We Are Wild About Learning!

Wow! I am so excited for this school year, but also very exhausted! Is it just me or do all teachers feel this way at the beginning of a new school year?  :)

Our school's PBIS theme is "Jungle/Safari" this year. I really like it and the school looks so bright and colorful! However, it was really hard for me to take down my "Under the Sea" bulletin board paper from our theme last year. It was such a calming atmosphere, but I was ready for a change.

I am so blessed with a great group of kiddos this year! Tomorrow will be our 10th day of school and everyone's getting used to the new routines, procedures, and expectations. We will also have our 1st visit from Zero Hero tomorrow and I'm sure the children will be thrilled! I'll post more about it soon.

Here are a few photos of my classroom:

 My sister helped decorate our reading area. She is so creative! I already had the tree and a few monkeys and I bought greenery and other stuffed animals from yard sales.

 The kiddos can sit on the pillows and hold animals while they read. Of course, the pillow cases are washable too! :)

 This holder for my pointers is from Hobby Lobby. I love that store! I bought this when it was 80% off too. I love bargains!

 

 

 My classroom is small, but I try to do the best I can with the space I have. The Smartboard is still fairly new to me. It was installed in the middle of last year. It is wonderful!

 

My mom, sister, & niece helped me one day before school started for about 4 hours! I was so thankful for all they did! :)

 My goal this year is to be more organized! I am really trying! I use this crate to hold all the materials I'll need for each day of the week and also the following week. I also store my clipboard with my Transportation List in the back of the crate.

 Each table has a bin for supplies with a different animal skin ribbon and felt mat.

This is our Calendar area, daily schedule, behavior chart, class rules, learning centers, & magnetic center (oil drip pan).

 

Thanks for taking time to see a little glimpse into my classroom! Let me know what you think! :)

Hope everyone has a great school year!

 

 

~ Lisa



More Jungle Theme Crafts!

I've really enjoyed having time to decorate clipboards and composition notebooks for the new school year. But today, I decided to use scrap papers on a cardboard letter I bought last year from Target's dollar spot. I used zebra packing tape for the outlines and scrapbook paper for the face. I also used border to add a little color and ribbon for a way to hang the letter.

 



I made personalized clipboards for a few teachers and I'm still working on more composition notebooks. It's been nice having the time to work on crafts during my summer break, especially since it's starting to get HOT outside! The AC sure feels good! :)

I've also picked up a few things for my classroom from Hobby Lobby, Walmart, and yard sales. It's been fun collecting things and getting ideas from Pinterest and other blogs! Here are a few pictures:

I found lots of stuffed animals. Some will hang from vines and others will be in the reading area. 

Another garage sale find was a leopard throw for my rocking chair.

 I bought the rugs from Walmart for $7.00!

 All the above trays and cups are from Hobby Lobby. I found them on clearance last month! I'll use the cups for "sharp" and "dull" pencils. I just need to put labels on them.

 Also, the above bulletin board is from Hobby Lobby.



Felt pieces will help with the décor!

 

Can you tell I'm getting excited about decorating my classroom?!? I won't be able to get into the school until the beginning of August though! So, I'll just enjoy the rest of my summer break! When I'm not crafting, I've enjoyed spending time camping (RV), swimming, shopping, watching movies, and of course spending time with my family! Please let me know what you think or share your ideas with me! I love comments! :) Thanks for stopping by at my little blog!

 

~ Lisa

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~ Lisa

Monday Made It!



I have neglected my little blog and decided to start posting again! I apologize to those who are following me! I thought this was a good time to get started again and join this linky party! Our school wide theme for the new school year is "Jungle/Safari". I think this will be so cute and I've already started thinking about how I'll turn my classroom into a jungle! I'm loving Pinterest and other Internet sites for ideas and suggestions! So far, I decorated a couple of clipboards with scrapbook paper and Mod Podge.

 

 

Thanks for stopping by my blog! I'll try to post more often! :)

 

~ Lisa



Astronauts, Valentine's Day, and Snow Days!

Oh my! I apologize for neglecting my little blog! It's been a while since I've posted. I am taking advantage of having another snow day from school to try and get caught up with my "to do" list which of course has blogging on the top of the list!

Last month my students learned about outer space. I wish I had more time to spend on this unit because they loved it! They learned about planets, the sun, the moon, and of course astronauts! My students and I made an astronaut anchor chart. I appreciate Mrs. Williamson for her example: http://mrswilliamsonskinders.blogspot.com/2011/05/space.html.

The children made cute astronaut pictures thanks to Kindergarten Nana:

http://dbsenk.wordpress.com/2011/05/15/outer-space/ 

 

 

 

Our unit last week was Friendship/Valentine's Day. We made a chart titled Friends and from that made sentences for our "Shared Reading" time. The students each drew a picture of themselves with a friend. I was so proud of their work! They each cut out a heart and wrote a sentence about friendship and glued them onto their papers. Here are a few examples:

 

 

Next week I will continue 3rd quarter assessments. It's hard to believe it's almost March! Soon we'll be starting to get ready for Kindergarten Graduation!

 

~ Lisa



 



 

 





 

Thankful for an Award Nomination!

I was nominated for a Liebster award! I received this award a few months ago, but I hope it's okay that I accept it again! The rules given to me are different than I had before, so I thought it would be fun to participate again. It's always fun to meet new bloggers!

The Liebster Award is given by bloggers to up and coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers. It is to show new bloggers that they are appreciated and to help spread the word about new blogs.

 



Thanks so much to Kristen from Kinderpillars for nominating me for this award! It was a nice surprise!

The Rules:

~ You must post 11 random things about yourself.

~ Answer the questions that the nominator set for you.

~ Create 11 questions for the people you nominate.

