Classroom sneak peek!

I'm not done yet, but I've been absent lately because I'm frantically prepping for my school year to begin! I'm in denial that teachers begin tomorrow :( Here's a sneaky peek of my new classroom!

Pete! Our new class mascot :)

Behind that black paper was a very old chalkboard. It took me days to decide how to cover it. I finally hot glued bulletin board paper on to it and nailed my calendar and schedule up. Hot glue apparently sticks to everything! I hot glued those magnet clips for my job chart (on the ribbons) right to the wall and it sticks! 

Classroom library disaster area.

I have been on a mad hunt for glitter clothespins! I finally found enough for each kid to display their work on my clothesline :)

Brownie points are my class-wide behavior system (from Sarah Cooley - First Grader at Last!). I LOVE this and my kids do too! We earn brownies for good behavior :) Once we fill it up or meet our goal, we earn something like extra recess or something else special.

And finally, I remade my bank this year! We use the coins to count the days in school, and I went ahead and slapped magnet tape on them and added a cookie sheet and chevron ribbon! However, magnet tape DOESN'T stick to plastic coins, so I had to hot glue every single coin. UGH.

That's it  for now. A classroom tour soon :)

I did way too much shopping! Plus a fun back to school freebie!

Ok, I did WAY too much damage at the back to school sale! My store is still 20% off through tomorrow at midnight. Here's what I snagged -

Obsessed with these cute packets and I LOVE that they are bundled!

I love their clip art! These frames are too cute.

The Teacher Wife's Word Family book will be perfect for my spelling and word work centers! A year long resource :)

 I am revamping my weather poster AND hopefully finishing up a weather packet, so Melonheadz weather clip art is perfect :)

I can never resist Krista's cute clip art!

Perfect for my bulletin boards! So cute AND chalkboard themed from Glitter Meets Glue Designs.

An adorable back to school craftivity! LOVE!

Can't wait to use these :)

I can't wait to use these for my fall resources! :)

Click to visit my store! 28% off til midnight (enter code BTS13) and 20% off through tomorrow @ midnight! 

Here's a back to school freebie for today! I am always looking for new resources for behavior management. I can't quite decide whether or not I am going to use a clip chart this year, but I know I will need some sort of individualized behavior program for my students. They are BUSY boys! So, I created a cute "class cash" printable to reward positive behavior. I love the colors and clip art! They are in two different sizes in case you want something larger or smaller. I plan to laminate a bunch of them and have my kids stash them in their pencil boxes for safe keeping :). My parent volunteers will likely aid in cutting out all of the classroom cash, and then hopefully I will have it for years to come! If you print on card stock, it gives some more durability. If you don't want to waste color ink, convert it to gray scale, print, and copy! My little friends can cash in at the end of the week (or save/"hoard"!) for prizes like lunch with the teacher, dibs on the iPad, bring in a stuffed animal, etc. I try to steer clear of the prize bin. It gets pricey and I had huge success with these kinds of prizes last year! I organize my reward coupons in a binder with baseball card sheet protectors. Pics to come when I dig it out :) 

Class Cash

TPT Sale!

Hi everyone! I am just back from my trip to Disney, so my store didn't get to take part in the big TpT sale yesterday :(. My entire store is on sale now for 20% off plus the extra discount for the TpT sale when you enter BTS13 at checkout! That makes everything 28% off! It includes all of my chalkboard decor units. Since I didn't get to take part yesterday, my store will remain on sale until tomorrow!

Graphics- KPM Doodles/Creative Clips/Print Candee

My non-fiction unit is on sale!

Incorporate parents as mystery readers into your classroom this year with this complete kit.

All of my chalkboard decor!

My newly updated OWL binder pack to organize your students and start the school year off right!

My Oz themed math center is on sale!

And this big unit on maps, globes, and community helpers! Perfect for social studies!

Head to my TpT store here! 

I Can't Give a Tour So...

I had all intentions of linking up for the whole week for Teacher Week but my classroom looks like something seriously exploded in there. I just got in yesterday for the first time, and my back is killing me from all this moving! So, no tour yet. Just looking at the mess is stressing me out! ANYWAY, I linked up with Covered in Glitter and Glue for the Blogger Exchange and I received my package! Rebecca from Okie Teacher Tales was my partner and she sent me the best package ever! I love it all! Thank you Rebecca! :)

YAY!! Look at all of this cute stuff! I LOVE the glittery clothespins!! 

