Kindergarten Classroom Set Up Part 1 of 3

My friend, who is also teaching TK this year, picked up a package of lined dry erase contact paper posters for me.

Thank you, Lauren!!!  :)

(If you click the image above, it will take you to a set of 30 sheets of 8 1/2" X 11" lined sheets.)

The ones I originally bought were about 18" X 22" and they came in a package of 3 for about $15.

I cut them into quarters and placed them on construction paper that had already been laminated.
(Eventually, and not pictured here, I added a set of letters to the construction paper before I laminated it.)

It looks like there is a bubble of air under the dry erase
paper, but it's only the glare.

I left room at the top to attach a row of sticky tape with the alphabet and one with numbers.
I'll post more pix once I get the letters and numbers attached.

Now, each child has their own lined dry erase placemat to use during small group time.

The red mat has a red cup of dry erase markers and
an eraser.  The orange mat has an orange cup, etc.

The little dry erase markers and erasers from Target's Dollar Spot finish this off!

And we have to have our Easy Buttons.
One in English and one in Spanish!

While you are at Staples picking up your Easy Buttons, you can pick up some 8" X 10" lined dry erase contact paper.  Click RIGHT HERE for the link.  If you want the 8.5" X 11" size,  Click HERE for the link from another source.  

And if you live in Southern California, Education Station (in the San Fernando Valley) is where my friend got the 3-pack of poster size lined dry erase contact paper.

I have a yellow mat for me so I can use it as a sample mat.

What is great about these is that you can flip them over if you are doing a cut and paste lesson and the laminated mats keep the glue from getting on the tables.  The mats wash up easily.


I'm planning to post each day as I set up my room, so stop by tomorrow.

What are you doing differently in your room this year?

You might also like:
Our First Day of Kindergarten Note for Parents

The Royal King of Ing

Number Formation & Chants

See you all tomorrow!

Palma :)

Best Beginning of the Year Tips: Post 3 of 3

Setting up the best classroom EVER!

Here are a few time-saving, "make my life easier" ideas that I like to do at the beginning of the year:

First, I take a photo of each child when they come in for pre-testing.  I hang up some fabric and use it as a background for the photos .  Then, when I attach their photos to the inside of their cubbies, they all coordinate with the bulletin board above it and the red checkered theme I have in my room.

Photo spot.

We will write about our favorite sandwiches on a sandwich
template and pin them on the plates.

Their photos, with the checkered background ,
will replace the old photos inside the cubbies.

I print the photos in all different sizes to use in different ways.

One way is to attach a 2" X 3" photo to card stock, laminate it, and add a sticky Velcro dot to the back.

Then, we use them to graph all kinds of things on a huge graph I made that has Velcro in each square.

Front of graphing card.

Back of graphing card.

1st Day Certificates:

Next, I printed up our 1st Day certificates:

This year, I had to change my master to "first day of TK".
Click the image to get the certificates for K.

1st Day Photo for the Memory Book:

 We took our "First Day In TK" photos!  I am hanging the frame on the bulletin board and placing the individual photos all around it for Back-To-School-Night!

That's all for now.  

Hope your new school year is awesome!

Check out my:
FaCeBoOk:  Click Here to see my Facebook. (Tons of FREE ideas.)
PiNtErEsT:  Click Here to see my Pinterest Boards.  (Oh, the ideas on these boards!)
TeAcHeRs PaY tEaChErS:  Click Here to see my TPT Store (Did you say, "20 freebies?!")

Find 20 FREEBIES in my
TPT STORE !

The 4 Best Classroom Organization Tips!

Tips From A Kindergarten Teacher To A Kindergarten Teacher:

Here are my tips for keeping your classroom organized:

http://www.sharingkindergarten.com/2015/06/are-you-teaching-kindergarten-next-year.html

Now, check out all of the other tips:

CLICK HERE

to find more tips!

Day 2 Of My Birthday Week 1, 2, 3 Sale & A Classroom Set Up Tip

Day 2's Theme Is...

Whole group rug time.  

Day 2 has even bigger discounts!

Today, you can enjoy 50% - 75% off of these rug time products.

Record the adventures of Boomer, your class mascot, in his very own book.  Record the events of your day in our monthly daily diary books, and have your students interact during whole group calendar time with their own individual iCalendars.

Boomer, The Mascot's Take-Home Book:

Our Boomer Mascot Book is $1.00 (75% off)

Get yourself a stuffed dog to be your classroom mascot.

Read Boomer Goes To School to your class and 

send your very own Boomer home 

with a different child each weekend.  

They can record what they did with Boomer on their special page.

Click on Boomer.

Daily Classroom Diary Pack:

Our Daily Diary Pack is $2.00 (50%off)

At the end of each day, your students can help you 

complete the day's diary page.  

Your "special helper" of the day can illustrate it.

At the end of each month, send the book home each day 

with a different student to foster the home/school connection.

Click on any of the images.

You get a colorful cover for each month.

  

Each month has a fill-in-the-blank page.They get more challenging as the year goes by.

Interactive iCalendar:

Our Interactive iCalendar is $3.00 (75% off)

Turn calendar time into an interactive time!

