Back to School...First Grade Classroom Tour!

Hello there! 

I'm so happy you stopped by for a visit. I have been absent for quite some time and I am truly sorry. I have been meaning to blog but it seems like life has been getting in the way. I had good intentions to blog over the summer when I was off work but I worked a lot over the summer getting lots of little things accomplished as well as preparing for a new grade level this year. Of course, over the past month I have been preparing my classroom and now I am going into my third week of school with my firsties so life is still busy. Add the beginning of our bathroom remodel to that and oh my! Life is great though and I am so blessed. Now...hopefully I will be sharing a new bathroom with you before too long and then a new bedroom after that, but for now, I am sharing my new classroom.

Welcome to Mrs. Vicky's First Grade Class.....

Here is my desk and little office space in my room. I love the setup and especially love the ribbon garland and faux chalkboard look I created on the front. 

All of our classrooms have a full size stove in case we want to do any lessons involving cooking or for party days and so on. I rarely use mine and would rather not have it, but I just decorate around it.  I loathe the mauve color of the cabinets...our school was built nearly 20 years ago and it was popular then.

Here are a few close ups of this area....

My mini fridge and microwave are in the far corner near the back door leading outside. I decorated the top of the cabinets with a few new things as well as things students have given me over the years. The back of the stove also holds things students have given me. I made labels to put on the outside of the cabinets telling what is inside. This will be helpful for substitute teachers and students as well.

My reward system and some student supplies.

I added the monsters after the first picture was taken.

Above the water fountain area. 

Here are some random views of the room. I won't explain everything but if you have questions about anything, be sure to ask. This is standing near my desk from left to right around the room.

The door below is to my HUGE closet. It is amazing...I need to take pictures. I have two closets...the other one is used to house extra first grade curriculum and supplies.

Here is the door to the other closet.

My small group area...still tweaking!

The student library...which they love! The rug came from Ikea. I have wanted it forever and finally bought it this summer.

The hubby helped me make this little bench. It took two file crates and a piece of plywood...all of which I already had. I just bought a new piece of colorful fabric to cover it and he attached it to the crates for me. The pencil pillow also came from Ikea. This is a favorite thing in the room!

I made the button banner to go with the rug.

My schedule which changed slightly so I am redoing it tonight.

My chair in our whole group floor area where we learn reading skills.

This board is to the left of the chair so students can easily turn to see it.

My behavior chart which goes along with an online program I use called Class Dojo.  They get rewarded for positive behaviors which encourages them to try hard to display good behavior. They each have a clothes pin with their name on it and clip up or down on the chart. They get to draw a number to one of the drawers you saw earlier when they get 25 points. The drawers hold a variety of things...candy, toys, fancy pencils and erasers, coupons for things like sit at the teacher's desk for the day or eat lunch with the teacher, etc. The students love it so much!

Our class motto.....

My writing board which will eventually have some things on it...lol!

I am using flexible seating this year and students can choose an alternative "seat" and choose where they want to sit.

Here are some more options. The counter holds our chrome books. Every child in our district has one this year to use at school. High schoolers get to take theirs home. 

My para pro's (teacher's aide) table. She is with me for half an hour a day and works with two groups of students during centers.

The birthday cupcakes now hold student  birth dates.

Another view of my small group area.

This was taken on Meet the Teacher day. I had paperwork in the folders for parents and a treat for the kids.

One of my Ikea carts holds math manipulative's.

Another favorite of the students...lol!

This area is to the right when you walk in from the hall. I have work posted there now. The student cubbies are to the right and left when you walk in from the hall.

I used paint chip cards from Lowe's for labeling the student cubbies this year. I love it! They each have a book bin that matches in their cubbies now. I should have taken a new picture. They store backpacks and lunches in their cubbies as well as a few books in their box.

The cubbies to the left of the door and the student mailboxes where I put their graded work and notes to go home.

Tissues and hand sanitizer are essentials in a classroom! I bought this colorful place mat at Ikea and it houses these things nicely.

A few close up shots of the area behind my desk. A parent made me the burlap painted pencil a few years ago. Another parent made the straw dispenser full of pencils last year. It has a teacher quote on it.

I have tons of necessities in my teacher toolbox...paper clips, binder clips, band aids, and so on. It is so handy...I use it all the time! The colorful words like teach came from the Target Dollar spot over the summer. They had the cutest stuff this year. 

One of my favorite things this year is my organizer my amazing hubby built for me. I labeled it using vinyl letters I cut with my Cricut (which by the way has been so handy). I have one slot for each day of the week and one for extras. I put my curriculum for each day in the slots. I have laminated some bright colored paper to divide them if I have two weeks worth inside. The middle holds my most used binders. This piece has been a lifesaver. I am all about organization as most of you already know. :)

So, I know that was super long...but I hope you enjoyed visiting first grade for a bit. My classroom is my home away from home and it is very special to me so I wanted to share it with you. I am sorry I haven't been around much lately. I actually visited everyone a week or so ago but didn't get to leave comments. I am trying to catch up today between helping the hubby with the bathroom demo. It's a mess but it is going to be so worth it! Have a beautiful week my friends and until next time....

