Five for Friday Catch Up

My last few Fridays quickly turned into busy weekends.  Then it was the middle of the next week and I still hadn't started my post!  Join me as I finally link up with Five for Friday!

 

 

 

I've been admiring this cute apple art down the hall and knew I had to share it with you!

This crafty teacher began by having her three year old class watercolor on paper towels.  Once those were dry, she placed the paper towel under the precut apple frames and trimmed along the edges.  Next, she took those remnant paper towel pieces and put them behind small apple diecuts.  The apple diecuts were attached with yarn making a mobile-like display.  I thought this was a very creative use of diecuts and a colorful fall display!

Finally finished our Farm studies! 

We graphed our favorite farm animals.

 

Created a farm book.

 

Made our own butter! 

And, yes...it really was THAT exciting!

 

 

We don't always have a real fall season in the south.  I remember more than a few Halloween evenings where you wouldn't wear your costume the whole night of trick or treating because it was too hot and sticky.  This year, however, we're having a nice fall with perfectly comfortable weather.  Perfect for picking a pumpkin! 

 

Here's a couple of photos from my son's high school hockey team's Pumpkin Patch.  They're selling pumpkins as a fundraiser so they can rent the ice rink each week for practice.

 

 

What do you do when your custodian asks if you 'd like a big cardboard box?

You let the kids paint it and turn it into a firetruck!

 

One of my students used the magnetic letters to spell my assistant's name.

 

He couldn't find a letter D for my name.  We had to laugh when he decided to substitute the letter B because he said it almost sounded the same! 



 

Have a wonderful fall weekend!

 

Five for Friday

Thank goodness it's Friday!  Thank goodness for Doodle Bugs Teaching Five for Friday!

 

It's Apple week in our Young 5's class...a wonderful kick off for the fall season! 

 

Our tissue paper apples make me smile! I cut and peeled my contact paper ahead of time and had everything ready to go when the kids walked in Tuesday morning.  Trust me...I learned the hard way how time consuming it is to peel 15 pieces of contact paper while 30 little eyes are watching and waiting. 

Aren't they beautiful?

 

 

What would apple week be without homemade applesauce? 

Year after year, it's a huge hit!

 

 

Who loves their crockpot?

 

I sure do!  My husband enjoys cooking and grilling so 95% of our meals are prepared by him.  But every now and then, I throw something in the crockpot and claim I've made dinner.   This week I made Sweet & Sour Chicken.  It was easy, affordable, and delicious! 

 

Click HERE for the recipe!

 

 

I met with my wonderful Room Mom one day after school to do some planning and get our calendars in sync.  While we chatted, her daughter sorted, stacked, and paper clipped the papers for next week's flip book.  I was amazed at her efficiency and it only cost me two stickers! 

 

 

I received a very special thank you note this week! 

 

I can't decide if I love the flattering drawing the most or the sight words she wrote at the bottom!

It's just the 17th day of school but this class has already found a special place in my heart!

 

 Have a great weekend!

 

My Classroom

Welcome to My Classroom!  This is my third year teaching a Young 5's class (similar to transitional kindergarten) and it's the third time I've changed rooms!  I enjoy planning where everything will go, setting up the room, and seeing it all come together.  I'm thrilled with the outcome this year so please come on in and take a look around!

The blank slate I started with...

Transformed into a wonderful classroom I love being in...

This room is the largest in my preschool so I'm VERY lucky to have all the space.  And I'm closest to the bathrooms!  Another plus!  If there's any downfall to the room, it's the fact there are three doors which open into three different hallways.  All these doors cost me some usable square footage but I enjoy the flexibility we have as we're coming and going throughout the day. 

Here's our Morning Meeting area and where we gather between activities.  The black and white dotted rugs from Ikea help to ground the space. I switched out my old calendar set for classic chalkboard decor that's been quite popular this school year.  I've used the teal dotted borders for a couple of years but wasn't ready to give them up yet so I decided to mix it with the chalkboard theme.  I love the contrast of the vintage look with the teal and have been very happy with the result.

The rocking chair was a yard sale find and I've got plans to paint it black and maybe add a colorful teal or red cushion to it. 

Here's a view from another doorway facing our Morning Meeting area.  To the left of the calendar board is the classroom library and our listening center.  To the right, you can see the teaching easel and our Question of the Day.  Click HERE to read how I incorporate the Question of the Day into our learning. 

Below you'll see my teacher table and Word Wall as I was starting to set up this area. 

And this is a look at how it turned out.  The Word Wall pennant banner was a favorite find from the Target Spot this summer!

To the right of the teacher table is our Alphabet Center and the Writing Center.

Math Centers are located along the wall near my teacher counter and supply cabinet. The empty baskets on the top shelf will soon have seasonal math activities. 

We all love the Art Center...

I'm happy with how adorable the color word cards turned out!  They're a Pete the Cat set from Teachers Pay Teachers that you can find HERE. Aren't they cute?

This double sided shelf houses the Block Center on one side... 

And the Science Center on the other...

I just realized I didn't take photos of the Lego table, sensory tub, Homeliving Center, or the Game Center.  Our Game Center is quite the hit since it's located in the classroom loft!  I will get some pictures of those areas and post an update at some point.

Oh, here's my fun Pete the Cat door! Of course, the idea was originally discovered on Pinterest but I'm pretty proud of how it turned out!

Thanks for visiting my classroom!

Ooops! It's Five for Fraturday!

Like every other teacher I know, my mind and body are going in a dozen different directions! Joining the Five for Friday party a day late but happy I can share a peek at my week!

Monday I went to my son's Curriculum Night.  He's a high school junior in his third year of French.  As the teacher rattled off information in French, I zoned out a little and simply enjoyed the décor of the classroom.   

 

It's officially preplanning so I spent the majority of this week working in my room.  It's still not done but here's a small glimpse where we'll have Morning Meeting. I added some chalkboard themed pieces this year but I kept my favorite teal dotted borders.  I really like how the teal pops against the black background and I love the simplicity of the alphabet line. It's all coming together! 

I was invited to lead a workshop at an Atlanta metro preschool on Friday. The staff of 38 teachers welcomed me with delight and excitement and hopefully left with ideas and inspiration.  We started with oodles of ways to learn names, discovered pumpkin activities across the curriculum, and had fun with our five senses.  Here's a few name activities I shared.

 

 

I admit it was challenging to fit a workshop in the midst of my preplanning but I was actually able to kill two birds with one stone as I used my new class list to prep some of the samples for the workshop! Here are the name clothespin clips and name unifix cubes we'll soon be using at school.

 

 My husband bought me some school supplies...

and, of course, he got GREAT deals!

 

 

I enjoy watching my Braves (win or lose) and my hubby is looking forward to college football season...but this still describes my family!

 

Click HERE to see what other teachers shared for Five for Friday!