First Project: FUNDED!!!

Last Tuesday, I got a very exciting e-mail.  It looked like this:

Needless to say, my day was made! The Herb Kohl Philanthropies funded all Wisconsin Donors choose projects, and I couldn't be more thankful.  And, then two days ago I got my first package.

I am so excited to begin this alternative seating adventure tomorrow!  Wish my class luck!

New School Year!

Tonight is the last official night of summer.  It is a little bittersweet.  Summer for teachers truly is a blessing.  Now, I won't lie.  I do spend a big portion of my summer planning, prepping, shopping both Target and the Dollar Tree, and decorating my classroom for the up coming school year.  It is so nice to not have a tight deadline!  And, I do really enjoy drinking coffee in my pajamas- not as I rush out the door during the rest of the year.  
But, as nice as it is to have summer, I truly love meeting all the new sweet, sweet kiddos who come to my classroom.  Their faces are full of excitement, anticipation, and a little fear for this new adventure.  It is such an honor to be a part of this experience with them.  I will also not complain about the many kiddos from years past who come to visit- many often greet me with HUGE hugs.  

Here is to a brand new school year for everyone.  I hope and pray for many blessings for everyone who is heading back this week and for those who are finishing up the first couple weeks of their new year!

This picture makes me chuckle a little bit.  My gift to students during Open House include super cute foam glasses (found at Hobby Lobby) with letters to spell out their names.

Here is my classroom reveal for the year!  I am absolutely in LOVE with my huge windows!

My new classroom has a little nook.  This is probably my favorite part of my classroom!

I love my new cute little "toad stools" from Ikea.  They are perfect for our listening center.

Thanks for checking in!

Saying "Goodbye" to chairs

Click the above picture to be taken to my Donors Choose Project!

I am trying something new this year: alternative seating.  Flexible seating seems to be the new trend in education according to my Pinterest board and pop up articles that appear on my Facebook page.  But, I am so supportive of it being a new trend!  How many adults choose to complete their work sitting in a hard chair?  As adults, we know what works best for us. Whether it be sprawling out on the floor, sitting on a couch, or standing along a kitchen counter we can choose the best way to complete our tasks.  Shouldn't children also be able to begin figuring out what helps them to learn more and be more successful?  

Alternative seating scares me quite a bit because I currently don't know how it will look exactly in my classroom.  But, I am more than excited to work with my kiddos to put this into practice.  

To help my students develop core strength and to help with wiggles, I have created a Donors Choose project specific to alternative seating that allows movement.  Check it out here. 

I moved into a new room this year!  It is much bigger and has windows!!

School is starting up on September 1st.  I have been in my classroom pretty much every day.  Does anyone else's classroom look like mine still?  MESSY!

I have been working on a new project for my classroom library.  My cat, Alvin, decided he should probably supervise.  Love him!

Kindergarten Summer Camp

Where did this summer go?  It just flew by!

This past week we wrapped up our 3 weeks of summer school.  I always have the privilege of teaching our incoming kindergartners.  It is an absolute joy to get to know many of the faces I will see regularly during the school year.  

My theme for summer school this year was Kindergarten Summer Camp!  We made tissue paper fires, played math games with white puff balls (we called them marshmallows), had tents set up, and went "fishing."  The kids had a blast and they were able to be the first ones to try out my new Kindergarten Summer Camp unit.  Here are a few of the highlights you can find in the unit:

Alphabet S'mores

My kiddos enjoyed finding and matching the uppercase and lowercase letters.  They also had the additional challenge of finding the beginning sound picture.

Which Fish Did You Catch?

We practiced lowercase letters by placing letter fish in a pocket chart.  The kiddos took turns hiding the fishing pole behind a letter.  The others took turns pointing to and then naming a letter to see if they caught a fish!

Emergent Story Books

We worked through 2 emergent story books.  "How Many Fish?" asks students to count and write the numbers 2-5.  "Time for Camping" has students write the sight word I or We to complete the story.

Check out Kindergarten Summer Camp by clicking here!