Start of day in kindergarten

As the children walk in and begin their start-of-day procedures, a fun idea is to take a picture of the students on the first visit, and have it laminated and ready for a daily question of the day.  The question can have two answers, three or four depending on how big your pocket chart is.

Decorating the US Way

When I taught fifth, one of my favorite things was the focus on US History and decorating the classroom patriotically.  Here are some pics from a friends fifth grade room.

Makes me happy

My sister sent me this for my birthday this year and I. Simply. Love. It.  I can remember sitting in my living room playing on these when I was 3.  It's now in my office and sometimes I let my own children play with it.  It's hard to share sometimes.  

A second grade room

While visiting a school, I snapped some pics of the reading and writing center.  The writing one had supplies, the PVC pipe phones and three laptop computers.  The reading center was next to a window with a futon mattress.  The kids loved that area!  If it was me, I'd add a mattress cover to be able to take home and wash now and then.

Matching

All you Montessori teachers will appreciate this.  I found this attempt at putting on his own socks today a great example of his independence even though one was a short ankle sock and one was knee length.  He got a few things right with the color and the pumpkin designs.  He wore it all day proudly... with only a diaper on.  

Online silliness

Here's what it looks like when we are asked to break into groups at class.  Dave was sitting right next to me, but we like to connect online instead because we are fancy like that.

State Reports

My daughter had to complete a state report display board for the school to walk through.  I thought it turned out quite nice.  She sketched and then sculpted the landforms of the state of Utah and then made it multi-sensory by rubbing car air fresheners on it according to the region.  The lavender fields smelled of lavender.  The mountains smelled of pine.  The lakes smelled like clean ocean water (it's salt lake after all!)  She got an A and our house smelled like a taxi cab for days.  

Quote

Seen in a school hallway.

ABCs

While visiting my sister recently I spied a stitchery that hung in our shared room growing up for many years.  I must have stared at this thing every night countless times.  Now that I think about it, I want this on a t-shirt.  Hmmm...how can I make that happen?  

Anyway, my fascination with teaching and reading started young and this stitchery is evidence of hours of contemplation about print.