Rock Star Classroom Tour!!!

Hello all!!! Oh my goodness it is hard to believe that we are already half way through September! Time is flying!! I have been meaning to post pictures of my classroom makeover!! Last year I went with the pirate theme and LOVED it. However, I love to craft, create, decorate, etc. so keeping my pirate theme again this year just didn't seem fun!! After spending most of the summer working on my new and improved rock star classroom, I have decided that I am going to force myself to keep the same theme for at least another year or two! So here is a tour of my newly decorated room!

This super cute record welcome sign hangs right outside of my classroom door. I posted about it over the summer- Click on the picture to download the letters for free!! :)

Here is a view of my classroom from the doorway

I painted my desk with chalkboard paint so the kiddos can practice their spelling words or work on math facts! LOVE!!!! :) - Also I covered the legs with zebra duct tape :) Did you notice the R.O.C.K.S. binders? They go perfectly with my rock star theme!!! :) They are from Abby at the Inspired Apple! Love them!!

Here is my birthday and star of the week bulletin board, located right next to my classroom door. The birthday display is from Katie at Little Warriors!! LOVE her!! :) 

Next to my birthday board is my whiteboard that I have turned into my word wall. Click on the picture to check out the word wall letters! :)

Above my word wall are my number posters 1-20. I made them to match my theme!! You can check them out by clicking here or on the picture.

This bulletin board is on the other side of my word wall. The writer's eye printables are from the First Grade Parade! They went perfect with my classroom decor!! :) I cannot remember where I downloaded the "What do I do now?" posters! However, they are super cute and if anyone knows where you can find them please let me know and I will add it to my post!!:) I also change out the little activities that are inside the colored folders to go with our themes.

Here is my behavior clip chart and classroom rules. Our entire school has the same rules and clip chart. I made mine like a guitar. I got this idea from Abby at The Inspired Apple :) This is also where my school found the words for our clip chart! The rules are from Whole Brain Teaching. My school gave each classroom the same set of rules posters, but I am not sure where they found them. :( Again, let me know if you do!!

This is my writing board- right now it houses our "four star writing" examples. I refer to this all the time when students are working during writer's workshop!! :)

I love my 1st Grade Rocks banner! It hangs above my Promethean board. I glued bulletin board letters onto bright poster board cut into triangles. Then I hot glued the triangles onto zebra ribbon. :)

Here is my finished math meeting board!! :) Above it says "main stage" I made this the same way I made my record welcome sign outside of my door! :) My friend Katie from the Little Warriors created the zebra themed months, days of the week and calendar numbers! SHE IS AWESOME!! Click here to grab your own copy!! :)

My cabinets are located at the back of my room. Each of the students have a zebra name tag with a clothespin glued at the bottom to display their work during the school year.

I spray painted the clothespins and then found a super cute rock and roll foam sticker pack at Michael's for 0.75!! Yay!!!!! :)

This ADORABLE wreath hangs outside of my classroom door!! :) My mom made the wreath- she totally rocks and is very crafty!!!! Then I hung a record from the center and glued the rock star clip art from Melonheadz Illustrating to the middle of the record!!! LOVE IT!!!!!

So what did you think!? Are you loving the rock star theme as much as I am? It just seems to make being in your classroom so much better when you love the decorations!! 

Thanks for checking out my room!! :)

                      

Favorite Pins Friday!

Hello all!! I am linking up with Favorite Pins Friday! I just love this idea and love seeing what other people have pinned! I have found some great ideas through other bloggers!    Favorite Teaching Pins   I don't know about you but lately I have been LOVING wreaths! There are SOO many cute ways to make them! :) My mom is actually making a "rock star" themed wreath for my classroom that I will have to share with you when it is finished! If I did not already have that wreath in mind I would totally hang this one!  How cute is that?!

I also love this no-sew bunting tutorial!! Perfect for my new rock star theme!! Also I have NO idea how to sew!!! So when I see "no sew" I know it is for me! :)  

  Fashion Finds   I am in LOVE with this watch! :)

 

I also LOVE this nail polish and I cannot find the color "punchy pink" anywhere! :( Can you tell I like bright pink?

I love this outfit!!

 

Funny Stuff

I have two dogs and I can relate to this pin on a daily basis!! :)

 

 Hope everyone had a great week!!

 

Rockstar Classroom Theme

Each year my school votes on a school wide theme to use with Character Education. Our theme for the upcoming school year is going to be Character Rocks! So I decided that I would change my classroom theme to go along with it!! :) (PLUS it will also match my blog!! Yippee!!) I have been tutoring two days a week this summer in my classroom so I have been working on things here and there so that when August arrives I (hopefully) won't be in back to school panic mode!! ;)  One of my first projects was to make an ADORABLE scrunchy border that I found on Pinterest!! You can check it out over at Peace, Love and First Grade! She gives AMAZING step by step directions with pictures! :) Here is what my finished product looks like:

This will be my Math Meeting Board!

