Classroom Reveal

My classroom is *almost* ready for my new kindergarten friends! I say almost because for the next few days, i'm sure i'll come up with something else that needs to get done. To be honest with you, when I walked into my classroom last week for the first time since June, there really wasn't a LOT that needed to be done. We are lucky enough to be allowed to leave bulletin boards up, so I could have just organized and called it a day. But for some reason I feel like it's not really a new year if I don't change some things around in my room. So--I created way more work for myself then was ever needed, but at the end it was totally worth it and I love how it turned out.

Here is our guided reading and math table. Our crate seats got a makeover with bright pink polka dot fabric!

These crate seats are a life saver. They created so much extra storage for me! I have six crate seats at my reading table and another six as computer chairs. I store everything from folders to puzzles in them!

Our classroom library is ready to go!

My library is labeled by genre-- not level. I'm not a big believer in sorting books by level. I'd much rather my kids pick out what they're interested in reading. We start launching the Daily Five on the very first day of school, so I have preselected 3-4 books and put them in each child's book box.

This is my second guided reading/math table and the home to our yoga balls :) They are kept in place by pool noodles!

It's hard to tell from the picture... but in addition to names, children have a picture of a fruit tapes on their cubbies. I split my kids up into three groups: pineapples, watermelons, and apples. This is how we will pack up this year-- i'll call one fruit group at a time! :) They are scattered so that the kids aren't on top of one another while they pack up.

You can't tell from the picture, but the scrapbook paper is glitter!

Here is our break corner! :)

Clutter really bothers me-- behind the curtain are shelves where the construction paper and math manipulatives live. The kids will be able to access it, they'll just have to slide the curtain. :) 

Our word wall and kitchen/ play area.

When it's time to play, the kids can just slide the curtains out of the way. Everything is labeled! Woo!

A big goal of mine was creating an organized space where everything has a spot. I also wanted to minimize distractions. I have LOTS of toys in my room, but the shelves are open and it looked cluttered. I grabbed about 3 yards of polka dot fabric and a tension rod and made some curtains!

I also wanted my friends to feel like this classroom is theirs. I created a "you are loved" picture wall by hot gluing clothes pins onto small scrapbook paper. I am so excited to get pictures hung up!

Back to School with Oriental Trading

Is it really August already? Summer is flying by WAY too fast. Luckily for me, we don't officially go back to school until the first week in September so there are still plenty of beach days left. August is my "prep" month-- I try my best to get things done for my classroom here and there, that way i'm not stuck doing it all at once the week before the kiddos come in.

What's new for this year? Well, I got some pretty awesome stuff from Oriental Trading that is going to make this year even better. By the way, Oriental Trading has a new section of their website called Learn 365-- it's a one stop teacher shop and it is AWESOME! Here's what I grabbed from their store:


Magnetic Ten Frame Answer Boards: Ohhhhh when I saw them I HAD to have them. How perfect are these for math workshop!? There are so many things I can do with them-- numbers 1-20, addition, subtraction, etc. They come in a pack of four, which is the size that my math workshop groups usually are. They also include the double sided counters. I'm really excited to get going with these! I can't wait to share the different activities I am going to do with them. Grab them HERE!

All About Numbers Pocket Chart: Keeping with the math theme, I also grabbed the numbers pocket chart! We always have a "number of the day" that we discuss doing morning meeting and this chart has everything I could ever want. What a great way to teach your kids to see the same number in different ways! I will definitely be relying on this for the first half few months when we learn about the numbers 1-20! Grab it HERE!

Sensory Numbers: Learning to write the numbers 0-20 is something that we focus on throughout the year. As teachers, we know that students learn in all different ways. If we acknowledge this and give them a variety of tools to learn, they can be successful. These textured cards are perfect to help my little ones remember each number. I am planning on using these during math workshop, RTI, and may even put them out at my centers! Grab them HERE!



Sensory Letters: Well, if I was getting the numbers I HAD to get the letters too! Again, these textured letter cards are a great way for students to use their sense of touch to learn. I plan to use these cards during guided reading, RTI, and I will put them out at the word work station for addition practice. Grab them HERE!

Patchwork Owl Bulletin Board Cutouts: Each kindergarten at my school is named after a different animal. We are........ the owls! There are 4 dozen owls and I use them for LOTS of things-- my birthday wall, my classroom door, and labeling. They are so cute! Grab them HERE!





Oriental Trading truly has everything you need to make it a great school year! Head on over to Learn 365 to check it out!

Disclaimer: This post may contain sponsored content, affiliate links or review products. Regardless of this these are 100% my own opinion. 

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