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!

Five for Friday - Shopping for Pete

Here's a look back at my week...a mix of vacation memories and settling back in at home.  I'm joining  Doodlebugs Teaching for Kasey's fantastic linky party.  Check out her Five for Friday. 

The lighthouses along the Outer Banks were simply stunning.  We visited three but the Bodie Island lighthouse was definitely my favorite.

 

On the way home, we stopped for lunch and a quick visit to a teacher store in Raleigh.  I've been to Stone's Education Superstore several times and it never disappoints.  This place is truly a superstore as it's over 17,000 square feet of well-stocked teacher shopping!

Sorry I was too busy shopping to take pictures of the store's interior.  But here's a little glimpse of some of the goodies I found.

Can you tell I'm switching to a Pete the Cat themed classroom this year?  I found two adorable borders, die-cut packages of Pete's shoes and his groovy buttons, paw print magnets, and a chalkboard style pennant banner that will coordinate nicely with all of Pete's colors. I can't wait to start setting up my classroom!

 

Once I was back in Georgia, I got in on the Target  $ Spot madness that's going around!  There's a Target within 15 minutes of my house in every direction so it's tempting to hit them all!

I'm in love with the little metal buckets! Aren't they cute?  I plan to use them for holding game pieces, flash cards, or writing supplies while we're Learning at the Teacher Table and doing small group instruction. 

 

Made a salad the other day that was almost too pretty to eat.  Lettuce topped with carrots, mushrooms, sugar snap peas, grapes, avocado, and almonds.  It takes me longer to cut and prep everything than it does to eat it!

 

 Happy 4th Everyone!

 

Five for Friday - IKEA Shopping

 

I spent the day at IKEA in downtown Atlanta with three of my teacher buddies!  We laughed a little, shopped, laughed more, lunched at The Varsity, laughed even more, and simply had a wonderful time!  Linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching for this week's Five for Friday to tell you all about it!

I adore all things that are black & white...a classic combo which works in any décor and belongs in every woman's closet. I had one of these black & white dotty rugs last year and loved how it worked in the classroom.  This year I'm in a bigger room so I needed a larger rug.  Couldn't find anything in a larger size for the right price so I decided to purchase a second dotty one and use them side by side to create the area I want.  The cute dots add a touch of whimsy without overpowering a room with too much color.   It's about 4x6 and costs only $19.99.

Cute containers to store game pieces or center cards.  They would also work for crayons.

Set of three containers with lids $2.99.

 

 

 

Package of 10 colorful paper plates clearance price of just 49 cents!  I'm going to pop a spinner in the middle to use it for center games! These would also make great sorting plates, wouldn't they?

 

 

 

This isn't my first purchase of these great little table top frames but I'm thinking I'll spray paint this pair teal or black to work with my room colors.  I like to use these frames for holding alphabet cards or sight words at my writing center table.  You could also display your table numbers in them. The possibilities are endless!  They're double sided and cost less than a dollar!

 

 

This shopping trip  wasn't just for my classroom...had to do a little shopping for the home, too!  I bought 2 sets of sheets...the charcoal queen set was $34.99 and blue king set was $39.99.  I already own some pretty pink floral IKEA sheets and have been thrilled with their quality, comfort, and value.  They don't shrink after washing so they fit the mattress perfect time after time.  

I couldn't resist this adorable cupcake apron!  I enjoy baking sweet treats so this will be fun to wear in the kitchen when I whip up my next batch of goodies!  It's a sturdy cotton and only $7.99.  They also had matching cupcake kitchen towels.  Already regretting I didn't toss a set in my cart.

 

Thanks for shopping at IKEA with me!  Hope you have a wonderful weekend!