Today, I am so excited to share with you my Kindergarten classroom reveal for the 2017-2018 school year!
This past summer I had to do the dreaded task of moving classrooms again. In my 6 years of teaching, I have moved classrooms or to a new school 5 times. Even though I do not like packing, just to unpack and set up an entirely new classroom, it does give me time to purge and have a nice, clean slate to work with. I finished my classroom with about an hour to spare before Meet the Teacher, so I was very relieved! I am still missing bits and pieces of my classroom, specifically labeling everything and adding a few things to bulletin boards, but it is ready for the first day!
My “Theme”
This year's “theme” is tropical fruit! I always have the same color scheme every year- turquoise, lime, and pink, but like to change different themes each year. The bulletin board letters were made using Astrobrights Color Paper
. I also usedΒ Tropical Punch Pineapples Border, Yellow Wavy BorderΒ and fabric from JoAnn's.
. I also usedΒ Tropical Punch Pineapples Border
, Yellow Wavy Border
Β and fabric from JoAnn's.Bulletin Boards
This is my classroom door bulletin board, and I know I am lucky to only have 7 students so far! Last year I had 18, so the numbers do change a lot. Teaching at a private school definitely has some benefits. I used the Ombre Lime Green Scallops BordersΒ because it matched this pineapple fabric I was lucky enough to find last year at JoAnn's.
Β because it matched this pineapple fabric I was lucky enough to find last year at JoAnn's.
These are my displayed work bulletin boards. I use them to hang up work easily and not have to take out my stapler every time I want to hang them up. They are a lifesaver and so easy to change frequently. I used clothespins and hot glued them to colorful scrapbook paper and then printed out a little pineapple/circle and glued that to the other side of the clothespin. It is so much easier than trying to glue the thumbtack to the clothespin!
Find what I used here:
β’Ombre Turquoise Scallops Borders
β’Pineapple Clipart by Creative Clips
β’Pineapple Bulletin Board Kit by Apples & ABCs
Classroom Jobs
For my Classroom Jobs, I will use a clothespin to keep track of which student has each job for the week. I used hot glue and ribbon, and then stapled it to this bulletin board. Find it here:Β Classroom Jobs by Sweet for Kindergarten
These are my new classroom “rules”. I like to have encouraging rules to build our classroom community in a positive way. We repeat these every day and refer to them quite a lot, especially in the beginning of the year. Find them here: In this class… Classroom Rules.
Focus Wall
Focus Walls are a great visual tool for your students (and YOU!) to focus on what you are learning for the week. At the beginning of the week, we go over what we are learning, and then throughout the week, we refer back to the board. My students will use it when they need help spelling a word, or if they forget the essential question. My school uses the program Reading Wonders, and you can find this focus wall here: Kindergarten or First Grade.
Teacher Area
So this year, I am trying something new…. No teacher desk! It has taken up so much room and I hardly sit at it anyways, so I am trying this out for now. I have a computer table and then will be using my small group table next to it. It does get a little cramped back there, and I had to find a home for my 10 million Flair pens and Sharpies (new home: in the rainbow cart), but so far it is working well!
Teacher Organization
Here's a closer look at my organization behind the teacher table. If you are going desk-less, you have to figure out a storage/organization system that works! Thank God for this toolbox! Without it, I don't think I would have been able to get rid of my desk. Labels are from Teach Create Motivate, you can find them here. I use these turquoise and pink bins from Michaels for my daily plans. I have two 3 drawer storage organizerΒ to store paper, copies, and things to prep. On top of the shelf, there is a To Copy paper trayΒ because that is what I end up reaching for the most.
Β to store paper, copies, and things to prep. On top of the shelf, there is a To Copy paper tray
Β because that is what I end up reaching for the most.
I used theseΒ Rainbow Cart LabelsΒ from Miss West Best. They are editable and match my classroom perfectly! The days of the week labels are actually from this Calendar Set from Love and Lessons, I printed extra and they ended up fitting in the adhesive labels on the bins. Score!
How cute are these Pineapple Clock Numbers from All Kinds of Special?!?!
Art Center
This next area is my Art Center. At the beginning of the year, we use this space to do Letter Crafts, and by the end they are doing long vowel crafts and flip books! It's amazing how much they learn in a Β year.
Β I redid these crate seats this summer, because mine were gross. They looked like they were brown chevron, not the pretty rainbow chevron they once were. My fabulous sister (who is a 1st Grade teacher) showed me this idea of using a shower curtain OVER the fabric. So if there is a spill, accident, dirty hands, etc, you can just wipe clean. GENIUS!
Cool Down Corner
This is my Phonics board, where all the phonics crafts hang up to display. This little area under it is going to be my “Cool Down Corner”. It's just two desks pushed together, and then I put extra fabric over it!
Classroom Library and Reading Corner
Now…this is my FAVORITE area! My classroom library/reading corner! I use this chair to read aloud books, do our morning phonics lesson and our morning meeting time.
Β Here are the book bins with all the read aloud, sorted by holiday/theme. I find this the easiest way to look for a book. Library Labels by Natalie's Nook
I made this bench over the summer and can't wait for my students to get to sit and read there. The bookcases are from Target, I had one, so I just bought another and put them together. Once I saw this Pineapple Throw Pillow Case , I knew it would be so cute in my library area! These Chalkboard Posters are a freebie by Khrys Greco.
, I knew it would be so cute in my library area! These Chalkboard Posters are a freebie by Khrys Greco.
These bins SAVE MY SANITY! When a student finished their work, they put it in the “Finished Work” bin. I can easily grab it the bin whenever it is overflowingΒ starts to fill up and go through and check their work. If a student doesn't finish their work, it goes in the “Unfinished Work” bin. On Friday afternoons, I hand out all the papers in the unfinished work bin and students work on that. If they have no unfinished work, YAY!, then they get to pick a Fun Friday activity, like play-doh, STEM bins, or free draw. This really motivates my students to finish their center work!
Calendar Area
Here is my Calendar area. This is the one part of my classroom that is not completely finished, because I add to it as the year goes on. The Calendar Cards are by Love and Lessons and the Calendar Inserts are by Extra Special Teaching.
Birthday Display
My birthday display is on the back of our cubbies this year! I am using whatever wall space I can get and this is the perfect place for birthdays. The apple border and “Best Day Ever” wall stickers are from the Target Dollar Spot.
Thank you so much for stopping by to check out my classroom this year!
Your classroom looks AMAZING!!!! I absolutely love it!