One Week Down, SALE, and Freebies!

I made it through the first week of school! Is that what you're thinking this year? Or are you still dreading that first week? Either way, you might be in the wrong place...and maybe not even know it!

This year, I am teaching art for the first time ever. After 20 years, I finally finished everything I needed to do to add art to my certification. And I moved classrooms. Again. It was AWFUL!!!

The room AFTER throwing a dumpster-full away!

Roach and mouse poop...EVERYWHERE!

At least I know what it is now!

The room I went into hadn't been cleaned out in over 20 years, but with lots of help, I got it all cleaned out and set it up my way. Then I went home and worried all summer. Was I doing the right thing? What if I didn't like it? What if I wanted to go back to second grade, or fourth, or any? But after one day, I knew. I couldn't stop smiling. It was like I'd won the lottery! I LOVE it! And now I know. After the first week, if you feel like you survived, you might need a drastic change, because I thought I loved teaching. And maybe I did, but, y'all, this is amazing! I practically skip down the halls. I have fun all day, every day. I'll take some pictures of the "after" this week!

I'm probably working harder than ever...all new lesson plans, no curriculum, just standards, weird supplies that I don't know how to use, and going from fifth graders to baby kindergarteners to TMD classes. I know, we all think the related arts teachers have it SO easy. We're wrong. They We get pulled in a million directions all day, every day. We have more hall duties, less lunch time, combined into planning, not both, more committees, and everyone comes to related arts teachers for ideas and favors. We're the first ones to fill in when a sub can't get there on time, and the custodians? They empty my trash. That's all. Meaning I clean my tables, I sweep my floor, I clean the sinks and wash the walls and make sure crayons don't get slid across the tile, jammed into the cracks, permanently. BUT, I love it! LOVE IT! I feel like, after all those years, I am finally doing what I was meant to do. It really is my #bestyearever!

Here's a FREEBIE for you, if you're a TPT seller: 

 

It's a sale banner, so if you're not a TPT seller, you know what that must mean...A SALE. Yep, it's tomorrow, one day only, site-wide, with up to 28% off. Use sale code OneDay to get the best pricing!

Now I have another freebie for all of you! It's the lesson I'm currently teaching in art, but it is all math-integrated, with some vocabulary and ELA, and a dash of self-esteem thrown in!

 
 
I know you've seen zentangles all over Pinterest, and in every book store and craft store known to mankind. They are pretty Zen, after all! This summer, I started fooling around with them and decided they were the perfect first lesson for all my art classes. They're easy to differentiate. You really can't "mess up". And they easily teach at least two of the elements of art, and can teach more. They tie in with math - think patterns, measurement, geometry, language arts - think vocabulary, and even social studies, if you want to explain Zen, as a religious practice. I'm using rectangular zentangles as covers for my students' sketchbooks. In art, this will be a three-part lesson. In the regular classroom, I'd just use parts one and two (if you even need part two). See the whole thing at my Teachers Pay Teachers store, but hurry! It's only free during the one day sale!

Have your #bestyearever and check back soon for more!

XOXO,
Brooke

The End of Year Crazies!

We made it to the end of the school year! Really, this year flew by faster than any other I've ever had. And now that we've been out of school for almost two weeks, it seems more like two days! 

Before school let out, we had a fabulous Field Day! The games were so much fun, and even the teachers got in and played.

The cutest game! Pitchin' Pigs...
The kiddos had to try to hike the
rubber piggies through the hula hoops
behind them. Then, regardless of
whether they made it through the
hoop, they retrieved the pig and handed
it off to the next in line - awesome relay!

Do you see that face? He's having a blast hopping down
the field and around a cone and back, racing
kids in the other classes. Then, all the teachers raced
each other - TOO FUNNY!

Good ole' sack races - fun for everyone!

Our last field trip of the year was to LegoLand! The kids had so much fun, and LegoLand fit nicely with our school's STEM initiative. Our STEM teacher uses Legos several times throughout the year to have the kids build structures, make battery-powered robots, explore circuits, and more.

 

 

For the last three days of school, the kids and I moved every. single, thing. to my new classroom. Can you say cah-ray-zy? This is right after school on the first moving day:

Thankfully, on the very last day of school, my fabulous room mom helped me get everything put away, organized, and packed up for next fall! This is how I left it:

Thanks to ALL great room moms!

SO, at the same time I was moving at school, we were moving into our new house!

Kitchen - before

The movers seemed to think that the best thing to do with all of our stuff was stack it on top of itself. I can NOT complain!

We are finally in our own house, I've had almost every room painted, and my hubby's being super-patient with me, letting me enjoy my summer and unpack slowly. It's a heaven-sent luxury to be able to paint, finally use all my pins for design and decor (outside the classroom), and give my girls their dream rooms!

New Tiffany Blue paint in the kitchen...LOVE!

Before we bought the house, I found these candle holders at TJ Maxx, and loved them. I knew they'd be perfect to replace the icky track lights in the kitchen. I drilled holes in the bottom of each one, bought new light kits for the track, and hung the repurposed light fixtures. I just have to cut the wiring to the right length...and I will. I promise!

Living Room - before

How to not get all grandma in here??? I'm working on unformalizing the living room. Yes, I made that word up, just now!

Living Room - in progress...I'm trying to decide what to do about that weird place above the lower left photo of one of our daughters. I designed these two vinyl ideas to cut using my silhouette, but I can't decide which one I like better. Let me know what you think!

The den, getting there, gotta hang pictures and open the blinds!

The den, as the movers left it...

While we're unpacking, I have to start packing. We're off to the beach for a week of vacation! What a perfect ending to a perfect school year, and a perfect beginning to our new life in our new home, and my new life in fourth grade!

My happy place...Sunset Beach, NC!

I have lots of ideas for integrating my subject areas - ELA and US history - that I'll be working on this summer. Although South Carolina has officially withdrawn from common core, our new state standards look so much like CCSS, I think you'll be able to find plenty to use in your classroom. Right now I'm thinking "big kid" stations, which seem kind of hard for me to find, but I know fourth graders certainly aren't too old to use them or learn from them. I also think they might be the perfect answer to the RTI requirements in my school. We have 30 minutes, per day, to work with the lowest achieving ten percent of students. Rather than use stations during guided reading groups, I think I'll be using them while I work with my RTI group. I'll keep you posted on how it's going, and let you know as soon as I have some stations ready.

XOXO,

Brooke