Craig's Help

Craig. My new found friend. By searching and traveling a bit I have found some great additions to my home.My other friend: Broyhill Fontana. The out of production Fontana (sounds like me at the moment).

Craig helped me to have a great space to spread out at home and blog, laminate, grade papers, blog stalk, pinterest search, etc. Because I found this: 

to replace this:

So now I use this: 

A little unconventional but it works for me! 

There are a lot of good family memories of sitting around that old oak table that I just couldn't part with it. Since my office is not a pinterest award winner I will just spread out and continue.

Now I hope to post some of my new creations. This week I am working on this:

The Grouchy Ladybug

Go Away, Big Green Monsster

Commotion in the Ocean

The Pout-Pout Fish

All in preparation for June 6 and about 50 upcoming K students for our "summer school" fun!

Summer Goals: Monday Reveal

I was inspired this morning. Yes, it is Memorial Day. First Monday off of summer break. But over at 4th Grade Frolics I read about goals for school and goals for home/personal to "attack" this summer. She speaks of posting goals each Monday and then hopefully reaching them and sharing some of her new found school ideas. She calls is the "Monday Reveal".

I thought I would join in.

School: Since I am teaching summer school (pre-K kids instead of first) I've been searching for ideas to use. I found some great ones that you can see on my Pinterest. I will plan some this week. But the Pigeon one will be a great one to use next week,

On the school goal for my regular school year I am going to make the Writer's Eye that is polka dot themed. (It's also on my Pinterest boards). Got to get the laminator going.

Personal/Home: Whew--biggie for this week. My son moved in with us when he relocated back to this area. His house was leased so now he is moving back into his home. My garage has been the storage container for all his belongings/furniture for a year. Need I say more? Just close your eyes and imagine--my car sitting out in the pouring rain and the trace of snow this winter. Boxes stacked to the ceiling. This is the week we begin sorting and moving! I will get back my family room!  I have a project there as well--but that is for another Monday.

Have a great week and join in the Monday postings. Let's get busy!

Cleaning and organizing

School is over. for the year. It is so hard to believe that now I am in gear for summer school in two weeks.

I really don't know what got into me. I began cleaning. Throwing out. Pitching things in the trash. And organizing.

I covered the ugly metal cabinets with Target pocket charts.. I had enough blue ones to hot glue those babies to the front and add my polka dot border. But the inside of those cabinets was another story.  Not anymore. Take a look:

I am still working on them but they are looking much, much better. With a few labels I have begun placing art supply items in these pink baskets. I didn't use the pink ones from Really Good Stuff and so decided to put those to work! The ones with the little handle I just found yesterday. at. Dollar Tree!!! Will go back to get more I'm sure. The polka dot labels I found HERE. Aren't they the best????

I transformed my 20 drawer system to another storage use. (I previously had called it the kid's writing drawer. But plan on changing that next year.

The good thing about teaching summer school is getting to work in the classroom without tearing everything apart and storing it!

All that is left...

We have two student days left, one inservice day, and a half-day for report card pick-up. Can it be???

I have to say that this is the first year that I can say we are actually learning and working up to the end.

I've been using a memory book that I got off TPT that was free. The kids have enjoyed working on a few pages each day. Are these my kids? These are sitting at their desks and working like...normal kids!!! We will work on it a little tomorrow and then next Monday. As anything by Cara, it is wonderful. You can access it on TPT by searching Cara Carroll.

We've also been listening to Charlotte's Web. I don't know what it is about making a class as a family as much as reading a chapter book together. It may be the together time. Or the calm. Or the way the kids have to listen in order to picture the story in their minds. But it just is. I've used The Journey of Edward Tulane. Same effect. But, since there are a couple of wonderful units on Charlotte's Web we are ending our year this way. We

 read. We talk. We work with the unit. 

The small group activities have been great. 

You know how the kids begin to get on each other's last nerve (not to mention the teachers too--shhh) I read Sophie Gets Angry--Really, Really Angry. We talked about how we all have times to learn to deal with our feelings so I had the kids write about how they have channeled their feelings.

Funny. Sad. Alarming. 

One of my girls: When I was going to brush my teeth my sister got my tooth brush and shaked it up in the air!! I tried to get it. But when ever I tried she screamed into my ear! And I got angry...really really angry. And then I yelled and she screamed and then my mom came in and she yelled stop!!!!! And she took the tooth brush and said use another tooth brush if your going to fight!!!!! Then my sister pushed me and said that's what you get for taking my tooth brush. Ha Ha said my very sassy sister.I did what my mom wanted me to do and then I didn't fight never ever. And me and sister never fighted. Because we have an angry mom in our house. And we quietly went to bed but my sister never stopped the screaming.


Some days make it so wonderful!!! And I typed it just like she wrote it --spelling and all. Amazing first grader!!!!

No TPT store for me! But...

I still am enjoying all the looks and dreams of the sale.

Last week was our state mandated testing. Last week my word wall went from this covered and bare to

I have this polka dot theme so when I found these Frye words/Dolch words on TPT I had to snap them up. 

Erica made these and you can find them here.

Last week we finished up our study of wild animals. We finished and published our stories of "That Stinks". 

Our school board is coming to visit this week so I have those on display in the hallway along with these skunk non-fiction writings.

This week we have our end of the year field trip on Monday. We will be attending The Barter Theater in Abingdon, Virginia to see a play and then play in the park. Thursday we have a half day set for our Field Day and Friday the kids have a day off for staff development. I also will be at a meeting on Thursday morning. This means only two days to get started on Charlotte's Web/Farm Unit. I bought Abby's unit and will be using lots of her activities because... the mayor, the director of schools, and the school board is coming to visit my class while we do small groups. No pressure, right????Well, maybe just a little.

We are synthesizing a bit during reader's workshop and tying in a little elements of Fairy Tales.

Have a great Teacher's Appreciation Week.