I want to start off by staying that my classroom is ALWAYS a work in progress. I am always adding new activities, taking out the old, putting up new student work, taking down the old, and organizing.
Let’s start the tour! Here is the view when you walk in… 2 walls of cubbies with bulletin boards above them. My office is the door on the left that you can barely see.
The family board is full of information for families. It houses the sign in/out sheets, mailboxes, extra forms, lunch menu, snack menu, daily schedule, announcements, and weekly newsletter. Yes I said weekly newsletter! It is a quick one page snapshot of what we will be doing that week. I email it to families each and every Monday.
On top of the cubbies, is where I keep my student portfolios and portfolio filing crate. You can find out more about my student portfolios and assessments HERE. Want the super cute labels? I use them everywhere and I even used them for signs at my Meet the Teacher! Find out more about theme HERE.
Parents and students LOVE the family name tag necklaces I make each year! At Meet the Teacher, I take a picture of each student with their family. I print the picture, add their name sticker at the bottom of a piece of card stock, laminate, and add some plastic string. Students wear their family necklace anytime they miss their family. The can keep their family close to their heart while they are at school. They are magical!
If you continue into my room, you will be in my circle area. I found this idea on Pintrest and LOVE IT! This year for student spots, I made a grid. Each student has their own square to sit in. They can actually see where their space ends and their friends begins! This is AMAZING! I used the skinny duck tape to make it. It took about 6 rolls!
This is my teacher shelf. I have a bin for my lesson, books, and activities for the week. Preschoolers need MOVEMENT so I have lots of movement supplies here too. I use clip boards all the time with my preschool friends. Preschoolers LOVE clip boards! The musical instruments are for our dance parties!
My yellow bucket has my buddy reading tags and chart supplies.
On the back of a block shelf is where I keep the job chart. It is easy for me to see from circle too! I can never remember who has what job.
Around the outside of my circle area is my library center. I have 5 centers in my classroom: library, pretend, discovery, art, and blocks.
You can see all the school books on my book self. When we begin a new study/theme, I put out all new books related to that study/theme! I keep my Dr. Seuss reading buddies and magnet board by the books too. At my magnet board is always a book students can retell using character cards, setting cards, or sequence cards. I LOVE to read books multiple times for different purposes during circle! After I read the book at circle (many times and many ways), I add it to the center so the students can read it over and over independently!
The student writing desk! My class Safe Place is the blue bean bag. Students can go there when are mad, sad, or need to calm down.
This is my letter manipulative and fine motor self. On the top of it are two book baskets. One holds our class books that we create and the other holds our favorite books. At the end of a study, students vote and pick 3 or 4 books that add to our favorite basket.
More letter manipulates and writing items! Can you ever have enough?
Here is the view of the rest of my classroom! As you can see, I have a big classroom! Lucky me!
Moving on to the blocks center! There is another self opposite the shelf with the cones you can’t see.
Under construction! Tools, hats, signs, paint cans, tool belts, small clip boards, and writing supplies!
Wood unit blocks!
More wood unit blocks and signs!
This shelf changes OFTEN. I always have animals and cars. I have a HUGE tub of animals so the kind of animals changes. It could be filled with pets, ocean animals, zoo animals, farm animals, forest animals, insects, or dinosaurs. I put building materials that relate to our study on this self. For example, when we learn about plants I add fake flowers, fake leaves, rocks, and green foam paper to represent grass.
The art center and yes that is my classroom bathroom in the picture.
I have books in EVERY center so in art there are books about art. Playdoh, playdoh tools, and playdoh mats are always kept on this self. You can purcahse the playdoh mats HERE. If you want to check out how to make the color sensory bottles and a FREEBIE, click HERE.
Who could be bored with all the fun things on this shelf? This is the one self in my classroom that doesn’t change. Each week, I have an art exploration activity or process students can explore and I keep it on top of this shelf.
The discovery center which is filled with math and science fun! You can get the “under construction waiting for student work” sign for FREE in my store HERE.
The math shelf is home to math manipulatives and games. You can purchase the game Cover Up HERE.
The shelf is where students can find scientist tools and items from nature. You can see I have magnifying glasses and jars, goggles, small clip boards, writing tools,and shells. I keep fine motor manipulatives here too.
This our discovery table. Students can explore and investigate many things over the school year. To begin the year, we are learning how to be a scientist and use scientist tools by exploring rocks! You can get the “under construction waiting for student work” sign for FREE in my store HERE.
The sensory table! Everyone LOVES the sensory table including me. If you look under it, there are baskets with dust pans for the students to use when the materials somehow “fly” out of the sensory table.
The pretend center.
One thing about my pretend center is that it will only be “home” the month of August! For each study/theme, it completely changes into something else. My pretend center has been a grocery store, pet store, pizza restaurant, ice cream shop, ice skating rink, zoo, aquarium, farm, Lows, mechanic shop, birthday party, garden, pet hospital, and a doctor’s office.
If you read this LONG post, THANK YOU SO MUCH! Here is a giveaway to say thank you!
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