up their own dialogue.  After coming up with a funny dialogue they were to record their conversations on the dialogue recording sheet.  Here are a few of their balloon people cuties:

End of the Year Party

All the first grade teachers at my school decided to do our end of the year parent presentation and end of the year party for the students all in one day!  I decided to do a beach theme party for the kids and I used pinspiration for a lot of my party ideas!  Love some pinterest!  The kids had a blast and the parents loved the summer poems we wrote and presented.  I got the poem idea from an old school Mailbox magazine.   Mailbox is still one of my favorite teaching resourses to use. 

I found the cute beach themed plates and napkins at the dollar tree, and the polka dotted paper straws at the AMAZING Mighty Dollar store in Greenville.  They had paper straws and matching polka dotted balloons for ONE DOLLAR!!! I bought a bunch in various colors for future parties.  :)  The yellow buckets have the student's wrapped end of the year gifts in them.  I also had a simple but cute table set up with a bright table cloth, 4 sandbuckets from the dollar bins at Target; each with a snack in them:  goldfish, graped, and 2 buckets of mini chocolate donuts. 

We also made Hope King's paper bag memory scrapbooks.  We worked on 2 pages a day until they were finished and they turned out adorable!  The kids loved putting stickers on each page. 

Christmas in July

So I'm joining everyone else and celebrating Christmas in July!!

To make this sale even more exciting I've made a North Pole Breakfast pack which is going to be LOADS of fun for you and your students at Christmas time.  If you are not familiar with the Elf on the Shelf or a North Pole breakfast you are missing out!  I did a breakfast with my sweet son who was celebrating his first Christmas this year and I did one for my students as well.  I have to say it was 2 of my favorite days during the holiday season last year. Their faces just lit up!  Yes...even my 6 month old sons' face lit up as well! ;)  Well anyway a North Pole breakfast is the kickoff of the Elf on the Shelf season.  Basically Santa visits your classroom/house and drops off a special holiday themed breakfast (with super cute decorations of course) along with your class/family Elf on the Shelf.  He leaves sweet notes for your students/family letting them know that he is watching them this holiday season and his elf will be watching and reporting back.  If you'd like to incorporate a fun North Pole breakfast in your classroom this year then this pack is for you!  Included are fun writing activities for the kids, Letters from Santa templates, holiday themed banner materials, a North Pole breakfast menu, and so much more!  Click on the picture below to be directed to my TPT.