~ Choose 11 blogs you love with less than 200 followers and link them in your post.

~ No tag back is needed, but please leave me a comment on this post with the URL to your Leibster post so I can learn more about you!

 

11 Random Things About Myself:



1. I am a Christian and can't imagine going through this life without my faith in God!

2. I am very happily married to my husband Tony. He's perfect for me!

3. I have two grown children, Clayton & Jessica. Also, my husband has 2 grown daughters.

4. I am blessed to have grandchildren! It's fun being a Nana!

5. I am 50 years old!

6. This is my 9th year as a certified teacher and I love teaching!

7. I have lived in 7 states, Japan, and England. I currently live in Missouri.

8. I love cats! My cat's name is Molly.

9. I enjoy playing the piano, reading, watching movies, and blogging.

10. I love Pinterest!

11. My favorite TV shows are Parenthood, Grey's Anatomy, and Private Practice.

 

Here are questions asked by Kristen:

1. What grade do you currently teach?

I teach Kindergarten!

2. Where did you grow up?

Cabot, Arkansas ~ I lived there the longest while growing up.

3. What is your favorite color?

Burgundy

4. What is your dream vacation?

Traveling around the USA with my husband!

5. What is your favorite school break?

Summer break is the best!

6. Who is someone you look up to?

I look up to my mom. She has always been an inspiration to me. No matter what comes her way, she always stays strong and relies on God to help her.

7. What did you do before you started teaching?

I was a secretary, handled accounts payable/receivable, payroll, legal secretary, family day care provider, and Head Start teacher.

8. What do you like to do in your "spare" time?

I love spending time with my family, camping, hiking, reading, and of course blogging!

9. Where is your favorite place to shop?

Hmmm, this is hard to answer! I like a few places like Christopher & Banks, JCP, Target, and Hobby Lobby.

10. Do you drink coffee?

Yes! I usually drink a cup or 2 in the mornings. Occasionally I'll drink it with a yummy dessert too.

11. Are you a morning person or night owl?

I'm definitely a morning person. It seems the older I get, my bedtime gets earlier. I usually go to bed by 9:00!

 

Questions for my nominees:

 

1. What grade do you currently teach?

2. If you could teach a different grade/subject, what would it be?

3. How many years have you been teaching?

4. Give your teaching philosophy in one or two sentences.

5. Name one of your favorite children's books.

6. How many students are in your class?

7. Have you started a new "program" in your school this year? Please explain.

8. What is your favorite candy?

9. Do you use Pinterest and have you created anything inspired by Pinterest? Example-recipe, craft, school decoration, posters, etc...

10. Do you have a pet? What is it?

11. What do you like to do in your "spare" time?

 

Here are some blogs I am nominating for the Leibster Award:

http://cathedralkindergarten.blogspot.com/ - Charlotte’s Clips and Kindergarten Kids

 

http://co-kindering.blogspot.com/ - Co-Kindering

 

http://kindergartenbliss.blogspot.com/ - Kindergarten Bliss

 

http://gracehopperlearning.blogspot.com/ - Grasshopper Learning

http://smartkindercookies.blogspot.com/ - Smart Kinder Cookies

http://misschambleeskinderfriends.blogspot.com/ - Miss Chamblee’s Kinder Friends

http://theteachersbackpack.blogspot.com/ - The Teacher’s Backpack

 

http://cobbkindersprouts.blogspot.com/ - Mrs. Cobb’s Kinder Sprouts

 

http://krazee4kindergarten.blogspot.com/ - Krazee 4 Kindergarten

http://kindergartenkidlets.blogspot.com/ - Mrs. Mindy’s Kindergarten Kidlets

http://kindergartenlovesme.blogspot.com/ - Kindergarten Love

 

I'm looking forward to learning more about these bloggers! Thanks again to Kristen from Kinderpillars for nominating my little blog! :)

 

~ Lisa

Stone Soup and Turkeys!

Hello! It's hard to believe how fast this month is going by! I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving and has a nice break from school! I am enjoying the time off and spending time with family. I am so thankful for the blessings in my life! Of course, this time of year most of us reflect on things we are thankful for, but wouldn't it be nice to count our blessings everyday?  Psalms 92:1 says, "It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord..." The last day before our break, I asked my students to tell me and the class something they were thankful for. Their answers were so cute! I almost cried when some said they were thankful for "ME"! :)

Here are a few activities my kindergarten kiddos enjoyed last week:

• Stone Soup - Our kindergarten classes got together for our annual Stone Soup day on Monday. We read aloud the book Stone Soup, watched a video, and made a graph of all the vegetables used for ingredients to make the soup. The soup cooked all day and everyone had the opportunity to taste it during our snack time in the late afternoon. It tasted so good!
• Here's a link to a summary of the book: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/stone-soup-marcia-brown/1100222926 The children really enjoyed the story and all the activities. Here are a few photos.

           

 

Marlana, from http://lilcountrykindergarten.blogspot.com/ is one of my co-workers. She is so creative! She made our "Stone Soup Evaluation" sheets and an emergent reader for our kiddos!

• Turkeys - I read lots of books about the first Thanksgiving, Pilgrims, Native Americans, and of course turkeys! The kiddos really enjoyed making turkeys out of their hand prints! I encouraged them to add details to their pictures and they were so creative! I'm not sure who the author is for the poem attached to their artwork, but I thought it was cute! It's probably a familiar poem to many of you too.

 



I would love to hear about your lessons/activities you had with your students! It's been fun being a part of the blogging world and I am thankful for the opportunity. Of course, I still have lots to learn and maybe someday will create products like so many of my friends on TPT! Thank you for sharing your thoughts, products, activities, and ideas with me!

~ Lisa