More pieces...

Ok! Didn't sleep at all last night thinking about how LITTLE TIME I have before the big day! My school is sounding more lively now with returning teachers prepping their rooms and walking around the halls. So exciting! Here are my rules, I forgot to add the last one about being kind. Cutting out cloud-like shapes takes forever but the end result makes me happy:) 

Below is my teacher stool. I wanted to have something low to still be near the kids and put a cute ribbon on it to make it mine! Tiger is our mascot- maybe the kids can name him later (math project!). 

This next one is Billy the Bear. He shows the kids how to listen properly. I copied this idea from my other TK teacher who did a little boy named Sam. I wanted him to fit my theme so all I did was cut out paper to form him... I don't recommend this technique, it took forever! 

All the tape here is ready to go- I was also given the tip to put the masking tape on your jeans before putting it on the carpet to avoid so much stickiness later. Thanks Candace! 

Next up is the coolest thing ever: The Circle of Silence. What I do is try to make a game out of being quiet- when it is time to concentrate, we will all draw an invisible circle with our fingers and whisper "circle of silence". Anyone to break the circle of silence will get their number on the board and will be reminded to keep the game going! The rest of the kids without their name on the board will get a reward (one extra minute playing or first to line up). 

Below is my schedule- again in cloud formation:) sorry it is a tad blurry. I have these nifty hand magnets so the kids will know exactly where we are during the day. 

Next are my direction pictures. My kids won't be coming in reading so these will make projects easier to understand, and if the kids ask what to so next, they just look at the board! All of the pieces I put on the board have magnetic tape on the back for easy transfer. 

I'm working on a treasure chest and TK picture frame for the first day of school next. Look for an update soon! 

Things are coming together!

Aaaah! I'm starting to have trouble sleeping already. August is here and even though I've been posting the progress on my class, I feel like there is so much more to do! Here are some more things I've been putting together: 

This first one I bought at lakeshore. It was a boring calendar that I decided to jazz up to meet my jungle standards.

You can see that it looked like a plain orange card, and all I did was stick my fancy numbers on top! This is my finished  product: 

This next one is for all the visitors who want to know what's going on in our class. I decided to post our weekly newsletter on a picture clip next to this fun sign: 

It says, "Room 5 Monkey business". My weekly newsletter will be "Ms. A's Gorilla Gazette" whenever I get around to it. 

Here is just a screenshot of my matching chairs, tables, and material buckets! 

Next is my wonderful Word Worm!! I already love him. He only has a head to start the year, and as we learn each new sight word, the worm will grow! I wanted him vibrant so I made him the colors of the rainbow. 

Here's his head: 

And this is an example of what his body will look like: 

I'm in the process of making so much more! Let the insomnia begin...

Bulletin Boards!

Bulletin boards can be the very thing to set the mood in your classroom. Here are  ones I have set up in mine: 

Double boarder is super cute! Thanks to my co-worker Jenny, this idea gives the boards a little extra happiness! 

My watering hole! I added a raffia skirt to this one. 

Burlap border! 

You can see I've chosen zebra/ cheetah lining to go with my jungle theme. I found a red pocket holder to use in my listening center to hold the books they will listen to that day. You can also see the finished product of my reading hut! Here is a breakdown of it being made: 

I was blessed with about four boxes full of brand new paint- so I put some of it to use on this hut! The lanterns were purchased on oriental trading company to give it some extra flare. 

Hope you are enjoying my projects! Getting ready and organizing is more fun than I thought. Stay tuned for more updates coming soon! 

Introducing: My Classroom in Pieces

This is so exciting! I've chosen to do a safari- jungle theme for my Transitional Kindergarteners (TK). Here are some pictures I've taken so far.

This is my clip chart. Students will learn how to be responsible for themselves by moving their clips up or down according to the behavior they display everyday. 

Here are my awesome zebra curtains made by my grandmother. She is the world's best sewer- if you have someone with talents you down have yourself- it never hurts to ask for a little help! I also used an inverse spray job on those bags behind the right curtain for library bag holders. Here is a close-up of them: 

All I did was buy fabric spray paint at Michael's, and laid down a stencil! 

This next project I did is seen all over Pinterest: 

I am lucky enough to have a professional carpenter (my grandfather) to help me carve out the wooden parts needed to stabilize the top parts of these stools. After he carved them out, all I did was add foam padding and jean fabric with my staple gun. These are now stools for my listening center. 

I had a lot of fun with this next one: 

 

This tree took me around four hours to make, but totally worth it! Her name is Sally the Sleeping Tree, she says: "Please be silent as you read under me." I've arranged for my listening center and reading hut to be near her so the kids will learn to have whisper voices near her. 

All I did to make Sally was twist brown butcher paper for the branches, and painstakingly stapled each limb to the wall (so lucky all my walls are staple-walls). The trunk had to be massively taped down to the blue cabinet with clear tape. I made her face out of black yarn and tried to make it so it doesn't look so scary! My fiancé has told me it looked like it'd be in their nightmares if I'm not careful with the placement, so I hope it sends off a happy/peaceful vibe! Other than that, I just taped/ stapled the little leaves- which will eventually change with the seasons, and decorated with the students' art throughout the year! 

That's all for now. I've been told to try to enjoy my summer as much as I can before the craziness starts, so off the the pool I go!