My First Grade Classroom

Moving schools is a lot like moving into a new home. It involves a lot of unpacking and a lot of time and effort goes into making your new space a home. I would argue, though, that moving schools is even harder because it's like moving into a new place and in that place there is a whole new family that you barely even know and who barely know you.  I love my new school and my new school family but I would lie if I said that I'm completely adjusted to my new digs. Teaching a new grade level is a challenge because everything is different than what I did last year; however, it is a welcome challenge. I'm busy but it's a good busy. Just like our home these days, my classroom is still a work in progress. I actually prefer it that way so that the students can take ownership over their environment. They help me decide what to put on display, what charts we need, etc. We are still in the process of making those decisions. I had some time to snap a few pics of our work in progress before our Curriculum Night last week that I thought I would share with you. So come on in and take a look around...

Near the entry we have a shelf that holds the students' coloring tools and name tags. They are able to move these things to the tables, as needed.

Also, near the entry are the students' mailboxes. We got crafty last week and made some paint chip mosaics to decorate this area. The children love doing these!

This leaning bookshelf displays some of our favorite read alouds since the start of school. I made the black and white  hanging frame by hot gluing some sticks together that I got at Ikea. I don't have a lot of wall space in this room so I had to be creative with where I hang the students' work.

 

Tucked behind the bookshelf is our writing station. The students visit this area every day during writing workshop and a lot of them choose to come here during our choice time.

Tucked back in the far left corner is our coveted light table. I'm so glad I added the mirror this year. It adds a little something to the whole experience.

Probably my favorite area of the room is our art studio. We have our painter's work area. The artists hang their creations from the tree branch which always makes me smile to look at.

 

On the back counter we have even more art supplies in baskets.

 

To the right of the counter is this little inspiration station where the students are proudly displaying some of the artwork they have done this year.

 

On the other side of the classroom is our classroom library.

The focal point of this area is our display of self-portraits and Kandinsky circles. It is certainly a nice view as the students cozy up on the couch with a good book.

 

During Open House, the students made bead creations that we added to our beading tree. It has been at home in our library ever since.

 

Here is another view of the library.

Even more books are tucked behind the couch. The students use the arrival stones on top of the bookshelf to make a lunch choice each day.

Our discovery station is also tucked back in our library area. The students have filled it with their treasures from home that make them wonder.

 

Another favorite for the students is our building cart. They make the coolest things in this station. I need to remember to take more pictures of their structures.

Behind the discovery station is our math station that holds all of our manipulatives and some recent games that we have played during math time.

 

Here is our meeting area.

 

And, that my friends is our classroom as it looks today. It will be fun to watch it evolve throughout the year. Thanks for taking the tour with me.

 

 

Beyond Our Front Door: A Midcentury Goldmine

I've been sitting on this little gem since mid-summer so I decided it was high time I shared. One of my goals in exploring our area a little more was to find some fab places to shop for furniture. I stumbled on this place while browsing Craigslist one day. As soon as I saw the words "midcentury" I was asking Siri where to find this place -- this place being Home Again Furniture in Blue Ash (for my local friends). Allow me to show you what I found there...

 

Pretty cool, right? My favorites were the dresser, the hanging light, and this little bookshelf. I am still kicking myself for not actually purchasing anything. The problem is that Aaron is not exactly drawn to this era like I am and these pieces weren't exactly thrift store prices. The prices are good but not if you're looking for a steal. Just seeing these pictures again makes me want to go back. Maybe I need to try a little harder to convince Aaron that midcentury is the way to go. Oh, and anyone who happens to have anything similar to these items lying around, and wouldn't be sad to part with them feel free to send them my way! :  )

Another Milestone and Keepsake Boxes

I am so behind in writing posts that I've had several of them on the back burner for about a month now. I'm still trying to find my blogging rhythm now that we're back in school. Hopefully, I'll get there eventually but I knew that I couldn't let too much time pass by before posting this one.

 
Just a few weeks ago our sweet little Audrey started Kindergarten. Although Audrey has been in preschool for the past two years, there was something very different about her starting school this year. It just felt like such a huge milestone. She is suddenly so big. That little baby face of two years ago is gone and in its place is this sweet, happy smile of a big kid -- so smart and so ready to tackle all that lies ahead.

 

 

This is not the face of someone who doesn't love going to school!

Feeling nostalgic, I decided to go through some of Audrey's preschool artwork and while I was at it I did a little organizing. Please forgive my pictures. It was dark and my camera doesn't love closeups.  

I'm pretty sure the first concrete thing Audrey every drew or painted was a rainbow. Here is one that she made when she was three.

 

And, once she had that down it was all about flowers and rainbows.  

I have always loved this abstract looking flower and plan to one day hang it in her room.

And, anyone who has ever said that scribbling isn't art hasn't seen this. So fun! Am I right?

These next two pieces were featured in Audrey's preschool art show last year.

 This one turned out super cool, as well. I swear I just saw something like this on Etsy. Maybe Audrey should open up her own shop. : )

 

To get things organized, I picked up a couple of cardboard boxes from Ikea. I made dividers with  the year and her age. Clearly, I outdid myself here. I know you can't handle the fanciness.

 

Big items like the above dinosaur will be stored in this little portfolio that Audrey got for Christmas a few years ago.

And, just like that we have some quick and easy keepsake boxes for Audrey's artwork. One box holds all of her preschool stuff and a few things that she made as a toddler. The second box is for all the new treasures that she creates as a Kindergartner. I'm thinking about eventually scanning some of her stuff and creating a photo book. It may even be a perfect Christmas gift for her. I love my girl and I hope that one day she enjoys looking back and remembering who she was when she was still so little.