We're Going on Tour {linky}

I'm so excited to host my first ever linky party!!!

I have spent the last week and a half secluded in my classroom working hard to get it all set up and ready for the first day.  I spent NUMEROUS hours on Pinterest and browsing blogs to find some inspiration for my kinder classroom this year.  I do not have a Cameo or a lot of "moolah" so I had to deal with what I was handed! :)  I'm exhausted just remembering what my week was like!

I know you all feel my pain! So, without further ado here's a tour of my classroom this year!

This is what you see when you open my door and look straight ahead! The black thingy is the back of my listening center book shelf. I painted it with magnetic paint and will let the kiddos use it during word study:

Below is what you see when you walk in my classroom and look slightly to the right! :)  

 Here is my reading nook {same as last year just moved a little to the left} and my housekeeping area:

 These pirate birthday cuties were inspired by none other than Mrs. Deanna Jump!!  She made them to use as a center.  You can check them out HERE.

 Close up version.  I wrote their name on "gold coins" {gold paper circles} and hot glued them onto the treasure boxes!

 Another look at my housekeeping area. Still a work in progress but I'm loving my makeshift window!

 Behavior chart and listening center area...and of course my stove!

I recreated the behavior chart after being inspired by Mrs. Williamson.

 Listening center again.  Our listening center anchor chart from Daily Five will go in the space above the beanbags.  Got the idea to hang the headphones after seeing THIS blog post from Dandelions and Dragonflies {SUPER organized and color-themed room}!

 **LOVE** my pirate.  Inspiration from Jennifer at First Grade Blue Skies!  The board was going to say "Kindergartners ARRRR Great" but there wasn't enough room! hehe

Color word posters curteousy of Tricia {only TWO BUCKS!!}!

 Saw these bad boys at Target last year and knew I HAD TO HAVE THEM when they came out again this year!  My tables have a number and color!  Saw these same center caddies on Michelle blog {Fabulous in First} too! They are so cute!

 My favorite part of the room! :)  Made the ship last year after being inspired by Deanna Jump!  Love all the other wonderful ideas and creations I snagged from Pinterest and TPT!

 My desk and guided reading area!

Phew!  I didn't take a picture of my math workstations area and computers because it looks exactly like it did last year!  You can check it out HERE if interested!  

Side track:  We need TEN states to complete our Postcard Exchange! The rest of us 40 are ready to rock and roll! :)  If you are from one of the following states then sign up ASAP {HERE}! It's a great learning opportunity for your kiddos:

Alabama, Hawaii, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Utah, West Virginia, Wyoming!!

Back to the tour:  

Now, lets take a tour through your room!

Kindly link up to your classroom tour POST not your BLOG! 

Thank you! :)  Happy Browsing!

FINALLY and Welcome {freebie}

I am FINALLY allowed into my room!!  There will be no AC in this horrible Florida humidity but with three industrial-sized fans blowing from every direction, I'm hoping to get some stuff accomplished! FINALLY! woohoo!

I will post pictures of my room progress when I get a chance.

Remember the other day when I said I would be posting my first "Made it Monday?"  You might have noticed that didn't happen!  My projects came to a stand-still when the four-day workshop began {which I'm suppose to be getting ready for right now...it can wait}.  SO...this weekend my goal is to finish up the projects and post this upcoming MONDAY! Fingers crossed!

I did make one thing and it's now a FREEBIE!

I love banners and since I don't have a fabulous Cameo {YET} I printed these, laminated, and will adhere them to ribbon today...at some point.

Click HERE to go snag your freebie!

If you live in the following states...sign up for our Postcard Exchange.  We desperately NEED YOU!!!!! :)

 ALABAMA, HAWAII, MONTANA, NEVADA, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW MEXICO, NORTH DAKOTA, UTAH, WEST VIRGINIA, WYOMING

Click HERE to sign up!

aarrrggghhh!

I'm not sure about you but I am a little O.B.S.E.S.S.E.D with pirates!

Last year I changed the theme of my room to pirates with a little bit of ocean/island accents and I LOVE IT!

