Birthday bar graph

I just wanted to quickly share the birthday display I just created. We still have more kids to enroll, so there will eventually be double the ice cream scoops. My coteacher and I decided to work with the lines instead of buying paper to cover up the old blackboard. We turned it into a bar graph! Brilliant, I think!

Sensory boxes galore!

     I usually use the weekends to catch up on school stuff. A teacher can never truly leave work behind because being a teacher is a way of life! I am constantly thinking of fun creative ways to incorporate lots of sensory learning into every day. This weekend I spent quite a bit of time looking through stuff I brought home at the end of the year to see what needed to go back now, and what will just take up space for a while. Unfortunately, packing up my class was a rush job the last few days of school, so it wasn't organized when it was packed:(
     I pulled out the amazing sensory boxes I made last year, which weren't really utilized like I would have liked. However, that was partially my fault because I didn't encourage their exploration. We had so many behavior issues where things were getting destroyed, I didn't want them to be one of them. I decided the first thing I needed to do was to label the boxes with photos so my students could see them on the shelf. When I was taking photos, I remembered how cute they were and decided to share and encourage others to make them!
     Sensory boxes are little self-contained kits with a variety of colors and textures for children to play with solo, as a calming activity.

This fairy kit also has beaded necklaces and is filled with satin flower petals. 

My bird box has Spanish moss as the filler, along with realistic nests, feathered birds, and plastic eggs.

This moon box is filled with dry black beans, smooth black rocks, glow-in-the-dark stars, ping-pong balls, and astronauts and space vehicles.

I love this garden gnome box with split green peas, flower pots and gnomes. I am still looking for mushrooms to add to this one!

Polar box is mostly penguins, but I do have a mini orca and polar bear along with hard plastic and foam snowflakes. The multi-color glass pebbles give it an icy feel. 

This box is very heavy due to the amount of real river rocks. I added some ivy leaves and a variety of insects. This one doesn't get played with as often, but I wish parents wouldn't make their children scared of bugs!

My plan is to add more to my collection, some with wet and smelly substances, but I will need to check out the personalities in my class first! Some kids can handle messy stuff and some put everything in their mouth.

What a week!

     There is always so much to do to get ready for a new batch of chicklets! I convinced my co-teacher to fill out this simple all about me sheet and I created an eye-catching parent board outside our classroom. It turned out so nice, in fact, that everyone in the center will create one! It wouldn't look nearly as adorable if my friend wouldn't have let me borrow her cricut to make letters and flowers!

     When it comes to setting up a classroom for a new school year, first we have to put our room back together, unpack, and check labels/ re-label. We swapped a desk we didn't like for 2 flat tables that I have been wanting since last year. We also modified another old computer desk into a simple low table, just by taking off the shelf and side panels:) I finally was able to create my Very Hungry Caterpillar using Chinese paper lanterns too! (It doesn't look exactly like what I saw on Pinterest, but my sister agreed that it wasn't a Pinterest fail, lol!)

     There is still more to set up, but anything fancy we want to do for the year needs to be done before we get kids; as soon as kids start we will be too busy! One project I am over the moon about is our block area book. We got the idea during pre-service training, but as soon as I saw it I thought, "Why didn't I think of that!?" We built simple structures using all the blocks in block area, took pictures, and turned it into a clever idea book for children.

     I am excited about finishing up a few other projects that we are implementing into the classroom this year. However right now....I am looking forward to a 3 day holiday weekend! Happy Labor Day!