I recently re-did my job chart! My classroom jobs are posted as a Facebook freebie, so you can grab them there if you like what you see. I made them velcro because let's face it, my class size is increasing by the minute! That way, I can add and subtract as needed when numbers fluctuate! :) I put them on ribbon from Michael's in a chevron print to match my room. I love how they turned out! My kids' names will be on clothespins and I will clip them on to the job chart easily. I have my students keep their jobs for the first few weeks of school (they become the "experts" on that job and "train" the next student!) and after that initial "training" session, we start switching weekly. 

So no tour. I leave you with this mess and then I'll go hop around looking at everyone's gorgeous classrooms... We are off to Disney tomorrow! :) YAY!

This is how I left it today- it LOOKS cleaner than it is. I left out the 180 piles behind me ;)

Let's Talk About Me! Meet the Teacher

Today I spent the entire day sorting through my new classroom and oh my goodness I am so overwhelmed! I even had to stop for a second coffee on my way home... Anyway, I'm linking up this week (I'm really going to try to make all 5 days!) for Teacher Week!

1. This is me and my husband. We have been together since we were 14 years old! We got married 5 years ago :)

2. We do not have any kids (yet) but my furry children are my life! We have 2 kitties, Vinny and Harvey, and a French Bulldog puppy, Lola! She is a handful (and then some!!). 

3. We bought a house last summer and have spent the last year fixing it up. It's been a ton of work, but so worth it to have something of our own! 

It's still a work in progress :)

4. My husband and I really love to travel! 

This was taken in Skagway, Alaska, last summer! We have been lucky enough to travel to Alaska 2 times, each time over an anniversary!

5. I am obsessed with Disney World! We are going to Disney on Wednesday for one last hurrah before school starts! We even got engaged in Disney :)

6. I have taught 3 grades in my 5 years in the classroom - K, 1, and 2! This year I am teaching first grade again at a new school. It's in the same district. I am very excited to return to grade 1! 

7. Some people relax at the beach or with a book, but I am MOST relaxed when I am baking or creating for my classroom :) I love it! I started creating for TpT about 2 years ago and I love to create resources for my classroom and for others. 

8. I love to shop. I consider myself to be fairly thrifty and I don't spend a lot of money on expensive clothes/jewelry/shoes, but my weakness lies with Coach! 

9. I have a TOUCH of OCD. I need my groceries organized, my classroom organized, closet color coordinated... the list goes on. 

10. My nana and great aunt are identical twins. I am an only child and an only grandchild, so I'm quite spoiled :o) 

Go link up! 

I will be offering a flash freebie later on today on Facebook - make sure you "like" me over there to find out what it is! It's technology related :)

Five for Friday!

I'm so happy this linky is back! I've been in vacation mode for a solid week, but here is my very non-school related five for Friday (on Saturday!)

1. My pup turned 1!

2. Our 5th wedding anniversary was this past week. We spent it here at the Mt. Washington hotel! We spent a week of our vacation time at my husband's family's condo in New Hampshire for a getaway. Here we are at the top of Mt. Washington! 

Here is a family shot while traveling to NH :) Yes, Lola is in a car seat!

3. I spent HOURS laminating all of my new chalkboard decor. I finally get into my classroom on Monday for the first time! Woo! If you're interested in my chalkboard decor, it's listed on TpT :) I am still trying very hard to get my decor bundle uploaded! I recently updated my chalkboard number line to include numbers -1 to -20. 

This is a bonus picture of my cute furry friends :) Just because!

4. One of my fellow first grade teacher friends opened up an Etsy shop! She is so talented and is making adorable flower headbands for babies, kids, and adults! Please go check her out on Etsy- click her banner to visit the shop. Such cute stuff!

5. I'm part of this AWESOME giveaway! Check it out! Click the picture to visit A Burst of First and see all of the awesome products included! :)

I finally fixed my fan freebies and my chalkboard classroom jobs are UP! Please "like" me on Facebook to access fan freebies! :)