Just a Little Lizard...:)

Hello and happy Friday evening! I am so happy to see the weekend arrive. I am even more excited to only have 5 days of work and then have a week off work which means 9 glorious days in a row off work! I am beyond excited and ready for it. Anywho, I love my job (most days), but teaching kindergarten is exhausting to say the least and I need quiet time. Kinders are not quiet...lol! I do get to have some fun at work too and today is proof of that.....although some of you may strongly disagree, or maybe even question my sanity. 

Today, a Florida Wildlife Control officer came to school to share a friend. This friend he brought was a 2 year old baby Florida alligator. Isn't he cute?

Alligators grow about 12 inches per year until they reach maturity and stop. That's how we know the approximate age of this cute little fella. That's water on the table. He was transported in an ice chest with water in it. 

His mouth is taped to keep him from biting...:)

Isn't he a cutie? 

Here you can see the flap that covers his eyes when he is under water. It works like a mask does on humans. 

The kids were allowed to touch it if they chose. Of approximately 90 kinders, I would say 80 or more touched it. One said it felt like corn on the cob. Too funny, but actually parts of it did. The skin on the back  and sides is pretty bumpy. The sides of the neck and belly are so smooth though. I couldn't resist petting it and after the kids left, I had to hold it. This is a horrible picture of me, but oh well! 

It is what it is!

This reminded me of when my son was in kindergarten and loved snakes. I mean, he was obsessed and wanted one for a pet. Of course, I told him no way on Earth would we have a pet snake. His kindergarten teacher was such a sweetheart and had a lady come in with her two ball pythons especially for Dakota. He was in awe....strange I know! He still likes snakes and will catch non-poisonous ones just to hold them. I actually held one of the ball pythons that day many years ago.....only difference was the snakes mouth was not taped. 

Don't know if I m still brave enough to do that or not...lol! 

I hope you enjoyed looking at this little Florida alligator. They are really interesting creatures. Have a blessed evening. I'm hoping to share a few treasures over the weekend, if I can find time. it's going to be a busy one...

Operation Shed Spruce Up Complete!

Well....it's finished, in spite of the rain! 

This morning the sun was actually shining so I was able to finish spray painting the decor for the shed. As I was trying to get everything attached to the shed however, the rain started.....again! I had to quit and go inside. After it slacked off and was just barely sprinkling, I went outside to finish. I still have to pack for my trip and I really wanted this finished before I leave, so I had no choice but to work in the rain...:) I apologize for the gloomy photos, but I had to take them in the drizzling rain!

You might remember these from earlier in the week.

They were the inspiration for my sprucing up my shed. I got the idea from Tina over at Cluttered Corkboard. You can see her shed spruce-up here. Anywho, as soon as I saw these, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with them!

I painted them each a different Krylon color. 

The dragonfly got a coat of Global Blue...left over from a chair makeover I did for my daughter's apartment a year ago.

The butterfly got Pumpkin Orange...also left over from a project.

And my favorite...the bee, got Sun Yellow! It too was left over from a project.

Like my pretty new pink and white begonias? I want to add some different color flowers in here too.....maybe when I return from Pennsylvania!

The pink piece is actually a rabbit nesting box my dad gave me. I turned it upright and made it into a planter though! What do you think? It was rusty old metal (I know you're disappointed in me Donna...lol!) but I perked it up with a coat of Watermelon Pink. That's the only can of paint I had to purchase...:) I had the watering can already and the little architectural detail below the flowers is a $0.25 thrift store find from a while back. I hope to attach it with silicone somewhere on the box but we couldn't do it in the rain. It's just propped up here for now. I also want to write something on the front of the box. Maybe faith or hope....we'll see. I need to decide if I am going to paint it on or use vinyl lettering, but that's another project for another day!

I already had the cast iron water hose holder, so it got a coat of oil rubbed bronze. I am thinking of placing a couple small potted plants on it or maybe even an air plant.

I placed one of my ferns and another yard sale find at one corner.

So....here is the shed before the spruce up.

And, here it is after.....:)

Here is a photo took from across the yard...:) See all my pavers stacked up to the left of the shed? Those were free folks! We're hoping to build a little patio area with those in our back yard one day!

And one final photo....before and after. I am really pleased with how it turned out. And the best part is it didn't cost much money. Under $20 for the insect wall art, one can of spray paint, and the begonias. Sweet! My kind of project and, it's unique!

I got some exciting news today as well! I won another giveaway! That makes two in two weeks...:) This one is a beautiful Old Country Roses bowl from Tablescapes By Bev I was tickled pink to win this....I love Old Country Roses and only have a couple pieces. One day I hope to own at least a service for four.....one day! Too many home improvement projects to complete before then! Thanks so much Bev...I can't wait to get it!

Well, I can't put it off any longer folks! I must get my bags packed to head out to Pennsylvania! By the time you read this, I will be on the way! We (my daughter and mother-in-law and I) are leaving bright and early in the morning on our girls only road trip! I am so excited and I know we will all make some special memories along the way. I hope to have lots of photos to share when I return. Be sure to check back tomorrow afternoon as I have prepared a Sunday post for you. I also have guest posters for Monday and Wednesday., so please pop in and show Donna and Roxy some love...:) Thanks again ladies for being my guests!

Until next time....have a fabulous weekend and week!