Well, it's been over a year since I've blogged....OOPS! Here we go, though, new school year, new goals, and NEW BLOG POSTS! Starting of course, with my classroom tour!! I'm super proud of my room this year! It took a lot of work, a lot of help, and a lot of heart, but I'm so, so pleased with the final result! Now for the real reason you're here....the pictures!!
This is where the magic happens! Oh wait....this isn't MTV Cribs.... Here's a quick "panoramic" view.
Now for the details!
This is my library. The bins on the top shelf are from the Dollar Tree (you can see I have two different blues from two different years, but it only drives me minorly crazy! #progress) Bins on the bottom shelf...the locker-style ones are from Big Lots a few years back, the blue "dotted" baskets are from Target (Bullseye's Playground) last summer, and the big "woven" baskets are from Hobby Lobby for 60% off last spring!
All of those tubs on the floor are my indoor recess toys!
A wide view featuring our thematic bookshelf, (all ready for our Kevin Henkes author study and fall a few weeks ago!) my standing table (from Ikea,) and our Double Dudes from an Amy Lemons unit!
Over to the left, we have the entrance to our "coat room" and a ton of shelving. Those left shelves hold all of my math manipulatives, math tubs, and our Moffatt Girls fluency strips on the side! The shelf on the right holds seasonal books, letter manipulatives, more books, and puzzles!! We LOVE puzzles, and those are one of my go-to treats for my kiddos if we finish all our work, or need a little bit of a calm-down break
Right here in front of my rug is our morning meeting area! All the way to the right is my "What Happens At Mass" resource. I teach in a Catholic school, and in 2nd grade a huge part of our curriculum is teaching about the Mass so my littles are all ready for their First Holy Communion in May. We have our calendar, my ONE classroom job (seriously, I'll never do it another way) and our morning message area. I write a morning message incorrectly and the kids have to correct it. Right now you can see we're working on capitals and punctuation. I also sit our Rooted in Reading books for the week on the ledge.
Here's a wide view! Alphabet from Ladybug's Teacher Files. Days of Creation posters at the top are a creation of my own! Those should be up on TpT soon.
Under my math board is my Command Center for my munchkins. The blue cart holds ALL of our supplies...and can be tucked away when our classroom has to be used for religious education, cub scouts, girl scouts, or anything else! The drawers hold various supplies, and on top are our bathroom passes and tissues. The Ikea cube holds our white boards and supplies, our Must-Dos for the week, and various folders!
Another Command Center, with our mailboxes and unfinished work folders
This is the front of my classroom, with my SMART board, technology, and book bins. The big BECAUSE is an inspiration from Jen Jones and Mr. Greg, and it has SO improved the way we verbalize our thinking....even in the three weeks I've had it up!! It's amazing how one little word can help!
(All of) these Ikea shelves were new additions to my room this year and I couldn't be happier! They make everything just LOOK that much more organized. (That glowing thing on top of my shelf is my essential oil diffuser!)
BIG thank you shout outs to my mom and my friends Michelle and Will for helping me putting together these shelves for me when I couldn't move or lift anything post-gallbladder surgery!
Back to the other side of the room, with my small group supplies and our yoga mats for flexible seating! (Got them at 5Below, and cut them in half. That whole shebang cost me $20, and gave me enough flexible seating for 8 kids!!!)
The view from my desk...
Right behind my desk is this fabulous storage cubby with my days of the week planning drawers right next to it. Oh, and Kid President watching over our classroom, making sure we're making the world more awesome!
And in the spirit of honesty..this is my least favorite part of my classroom. This is our "coat room." It's got shelving, and this is the place that collects STUFF. I hate it, and I tried to get it more organized this year, but there's only so much I could do with all of the stuff I HAVE to keep in my room.
Shield your eyes! Piles everywhere!!
This is the least of the evils. I inherited this shelf from my mom's classroom, and all of my Rooted in Reading stuff, and all of my other files are stored there. All of those green buckets on the bottom are my Christmas books because they wouldn't fit anywhere else!!
I'll leave you with one of my favorite parts of my classroom. I made these Harry Potter subway-art-style quote posters last year, and they make my heart happy every time I see them!!
What do your rooms look like this year? Link in the comments, I'd love to see!!
