Whooo's Ready to See My Classroom?

I finally did it!  If you follow me on Instagram, you've seen some of these pics, but if not, here is the Whooo's Wild About Second Grade Safari:

So, my new room's smaller, but I love it now that it's done!  This is the view from the doorway to the hall. We all were upgraded to Polyvision boards last year.  They make Promethean boards look like slate boards!  In this room, I have a TON more whiteboard left over, too.

Here's the view of my two little windows.  I LOVE them, and especially the fact that they could be open in August in South Carolina!!!  My friend Jennifer helped me hang the bunting, and thought of the flowers at each point.  She's so talented!

Pretty much my whole back wall here - you're just missing some file cabinets.  I'm in total love with the WALL SPACE I have in this room!

Our school theme is We're WILD About Learning, so I went with the safari take on that.  My "noodle" tree, inspired by Deanna Jump's has the whole umbrella under all those leaves.  I found the little shutter at Goodwill, added some silk leaves, and thought it helped the fact that my tree is planted in a cardboard box (a lot!).  I will be adding student photos to the circles you see.  They cover clothespins to hold student work on display.

Speaking of Goodwill, my find of the year is this formerly hideous grey/tan plastic mailbox/sorter thing.  It was ONE DOLLAR!  It's in four pieces, so I took it apart and spray painted each a different color.  Guess how many kids I have?  Yep, twelve.  Perfect!

Well, that looks a little messier than I'd like, but it's coming along.  This is my bookshelf behind the famous hide it all table.  I keep all my teaching materials there, for the most part, along with notebooks, teaching resources, etc.

 

Our cabinetry has built in display shelves, which I just love.  These are some little gifts from students over the years, along with my sub tub, and a family photo.

Even though that bulletin board is blank, this back area will become a working math station (in front of the cubbies) and writing station to the right.  Y'all remember my stools are floor wax buckets from the summer cleaning.  I just upholstered the tops!

The most compliments I've received have been about this library area.  I have to say I love it, too.  My Goodwill bookshelves turned out so cute with zebra wrapping paper hot glued on, then covered in contact paper, and my Dollar General $11 "love seat" is a hit with everyone.  I'll soon have computers where that printer is currently.

I had to show you that bulletin board covered with all the sweetness that came my way at the end of last year.  All those cards are from parents and kiddos, and I've kept them to remind me of those sweeties.

Well, there it is!  Today was the first day for students, and my class ROCKED!  They were excited to be back at school, paid really good attention, and they seem to all work well together so far, too.  It's gonna be a great year!

Hugs,

What I'm Loving Wednesday and Let's Get Acquainted Tic-Tac-Toe

I'm loving that I found the cutest linky party, so I'm linking up with Covered in Glitter and Glue to join in the fun!

First of all, I'm loving that it's summer, and that I can stay up late and sleep in late!  I'm such a night owl by nature, but we teachers have to be early birds (yuck!) by nurture.  Which are you?

Second, I'm loving The Teacher Organizer, a blog I just found last night.

I'm not sure how often she posts, but her organization tips go beyond where to put things, how to set up a classroom, storage, and the usual.  She actually teaches how to get organized and how to stay that way.  She has some super ideas for free.  I'm working on tweaking them to meet my needs in my little world, and maybe I'll share that, if it's not infringing on her rights, but trust me...check out her links on the right side of her homepage.

Third, I'm loving Las Vegas, Baby!  

For the second year in a row, my sweet hubby is taking me to Vegas, for the ASD (retail merchandise trade show), which has a whole floor of cash & carry jewelry and accessories.  Y'all - you have no idea.  Last year, I took $100 and bought a huge green turquoise ring, a huge green amethyst ring, diamond earrings (.75 carat each), three jade pendants, and gifts for my mom and daughters.  It's the real deal, and it's at international market price (not retail).  Plus, although I HATE gambling, I LOVE Vegas!  I'd never been before, and can. not. wait. to go back.  It is so pretty, so fun, there's so much to do, and it's like a little four day honeymoon at the beginning of August each (yes, please!) year just before school starts back...perfect!

Last, I'm loving our new theme for this year at school...We're PAWSitively WILD About Learning.  Too cute, and so many options!  Our school mascot is a panther, thus the PAWS, but I'm going with jungle-y mixed with my polka dots and chevron.  It's all working surprisingly well, because all my jungle-y things are in hot pink, lime green, turquoise, yellow, and orange, just like the dots and chevron.

Check out my Wild Animal Prints Decor and Teacher Toolbox on Teachers Pay Teachers.  I'm working on adding more to this collection, but here's a preview.

Next, I'm linking up with Latoya at Flying Into First for her Let's Get Acquainted Tic-Tac-Toe party.

This week, you get to choose three in a row for tic-tac-toe...I'm choosing the right column.

My Dream Vacation is...not Vegas...GREECE!  Oh how I've always wanted to go there!  I can only imagine how beautiful it must be in real life.  I've been to lots of countries and several continents, but never Greece.  Okay, so it started out before I was married and all I could think of was the cute Greek gods men, but it's evolved into more over the years...the history, the art, the mountainside dipping right into the sea...

plus, the guys?  They haven't left!

I'm reading three books right now.  Yep, all at the same time.  I know.  I think in my To Do This Summer List, I said I'd chill.  LIES, I tell you...LIES!  I'm reading The Art of Teaching Reading, by Lucy Calkins (duh), the be-all, end-all how-to-teach-reading book of all time.  It's great, by the way, and is very pleasant to read, not textbook-ish at all.  I'm also reading Writing Workshop: the Essential Guide from the authors of Craft Lessons, Ralph Fletcher and Joann Portalupi.  This is also a great book, and is written in an easy-to-read format that keeps the reader's interest.  Lastly, I'm reading A Quick Guide to Teaching Second-Grade Writers with Units of Study, also by Lucy Calkins.  It's a very practical, daily guide in making the writing workshop work!

 

Hobbies...did I mention the Greek guys?  Oh, I'm kidding!  I have so many hobbies it's hard to keep them straight, or maybe that's my A.D.D. again...squirrel!  I love to knit, but only in fall and winter, when it's usually too late.  I love to scrapbook, even though I'm five years behind on my daughters' scrapbooks.  I love to decorate, up-cycle (my husband calls this an obsession with side-of-the-road crap I find), garden, organize parties and events, and I collect china, crystal, and silver.  And no, they don't have to match.  And yes, I use them all together.  Oh, and I make jewelry.  And draw.  And paint.  And throw pottery (on a wheel, not at My Big Fat Greek Wedding).  And I used to be able to play the piano very well, but quit practicing like all good A.D.D. patients do, and kind of forgot how, except by ear. Squirrel!  Didja get all that?  Can you remind me of those later?  When I'm bored?

Since it's barely Wednesday now, and since I was supposed to pack to go to the lake tomorrow today, I, um, have to go do that.

Happy Fourth of July!