Getting Started

Hello everyone! 🙂
I finally was able to get into my classroom.  My mom made it here from New Jersey safely and is a HUGE help in my classroom! 🙂  This is my first year back in first grade after a four year absence.  (I’ve been in third grade the last four years. 🙂  Much of what I had when I taught first before I gave away–so…after 90 feet of lamination and about two solid hours of cutting…I think I have everything I need to decorate my classroom, and start my centers off right! 🙂
So…here’s what it looked like when I walked in… Whatta mess! :/  If you look really carefully, you can see that the shelf in my bookshelf broke over the summer under the weight of my first grade teachers’ editions. 🙁

 Below is a picture of the focus wall and word wall…along with my Cafe Menu and jobs cart.  I picked up Deanna Jump’s Common Core Standards for first grade but made my own science and social studies standards since our standards are so different from Georgia’s.  I’m thinking about making my own essential questions to go with the standards as well, but with the year fast approaching…not sure if I’ll get to it. 🙁

 Here is a closer view of the cafe menu!  I found the cutest CAFE stuff online, but…I used WAAAYY too much ink printing out the file.  I love how cute it is, but…it was TOTALLY not cute when I ran out of ink for other things.  *shrug* At least it’s pirate-y! 🙂

 The jobs chart is cutely pirate-y as well! 🙂  I found these on TPT as well! 🙂  I will be using some treasure box frames from Oriental Trading for the jobs chart.

I made this cute little welcome bulletin board for the entryway to my room.  To make the palm tree I used brown paper sandwich bags and three different types of bulletin board paper.  If you’re familiar with how Deanna Jump made her palm trees…it’s the same strategy! 🙂  The background is actually a burlap fabric that I bought at Walmart.  The border is old wrapping paper! 🙂  I love how the edges of the border turned out….gives the impression of ripped sails. 🙂  I have a few Styrofoam balls that I’m going to spray paint brown to look like coconuts…When the kids walk in, it will have a welcome message…later on, I’ll use it to keep track of our reading goals. 🙂  I have pictures of how I made it, and am planning on writing  a short post about it so that you can make it yourself if you are interested. 🙂

I got lots of visits today from old friends and even from my new team mates.  Here is a picture of me with one of my old third grade buddies! 🙂  So good to see you Adriane! 🙂  Miss you chicka! 🙂  So glad that you stopped by! 🙂

Well, that is all for me today, girls…I’m going to work on spray painting some buckets for the kids seats around the kidney table!  How is your room set up going??

Your partner in education…

Tamara