The Crazy Pre-K Classroom

   I recently conducted an entrance testing for a 5 year old attending our Kindergarten in the fall. Our testing is truly quite simple and just gives us an idea of who the child is and what their personality is like. I will tell you that my heart was breaking for this child. When I walked up to this child to introduce myself she was alone, no parents with her, and she had a huge stack of worksheets that she was supposed to "study" while she waited for me to test her. I saw that she had a school uniform on and asked her where she went to school. Her reply was devastating to me, "I just got kicked out of school because I wasn't learning good enough."   I have been teaching in my current school for 12 years, Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten. Over these last 12 years one thing is for sure, children have changed! Mostly I believe due to technology but also contributing to this change are the breakdown of families and the lack of freedom to explore our environme...

We all know that being comfortable in your daily space is important. Having items that make you happy and are exactly what you want can help make your year go smoothly. It is also a real pain when you figure out you need something and have to beg, borrow and steal to get your lessons ready for the next day! I've been there 1000 times and now I am the teacher everyone comes to when they need something. (I guess it helps that I am a hoarder, but don't follow my lead on that end!)      I have come up with my list of necessities that I find make my days in my classroom a whole lot smoother and I do not spend time going to the store after school or groveling at my coworkers feet! I normally make one or two large Amazon orders per year to stock up on the consumables. I try to also buy everything on prime so that my shipping is free! I also keep and eye on Amazons lightning deals in case any of my necessities come up on an extra great sale price. The following list is in no...

So, I moved rooms again this year, it was only fitting to redo all of my decor again! I decided to go with a nautical theme but I didn't go quite as crazy over the decor this year as I did last year. I love how the room turned out and the kids are really enjoying the space as well. I have a few new items that I am super excited about. I love the magnetic border to divide areas for my objectives and number wall and I also love, love, love my old fashioned pencil sharpener!  I was so excited when a friend dropped it off as a gift yesterday, (I didn't even know they made them anymore!) These cute little snap boxes fit a 24 pack of crayons perfectly and they are 2 for $1 at the dollar tree. I found these bingo daubers on amazon.com and they work wonderfully, (they were a steal, the next time I see them on sale I am going to buy a ton more) and what teacher could live without these dry erase pockets,  I have used then 3 times already and it is only the 6th day of school! We were ab...

Hello All, It is that time again to get ready for school to start which means the TpT Back To School Sale is here! August 3rd and 4th enjoy 20% off my entire store as well as another 10% off from TpT, don't forget to enter your code to get the extra savings!!! Now enter below to win a$25.00 gift card to spend during the sale! Rafflecopter will chose the winner at 10:00 am central time Tuesday August 4th! a Rafflecopter giveaway

I finally decided on my theme for next year! I am going to use nautical and ocean themed decor to decorate my new classroom. Yes, I am moving again this year so new room, new theme! I do not have access to my room over the summer so I took these pictures over my kitchen table which is approximately the same size as my large board. The first picture shows how I plan to use one of my boards as my calendar/ math focus wall.  I will be placing magnets onto the letter pieces and have them next to the calendar on my whiteboard. I have not decided where I will use and place all of the other pieces except the word wall which will be on a board on the adjacent wall and my number line above the calendar/ white board. There are quite a few pictures of the pieces included in the file and there are also editable pieces so you can customize your classroom.  If you would like to see the Christian file or the secular file scroll through the pictures and click on the link at the bottom. I wil...

It is time once again to celebrate the independence of this great country! Thank you to all who have fought for our freedoms and who continue to selflessly serve in our armed forces! From July 3-6th enjoy a 20% discount on everything in my TpT store! Have a wonderful 4th of July! Use this link to visit my TpT Store! Here a few of my favorite steals! The Ultimate literacy bundle: 600+ pages All these files alone are worth over $50.00 but bundled and on sale you can purchase them for $19.99!!!! Centers for $1: Counting to 20 All centers for $1.00 are on sale for $.80!!!! The Centers for $1.00 literacy bundle is an even better steal with 10 centers for 5.20!!! Almost 50% off!!! Centers for $1.00 Literacy: 10 centers! Dyslexia Worksheets On sale for $2.40! I hope you enjoy your new resources! Christine