Three Environment Ideas

I have a couple of things that I am really excited about in my classroom!

I bought a rolling microwave stand (5 bucks!) at a Habitat for Humanity Restore and painted it yellow. So now I have a super fun yellow podium-ish stand for teaching. Yay! Shelves, wheels, and all. I am keeping a few things on the stand at all times, including: a visual timer, some prizes (for the first few days only), a book stand a small green tote for dry erase markers and marbles for the community jar, etc. I am always MOVING MOVING MOVING when I am teaching so this is going to be PERFECT for me. I can't wait to use it!

When my husband and I were married we received a lot of awesome gifts. One very cool gift that we received (but that I never used...) was this beautiful recipe stand:

It is sad to say it has been sitting in a kitchen cupboard for over 4 years! It needed some desperate repurpose. I decided to use it for my curriculum books, that is... when I actually use them while I teach. It is the perfect size for manuals, text books, curriculum resources, etc. I can finally put them down and actually know where they are when I need to pick them up again. w00t!

The last thing that I am excited about... A small space of the bulletin board behind my desk (easy access for students) has an assortment of photos of me when I was in 4th grade! My class photo, a softball card, a treehouse I built with my siblings and neighbors... all are shared with my own 4th graders. Honestly, I have no idea how it is that I have my 4th grade class photo. It is the ONLY one that I have. Ching!

Tomorrow is my first day EVER. It is a day of meetings and introductions but the first day nonetheless! Wish my luck.

Sarah

Comfy Cozy Cushiony Corner

Jeez Louise. Putting a room together from scratch is hard work. There is so much to do! There are so many little details that novices (such as myself) do not even think about when they are preparing classroom plans. They have Wedding Planners, why not Classroom Planners?

**Props to those of you who have been teaching for years and years. I hope to one day have your mad room configuring skillz.

So, ever since my first undergrad education class, I have had this hankering for a comfy-cozy reading area in my classroom. Last week my dream of cushions and comfort became a reality when my fabulous mother-in-law donated a love seat and area rug to my room! Also, my husband's grandparents donated the red chair. It swivels. CHING! Add some Lorax, Horton and Mario action and I've myself a home away from home... for the students and for me.

I'm still working on my bulletin boards (as you can see) but I wanted to give you a glimpse of the reading area... I am very proud of it! It takes up quite a bit of classroom space (about 1/5 of the room) but honestly, I think that it will be worth it this year. My goal is to get every single kid excited about independent reading. The classroom living room is leverage.

I will update the blog on the strengths/weaknesses of our reading area. If for nothing else, to document what worked and what didn't for Future Me's reference.

Peace People,
Sarah