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!

 

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!

Five for Friday - The BIG Room

I've missed the last few Five for Friday linky parties but am happy to share today! 

 

My preplanning doesn't officially start until Monday the 24th but I went in a few days this week to get a head start.  Here's what I saw when I walked in. 

I'm moving rooms again this year but I really don't mind.  I enjoy planning the layout and organizing everything.  I'm also getting what's referred to as "the BIG room" by my peers.  What teacher doesn't want more space? The room is great.  It's nice and big and gives me so much more space than I've had in the past.  But it's somewhat challenging as it has not just one...not even two... but THREE doors.  Oh, and those THREE doors open into THREE different hallways.

 

One major perk is that the BIG room has a loft area which I'm really excited about! In all my years of teaching, I've never had a loft in a classroom.  This one doesn't actually give you more space since it's not that high off the floor.  It's a fun little area and I know the kids will love it. I'm still deciding but it will either house the Listening center or a Game center.  Does your room have a loft?

 

 

Like most teachers, I've done my fair share of school shopping recently.  My neighbor and I made the trek over to Lakeshore and enjoyed a morning in teacher shopping heaven!   

 

My shopping list included journals and dry erase boards but I always like browsing the store to get ideas and inspiration.

 

Here are the journals I bought.  I used them successfully in kindergarten and now with my Young 5's class.  I love these journals! 

 

I was also lucky enough to go to Ikea with two of my coworkers last week.  We strolled through the entire store and found quite a few goodies for our classrooms.   We also ran into a couple of teachers from our school!  Wouldn't it be great if Ikea had a special department just for teachers?

 

 

As much as I loved Lakeshore and Ikea...there's nothing like finding a bargain at a garage sale!

 

I had been on the hunt for a small table to use in my art center.  Most of the little tables I'd seen didn't seem sturdy enough for classroom use so when the hubby found this one at a Montessori garage sale, I knew it was the one!  The table was marked $25 but since the sale was closing down soon, he negotiated and we got it for only $20.  What a deal! 

 

I'm making progress setting up the BIG room. The homeliving/dramatic play area is coming together just as I envisoned. I'm loving how the Ikea black & white dotted rug grounds everything and defines the space.

 

Here's where Learning at the Teacher Table will take place!  My word wall will be above the teacher table and the alphabet center is to the right side.  There's still LOTS to do next week but I'm happy with how it's turned out so far.

 

 Hope you have a great weekend! 

 

I'm going to a bridal shower for one of my bestest friends

and watching my son play in three hockey scrimmages! 

 

Life is full and life is good!

 

Click HERE to go to Doodlebugs Teaching and see more Five for Friday posts!