Classroom Reveal

Since I completely forgot to do this in August...I guess it is time to reveal the space I live, eat, and breathe in almost everyday of the week. I had started out the year with things a certain way and by Christmas break...well, they HAD to go. I added and fixed some random parts of my classroom over break. It was great going back and feeling a sense of freshness with the New Year. I have learned that you must live in your classroom to see how everything is going to turn out for both you and your kids.

So, without further ado (drumroll please)...Here is my classroom! :)

These book boxes are from Really Good Stuff. The kids use these EVERYDAY! I attached the labels with Mod Podge (more on this towards the bottom of the post) It was so easy to use!

 I just L-O-V-E how my classroom rules turned out. I clearly listened to EVERY WORD Maria from Kinder Craze said when making these. Absolutely adorable!

  This is my take on community supplies. Each student has their own part of the caddy. If I had a group of four, I gave them a cup to put in the larger spot to sort their materials better. As you can see, our oddly shaped triangular desks don't allow for much storage on the inside, but man are they great for collaboration! :) 

  This is the view from my classroom door. I truly love coming into my room each day. 

 This is my favorite part of my room. It is such a great meeting area for whole group or read aloud time, but it is also functional, yet homey for the students. Our reading nook is SO cozy! :) 

I would not have been able to create such an adorable room without the help of my mother this summer and the adorable decor from Schoolgirl Style. LOVE her stuff. It is going to be so hard not to change my decor every year! 

And now for the updates....

Since "living" in my classroom...some things have literally fallen off. My Mod Podge miracle was a total disaster in about October. I had tried this on my library bins and also my book boxes the kids use. I had letters and numbers falling off daily. My kids were so trained to just grab tape and put it back up because Miss Newell was going to fix it over break. I used it on my personal bins for my materials and that worked perfectly to this day. I also decided to move a few things around and add an amazing new tool in the classroom. (I apologize for the poor picture quality.)

#1 The caddies had to MOVE. They were a toy by the end of the semester. We have a Nesting Post that has worked wonderfully. Each day if we need supplies, my table leaders grab them and take them back to the post. 

#2 One word: Homeworkopoly. Hello, my friend. This has been such a great motivator and we have only had school 3 days!! Let's hope this behavior keeps up the rest of the year. Thank you, Jody Udovich from Create, Teach, and Share, for this amazing resource! 

#3 Book boxes and library had to change. I took off all the labels, printed some new FABULOUS ones, laminated them, and hot glued them. PLEASE last longer than two months! 

#4 So long, social studies board. Hello, math and reading focus wall. I have already used this board more this week than I ever used it before. It was a cute idea, but not practical for what we needed in our classroom. 

What changes have you made in your classroom this year?