Setting up the Classroom

Last year I started this job the first official day of school, so the lovely ladies that I work with set up the classroom for me. I was very excited this year to be able to put a new stamp on the room, moving things around and most of all.... CLEAN! With no kids, I was able to move around my bookcases, rugs and tables, really get all the dust and things off the floor, super clean my toys, the windows... It was GREAT!

Here are some pictures of how the room looked.

 Our classroom has a hallway that you walk down to get into the room. That is where I hang our art project throughout the year, it looks so cool when it's filled with the kid's projects. I painted this "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom" tree, for an activity that we do the first week of school.

 The Library Center.

 The Math Center

 The Science Center

 Dramatic Play, with a mural I painted for the beginning of school. =]

 The blocks center.

 Our Morning Meeting area, with a new calender and numbers that I got from Lakeshore Learning. Expensive, but I LOVE it!! Each month has different shaped numbers, like apples for September. You can check them out here and here.

 Since I am not there yet when most of the kids get there in the morning, I made a little note with the class's white board to welcome my new class and their families.

 At morning meeting we always do the weather. I though it would be nice this year since I have a full year of weather, to be able to compare the months when we're finished. The kids will love telling me what's the same with the months!

I really wanted something with feelings on the wall, and a fellow teacher found this idea on pinterest. I love it! So simply made with paper plates painted yellow.

Underneath it you can see the top of our growth chart. I always measure the kids when they start in my room and then we measure halfway through the year and at the end of the year... they love to be able to see how much they have grown and show their parents.

This is the birthday poster i've made that goes with our theme of the Butterfly Class.

I found a blog of a teacher in Australia who had this saying on a poster with owls. I loved it and loved the message and I just had to recreate it.

That is pretty much it! The classroom is nice and ready to welcome the new school year and all of my new students!