Here is a closer view of the scrunchy border

Also did you notice the super cute shape posters below the board?!? They go PERFECT with my new theme!! They are from my friend Katie over at Little Warriors and they are FREE!! Click on the link to go check them out!!  Little Warriors Shape Posters FREE!!   This is going to be my new word wall! I plan on putting the high frequency words up as we learn them on magnets. I had my word wall higher on my wall last year and I think it was almost too hard for the kiddos to see/notice, so I am excited to see if this will work better! If you like the zebra word wall letters click on the picture or the link to check them out!  Zebra Word Wall Letters  

 

 My favorite thing that I have made this summer is my Record Welcome sign that I have hanging right outside my door. I had some old "books on records" (like the books on tape/CD that I use now), but obviously did not have any use for the records. These worked perfect because they are about half the size of a regular record. I made the little letter labels to fit in the center circle. I used the "Rock Electric" font that I found over at The Inspired Apple, to make the letters. Thanks Abby!! :) It's PERFECT for a Rockstar theme! :) I just glued the letters to the records with a glue stick, then I glued the records onto some zebra ribbon with hot glue! If you would like the Rock Star Zebra Welcome Letters to use for your classroom click on the link or the picture to grab this Freebie!! :) Rock Star Zebra Welcome Letters

I don't know about you but I am LOVING my new theme so far! It is so fun to make new things for the new school year!! What will your classroom theme be?    <a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/8470007/?claim=n97sdxrutdy">Follow my blog  

First Clip Art Bundle!! Insects!!

Hello all!! :) I am super excited because I have been working on drawing and editing my own clip art!! Katie Mense from Little Kinder Warriors was the one who gave me the idea!! I had the pleasure of working with Katie for two years, one of which I spent working in her classroom!! I LOVED getting to work with her and learned SOOO many amazing ideas!!! She ROCKS! Every once in awhile Katie would ask me to draw something to go along with a unit that her class was learning about. She then would tell me that I needed to start drawing/selling my own clip art!! I LOVE to draw, so this idea sounded perfect, however, I had no idea what to do with the image after I drew it and scanned it into my computer. SO the last couple weeks of summer vacation I have been working on drawing and editing my very first clip art bundle!!! I have created an insect pack that includes the colored and black and white versions of a ladybug, firefly, bee, butterfly, snail, grasshopper, and a bug jar.

These are the images included in the pack, along with a black and white version of each. Click on the picture or the link to go check them out at my TPT store!!! Insect Bundle

I have also been able to get into my classroom a few days this summer. Our school is implementing a school wide "Character R.O.C.K.S.!" theme this year, so I will be using a Rockstar theme in my classroom, instead of the pirate/ocean theme I had last year. I am excited to share some of the Rockstar items I have been working on!! Stay posted for some Rockstar freebies AND more clip art! :)

Earth Day Craft Freebie!!

Here is a super fun Earth Day craft that I did with my kiddos this week!! They loved it!!!

After learning about Earth Day and recycling we discussed other ways we could help the earth. The students were given this writing prompt to tell what they could do to help the earth. After writing down our ideas, I gave each student a blue circle to cut out. I had printed off each of their pictures and had them glue the blue circle to the bottom of their picture, so that their head was sticking out over the circle. Then they cut shapes out of a green piece of construction paper to make it look like the earth. I gave them two dye cut hands to glue down (we glued the bottoms of the hands to the back of the earth and then wrapped them around to the front). I also gave them the words to cut out and glue down the middle of their earth. We glued our craft and our writing prompt side by side on a large piece of construction paper. The students LOVE crafts that involve their pictures!! :)

Another example of the craft :)

If you enjoy this activity click either of the pictures above or the link to download!!

Earth Day Craft

Leave me some feedback if you can use it with your kiddos!! :)

On another note, today is my birthday!! My students were sooooo sweet!! I didn't even know they knew it was my birthday! One little boy brought me a beautiful plant! I got so many sweet cards, and little gifts from them! Some of the teachers decorated my room- tropical theme because they know I LOVEEEE Jimmy Buffett and anything tropical/beachy. A mom brought in mini cupcakes during our snack time and a card that was signed by all the kids! :) SOOO AWESOME!! It just reminds me that I work with some pretty AMAZING teachers, parents and students!! Love them all!!

Amphibian FREEBIE!!

I am back with the amphibian freebie that I promised!!! :) We finished our amphibian unit this Friday and one of the activities we worked on throughout the week was an amphibian booklet. The booklet has a page to write facts about amphibians.

It also has pages to describe four different amphibians (frogs, toads, newts, and salamanders). After learning about each of these amphibians we completed a step by step drawing and wrote a sentence or two describing each one. There is also a page at the end to write about their favorite amphibian! :)

Frog page example

Toad page example

Click the pictures above or the link to download for FREE!! Amphibians Booklet

Also if you have not done so check out my frog life cycle writing activity and craft!!!! This froggy is super cute and when you open his mouth the life cycle is underneath!!

