Welcome to Our New Classroom

Well I realized I had taken some pictures of my classroom with my own personal camera to share with my daughter so here they are.  I admit there are quite a few so grab a soda or some tea, put your feet up and get cozy because this just may take a while.  Enjoy ...............   

The new Kindergarten classroom EMPTY

Here is the front of our classroom.  I had the walls painted a turquoise blue.  Blue is a calming color.

This is the south end of our room.  This is my storage space.  I had to REALLY REALLY downsize.  I hope to have cupboards built in that wall space above my counter for more STUFF!  Kindergarten teachers always need more stuff!  My sink is also on that side.

 I love natural light and our window is huge and faces the south. I have the fire exit door open because I had been painting furniture and shelves.

 This is the back of our room.  I know, I know it is just a boring white wall but I have big plans to add color!  You may also notice - no carpet - it was supoosed to be installed in August and it was - it went in the Thursday before school started!!! No pressure there!  :o)

This is the north side of our room.  Lots of bulletin board space which I already had started on.  Lots of color - I love color!  The custodians left a comuter table as a work space for me.  Much appreciated!!!    

   So where was all my stuff.......

 Some of the Kindergarten room could be found stored in the coat lockers on the Kindergarten side of the hallway....

 ...and in the first grade coat lockers.

 Some items were still in the pre-school classroom - which was also getting a makeover.

 And there was more stuff....

 And more stuff...... and I wonder why I was not looking forward to moving day!!!

Oh yeah - I also had supplies I had ordered out in the hallway.  In case you couldn't tell it takes a lot to teach Kindergarten!!!!


NOW PRESENTING OUR CLASSROOM..........

The view as you first walk in and no that isn't my laundry -those are my kiddos rest mats.

The front of our classroom

My bulletin boards with storage on top.  Those are my math and reading stations for each month.  More on those coming on future posts!  Sorry about the chairs being in the way.  How about some close up views...

 Our calendar.  We do so many math activies here that go along with our calendar books.  I will be introducing a new calendar skill every few weeks.

 Our behavior clip chart --- one of my favorite finds on pinterest!

 Our daily schedule

 Our Bucket Filling Board ... watch for more infromation on this on future posts!

 Our helper board

This is a view of the back of our room --- notice all of the color now! 

 Our Popcorn Wall - Our popcorn words are our sight words introduced with our reading series.  We call them popcorn words because they "pop" up everywhere when we read. 

 This is our class library.  I just LOVE my rugs and yes those are all of my books!!!   I just LOVE children's books!!!

 These are my kinders' cubbies.  They keep all of their supplies in here.

 Our welcome table is next to our door.  The boys and girls put their school to home folders in the basket on this table each morning.  I have some motivational sayings posted above the table with seasonal decorations on the table for all of those who enter.

 Our supply shelf

This is our shelf for creative play.  Legos, cars, trucks, pretend food, stuffed animals, dolls on one side and puzzles and games on the other side.  My hope is to continue to add dishes and blocks to our shelf. 

 This is our writing station.  At the beginning of the year, the boys and girls are just exploring with what is in the center and writing names of our Kindergarten friends.  I have examples of different kinds of writing on our yellow chart. Check out the storage under the table.  Clever - right.

  

 My cupboards and counter.  We are currently using desks in Kindergarten.  The tables I had ordered haven't arrived yet.  :o(

This is where I teach Math.  I like to keep my kinders moving around.  I sit in the blue chair and use the big chart to teach our lesson.  Quite often the kiddos will get out a clipboard and lay on their tummies or sit on the floor when we do our work together.  Our math manipulatives are close by as well. You can barely see them but our math station tubs are behind our big math chart.  Can't wait to share these activities with you!!  The kiddos love Math Station time!!! 

 This is where I meet with my reading groups.  This is also my teacher work space as I opted not to have a teacher desk in my room.  More storage under the table and my laptop close by.  My "teacher toolbox"  decorated in orange and purple another pinterest project is behind my table along with some family photos.

 Our ABC/Wordwork Station - The colored tubs off to the side will hold the different monthly activities my kiddos will use to practice the alphabet and popcorn words.

 Our listening station -- Remember all of those books from our class library, I used bonus points to get free books on CD.  I have enough for 3-4 new stories each month.  I was THRILLED to find wireless headphones from Lakeshore a couple of years ago.  No more untangling wires YAHOOOOOO!!!!

This is where we meet for our reading time.  I have my pocket chart handy for blending letters to read words.  My big book stand for sharing stories and our ELMO (yes that is what it is really called) next to my chair to display books, flashcards, and worksheets on the white board for my kiddos to see.  For those of you who remember, you can think of it as an overhead projector - just no transparencies- you use the real thing.  I LOVE it!

Well, that is it - our classroom.   I hope you enjoyed your visit.  Come back and check often as so much has already happened that I can't wait to share!!  Once you see it you'll know what I mean ---KINDERGARTEN ROCKS!!!!