I have used FISH Books {my communication binders} every year that I've taught, except for one when I used B.E.E. Books.  Since I've decided to stick with my pirate theme in the classroom, I wanted to make a P.I.R.A.T.E Book. So I did! I think it's super cute! :)

These binders are really great in that they not only give students a sense of responsibility and ownership, but it's a great way to keep your parents informed on what's going on in their child's lives at school on a DAILY basis! Having this daily organizational/communication tool allows for consistency in school and at home.  I LOVE THAT! :)

Each binder comes with a cover...shown above.

I've included a letter to parents that I stick in the front of the binder explaining what each section of the book is all about.  This is an example of one of the section "title pages."  Behind this specific page I put notebook paper.  It makes it super easy for parents to tell me or ask me something that is not going to require a lot of "communication."  For instance, parents will ask me things like "when does the assembly for Friday start?"  or  "So-and-so may not participate in such-in-such today." etc... I check each book in the morning and it takes me all of one minute to go through all 20+ books.  Easier than it sounds.

This is the Reading Log title page.  In the packet I have provided a calendar for each month.  It's how I did reading log/daily homework in Kindergarten and First Grade.  Super easy to follow and does not require TOO much from parents {we all know how "BUSY" they are}!

Also included in the packet is a behavior log with example calendar provided, important news labels to attach to the front pocket of your binder, and "work to keep at home" labels to attach to the back pocket of the binder.  You will also find pictures on how to assemble your communication binder! Easy peasy!

I've had request for different themes and am currently working on another DOT Book {using dot letters}, a SAILOR Book, and a JUNGLE Book.  If you have any other requests let me know! :)

Now it's time to head to the pool with my "50 Shades" {holy moly, these books suck you in}

Click HERE to head to my TPT Store

or

HERE to head to my Teacher's Notebook Store.

For my Mamma Jamma!!

As the title of the post clearly states I am doing this post for my wonderful mama!  She lives in a different county and was unable to make it to see my room before school started {which is TOMORROW...YIKES!}.  

I first wanted to show you a fun and ridiculously easy DIY project I whipped up last minute on Wednesday last week.  I needed a place to display my "Captain of the Week" {this is my first year doing such a thing} and when I went searching for a pinboard I decided to make my own.  I bought the cork board frame from Hobby Lobby {love, love, LOVE that store} for $5 and painted it black.  Got some ribbon and went to town!

 Of course the image won't show correctly.  I first stapled the ribbon in and later found black push pins.

 Then just added the cute little details for the finishing touches!  I'm super excited.  I'm going to let the kids wear a pirate hat for the week they are "Captain!" So fun!

 The following pictures are of my classroom right before all the parents and their firsties came to see me on orientation Friday.  This is looking in from our door and to the right.

 This is the view looking straight into my classroom {I'm still in a kindergarten classroom so I do have much bigger space then my fellow first grade teachers}

 This is my book nook area {the classroom library and book luggage are to the left}.  The board says "work we treasure" and will hold all our creative writing projects and such.  I glued plastic gold coins onto the clothespin clips and they look so cute.  Of course, there's also my palm tree!!!  Man, I love Deanna Jump!

 This is my desk and small group reading area.  My listening center is also stationed behind me to the left, however, I have many individual CD players that allows them to locate themselves somewhere else in the room.  I have my schedule and the common core standards posted on the door, one of my work on writing stations is to the right and the cones now have icecream on them listing our birthdays!

 Front of the classroom! 

 This was my version of the donation 'door' and wish list.

 Here's the other side of my classroom.  We were given four new Dell Computers for our classroom!!!  Very excited.

 Our classroom library and Captain of the Week area.  I will also be posting up our pirate pictures this week {I will take a picture of each kiddo with a pirate hat and patch and place it on our tree}.

I have so many emotions running through me about tomorrow.  I feel like summer came and went in a blink of an eye!  I just finished getting my Jitter Juice ready for tomorrow and can't wait to complete all the fun First Day Jitter activities that I got from Abby's Fun with Firsties packet!  I know the kids are going to LOVE it!  I also just finished putting together the THOUSANDS of activities that I've purchased/downloaded from so many of you amazing teachers.  I feel so blessed to have found this little teacher world!! :)  May God bless you these first weeks of school and give you some sort of peace of mind during the crazy and stressful times!  Cheers to loving what I do...it's no "JOB" to me!