You use all of the graphics provided 

to make your own custom iCalendars.

Students complete their own iCalendar page while your

special student of the day completes the class calendar.

Designed to look like an iPad.

Use the graphics, like the ones above, to
create your own progressive and interactive iCalendar pages.

And a Classroom Set-up tip:

Use small catsup and mustard bottles for white glue.  Add the little plastic pins that come with rollers (the type with the brush inside, not the snap on type) and your glue bottles will never be clogged again.  Read all about it by clicking HERE or on the image:

I found these at the Target Dollar Spot.  They were 2 for $1.00.

Come back each day to help celebrate my birthday week 

with my 1, 2, 3 one-day sale each day.

See you all tomorrow.

Palma :)

'Twas The Night Before T.K.

Updated My Poem From Last Year:

'Twas the night before TK...
When all through the school,
The work's on the tables,
These hats will look cool...

Work is on the tables... 1st day star hats.

The centers are ready...

Painting easel covered with a plastic table cloth &
 paint cups covered with wet sponges.

Our "Five Senses" center.  This is the vision mat.

Bunny's in his seat...

Library chairs

 The Discovery Center looks kinda neat,

Discovery Center

 The light on the desk of this cute TK room,
Will light up the faces of children here soon,

My desk

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear?

But Clifford the dog...

Clifford will stay in our pet shop until we need it for our chickens.

 And a cute, cuddly bear!

A soft bear and tissues just in case we have criers.

With a little, old playhouse so charming and sweet,
I knew in a moment we could cook up a treat...

Home center.  Everything is labeled.

At the "dress-up" center,

the children all played...

Bookcase on its side makes a closet.

 And later they stopped,
To make lemonade...

Our lemonade stand.  

We made individual cups of lemonade.

The message was written,

On the board with care...

Lined dry erase contact paper on an easel and
a magnetic cork board with a giant #1 for the 1st day of school.

 And the rules at the front,
Told us all to beware....

Front table

 The new ten frame numbers look like Common Core,
And our alphabet letters left us begging for more....

Our Money Pig helps us to count each school day,

And the abacus shows us in a "different" way...

Attach magnets to coins and you can display them on a metal pig or...
Just paint a pig with paint pens on a cookie sheet and attach your coins with magnets
to show the number of days you have been in school.

And ESGI's testing file is all ready to go,
It tells me what each child does and doesn't know...

I LOVE using a dish rack for my testing files.
I test kids on the computer using ESGI.
Try it for FREE for 60 days, then sign up with my $40 off discount code:
B2174
Click HERE to see their site.

Then the last thing I did was to make this cute sign,

I'm exhausted, wiped out, now please bring me some wine!

Look through the frame and say, "Cheese!"

Say, "Cheese!"

Please visit our TPT store and have fun setting up your classroom!

COMING SOOOOOON:

Look for my FUN "1, 2, 3 Sale".

Each day, 3 items in my TPT Store will be deeply discounted.

One item will be $1.00.

One item will be $2.00.

One item will be $3.00.

Wishing you the best First Day EVER.  :o)

See you all tomorrow!

Palma

1, 2, 3 Classroom Set-Up Part 1 of ??? "Before The Kids Arrive" (& a FREEBIE)

1, 2, 3 Classroom Set-Up Series:

This is part 1 in a series of awesome tips for setting up your classroom for the new year.  Each day I will post 3 tried and true "Classroom Set-Up" ideas that have evolved over the past 35 years (OMG, have I REALLY been teaching that long?) all here in one place just for you.  Come back each day to see more tips that will help you save time and help your new school year run smoothly.  

Tip 1:  Before The Kids Arrive:

I remove the laminated graphics and replace them with
seasonal graphics for more photos all year long!

I found this white frame at a flea market and I added the graphics for their First Day photo which will look great on the bulletin board for Back-to-School-Night AND it will go in their memory book too!

Tip 2:  A Note For The Parents:

This photo includes the comfort note and the laminated name tags for each student.
The color of the name tag tells them their color on the rainbow rug
and which colored table to sit at.  

I prepare a comfort note for the parents and I attach a cotton ball to each one.  Last year, I printed the note on colored hearts.  

You can grab one version of this note by clicking HERE.  

Click the image to grab this Giving Tree for FREE.

Tip 3:  The Giving Tree:

I print this "Giving Tree" and laminate it for use all year long.  I add apple Post-its (but the square Post-its work just fine) and I write on the tree and on the Post-it the item I need, how many I need, and when I need it.  Parents grab and apple and sign their name to the apple on the laminated tree.   Then I know who is bringing what and when.  

You can grab this Giving Tree FREE by clicking HERE.

Check out my:
FaCeBoOk:  Click Here to see my Facebook. (Tons of FREE ideas.)
PiNtErEsT:  Click Here to see my Pinterest Boards.  (Oh, the ideas on these boards!)
TeAcHeRs PaY tEaChErS:  Click Here to see my TPT Store (Did you say, "15 freebies?!")

See you all tomorrow with more tips.

Palma :)