Click the picture to head over to my TPT store and check it out!! :)

If you can use the Amphibian Booklet leave me a comment or come follow my blog!! I love to hear from you!! :)

Frog Life Cycle Craft and Writing Activity

Hello all! :) This week we are working on an amphibian unit!! One of the activities we finished today was A Life Cycle of a Frog Writing Activity and Craft.

Frog with his mouth closed-tongue hanging out :)

Here is an example with the frog's mouth open - you can see the life cycle inside :)

The students enjoyed being able to label and put the life cycle sequence in the correct order! They thought it was funny that the life cycle goes inside of the frogs mouth! They also loved his curly tongue! I LOVED this writing activity because the students had to put the life cycle into their own words, in addition to putting the life cycle in order. We also talked about step by step writing and we had to include words such as; first, next, then,etc.

Close up of the life cycle - (I drew my own clip art!! :))

For a copy of this activity click on one of the pictures or the link above to head on over to my TPT store and check it out!! If you download this product on TPT you will notice that the arrows are now just a part of the green circle. This makes for a few less pieces that your students will have to cut out and hang on to until it is time to glue!

Stay tuned for an amphibian freebie coming soon!!! :)

Baseball Hat Freebie!

We ended our baseball unit today! The students had a blast this week and were SUPER into this unit!! If you have not done a baseball unit with your class, DO IT! You will not regret it and the kiddos will love it!! Head over to Katie's blog at Little Kinder Warriors and her TPT store to check out her Baseball Unit!! This has everything you could possibly want in a baseball unit!!! She has SO many fun ideas that your students will enjoy!!! :)

She also has a math and literacy centers pack to go with it!! Check it out!!! - Baseball Centers

I don't know about you but my students are definitely ready for spring, warm weather and being outside! I think this unit reminded them that warm days are ahead! I even had a student bring in baseball donuts!!

YUM!!!

For those of you who enjoyed my cardinal hat - from my last post, I created another adorable baseball hat to go with it!!

Since not everyone is a Cardinals fan, I have made an alternative (equally awesome) ;) baseball hat for you!!

Front view of baseball hat

Side view of baseball hat

 This hat can be run on any color that you wish! You could run it on your school's colors or any team of your choice! I have added this as my first product on Teachers Pay Teachers!!! Please click on any of the pictures above or the link below to head over to TPT and download both patterns!

Baseball Hat Patterns

I hope you enjoy! Please leave me a comment below if you were able to use this in your classroom! I love to hear feedback!! :)

Baseball Season!

It is hard to believe that it is already April!!! :) Since Monday was the St. Louis Cardinals Home Opener we started our baseball unit!! The kids are already in love with the activities!!! Katie Mense from Little Warriors  is one of my co-workers from last year and also a great friend!! She LOVES baseball!!!  She created an AMAZING baseball unit that has TONS of activities in it!! My firsties are having a blast and it is only Tuesday!! :) You can check out this unit by clicking the link! Little Warriors - Baseball Math and Literacy Unit

One of the activities that we worked on today was the "Baseball or Ballet?" craft and writing activity. The students loved this!! First we listened to the story Baseball Ballerina by Kathryn Cristaldi.

Then we talked about how you can choose which hobbies you enjoy based on what you love to do, rather than if you are a boy or a girl. My kiddos were really in to this! About half of the boys and girls chose baseball,
and the other half chose ballet! :)

This student chose baseball

and this student chose ballet!

 Thank you Katie for this awesome idea!!!! Click on one of the pictures to head to her TPT store and check it out!! 

Since we are also Cardinals fans at my school (super close to St. Louis) I created a Fred bird hat for the students to make and wear!

Front of the hat

Side view of the hat- check out the tail feathers! :)

To make this hat I started by giving each student the hat and the hat bill run on red construction paper. I had the students cut these pieces out and we folded on the dotted line on the hat bill. This makes a flat tab that can be glued onto the base of the hat to make the bill stick out. I had my students put the dotted line underneath so it wasn't showing on the hat, but you can do however you like! :) Then I gave each student the STL circle to cut out and glue to the middle of the hat. I had them set the hat aside and then I gave them the black piece for the head and the white for the two eyes. We cut out the pieces and glued down the eyes. We also then attached the hat just above the eyes. When that was finished, I gave each student the top and bottom pieces of the yellow beak to cut out. We again folded on the dotted line to make the tabs to glue down. We glued down the bottom piece of the beak first and then glued the top part of the beak right on top of the bottom tab (bottom tab was hidden under the top tab). While the students were cutting out their feather for the back of the hat, I walked around stapling the hat (red strips of construction paper) to fit their head, and stapling the bird on the front of the hat. The feather also has a fold line to make a tab, and I stapled this tab to the back as I was walking around. If you would like the masters to make the hat click on the pictures or click the link here- Baseball Hats I hope you enjoy!! Happy baseball season!!!