I Need to Come Up for Air

Those first few weeks of school can kill those who lack stamina and enthusiasm. As I look around the room I am just beginning to appreciate all the hard work my partner and I have put into our "Pete" environment. The entire room has been done in blue, red, yellow and a hit of green. It is starting to shape up. Let me know what you think...

Here are the cards for my October calendar because I am trying to stay ahead of the curve. I love how they turned out. Each month I will make the cards and add more components to this as I get a chance.

It is definitely improving and I will have more pictures as I get a chance to take some.

Our students are learning about colors and we had so much fun coloring in our teacher avatars so parents could remember our names. This was a big hit with our students! 

I created retelling cards that went with the first Pete the Cat story and the children did well with this activity. The next day we worked on prediction and talked about Pete walking through a big pile of grapes, peas, oranges, and even pudding. I asked them to "predict" what color his shoes would turn. 

This was fun and challenged our English language learners. Then during small group instruction the children had to color in Pete's shoes, reading the color words. They are really not ready for this so I put a tiny clue next to each color word. It was a win-win situation and helped to build their confidence. They must believe in themselves!

I finally finished my sight word circles and they are all hanging in my Reading Corner within the reach of the children. It will encourage them to practice these with a partner. I also added the color words. I can move these around the room easily when I need to refer to them.

Right now I am building my PowerPoint for Back to School and working on the design for my homework folder... no relaxing for me! What touches are you adding to your room to make it special? Please share.

Pete the Cat Comes To Kindergarten... It's All Good

I finally did it. I finally bought a giant Pete the Cat for my classroom. It is adorable. I purchased it on Amazon and justified it in my head with a gift certificate. Once it showed up... no regrets.

I decided to do a Pete the Cat theme in my classroom this year so I have been painting, cutting, using Modge Podge, etcf. to transform my teaching tools to jazz them up in Pete colors. I am happy with the results but thank goodness you can't see my house (let's just say that my husband is tripping over drawers, canisters, fadeless paper, and all things Petified (not petrified) that I have been creating.

Here is a peek at some of what I have purchased or created so far. What do you think?

I showed these to you before but I bought more of these for signs I might need on activity days. This is a great management tool and students will know where to go. These are so adorable and were just a dollar in Ikea.

Yup, you guessed it... Target Dollar Spot but they are $3 each. However I am hoping they hold up fine. I just added the labels and included Pete on each. A*D*O*R*A*B*L*E. I only included a few of these but there are eight of them. Each one will hold all the books I read for each unit of study in Open Court. 

Dollar Tree had these canisters and I knew they would be perfect in my classroom. They are plastic so that no one ends up bleeding. I put labels on them and filled them with tons of supplies that will be easy to access for me and my students. I wish I had gotten more of these!

These letters were on sale in Walmart and I just grabbed a few little bottles of acrylic paint and some sponge brushes to make them a little cuter. This will be perfect for my reading corner and will brighten up the room. I love the sneakers at the bottom of each letter! I modge podged the letters once they dried to add some shine.

Here is one of my favorite projects. These are 2 sets of drawers stacked on top of each other. I found beautiful primary colored scrapbooking papers and used them to make these bright and cheerful. I just cut simple strips and modge podged them on each side of the drawer. I love the rainbow look of these and I want to store all the materials for each day in the individual drawers. Pete's pencil and sneakers match the color of each drawer. I am so happy with this!

Here is a smaller version of these drawers for my Guided Reading groups. I can store their little books in here and any word work they need to finish.

Dollar Tree had these containers and I bought them without a plan. I admit that they came in the right colors which forced my purchase. Then it hit me. They would make perfect trash cans to put on their tables for trash. This will be a great management tool. Hopefully students won't try to get up every 2 seconds to throw something away. Is this something you have to deal with too or is it just me?

Last but not least is a little notebook I wanted to keep for informal observations or just a "to do" list. I hole punched the upper right side and just tied a little perky bow in it.

That's it for now but there will be more to come... What do you think? Any suggestions? Things are shaping up but the work... lets just say, "oh my..."

Enjoy your Sunday. It's all good.

A Teacher Tip: BTS

August has just ripped around the corner and now we are officially in Back to School mode. Okay stop screaming "NO" and just sit back and enjoy a little tip to ease you back into the classroom when you can no longer hold off.

This is an easy project that I love since it is super cheap and requires just a few materials. My room is going to be designed with a Pete the Cat theme so I am using primary colors and sticking mostly to blue (hello), red, and yellow with a green accent. 

Recently I decided to check out IKEA for containers and any inexpensive materials I might be able to pick up for my classroom. I started wandering around but nothing caught my eye until I saw these picture frames. They were in the exact colors of my classroom but I wasn't sure how to make use of them. They were only a dollar and so cute.

I put them in my cart and decided to take them home in the hopes that something would hit me by the time I set up my classroom. I loved the bright colors and the stand that you screwed in at the bottom so they could stand easily. First I thought I could label various parts of the room with these, put directions on them.... My mind was spinning. I tossed more of them in my cart as my brain was spinning. Don't judge. It's a process for me. Hey I was just excited that they were in my color palette.

Then it hit me. I could make table numbers to guide my students around the room. I liked this idea since it would create more organization for my little guys. So I built a very simple temple and popped a number in each frame that my friend Pete is holding. This frame is clear on both sides so I put the image in the front and back which makes it idea for viewing. I think the kids will love having these and I can direct them to various parts of our room

Here is a final picture of these once I finished them. They took no time at all to put together and I think the results are adorable. I still have a lot of other frames and need to consider using them in other parts of the room. I can label the class library, stations, etc. The sky is the limit. What's your idea? Leave a comment and let me know!

Don't Be A Turkey... Some Fresh Ideas

By the end of October I am screaming with happiness if my students know all their letters and sounds. This makes a huge difference when it comes to reading and writing. Not there yet? Are you sick of working on this constantly and do you feel like you are spinning your wheels? Welcome to my reality! This is a Fall Beginning Sounds Packet (seasonal images) that might be what you are looking for. It is filled with interactive and differentiated materials to meet the wide range of needs in your classroom. Click on the picture to find it in my store on Tpt. I promise you won't be sorry. My students love it and need more practice, and more, and more... so i need to make it fun!

Stick with me and I will solve all your problems this week...

Don't start screaming but did you know about this? Stop screaming. 

So Pete is in a school play and it is all about the story of Thanksgiving kindergarten style. It is really cute and a bit interactive with flaps. I might have to create one as a Big Book for my kindergarten classrooms. Easy to teach the story if it has my buddy Pete in it. Look for freebies soon. Check back and leave me some some suggestions!

Finally we get to my Turkey Packets if you are trying to stay ahead of the curve:

These are filled with math and literacy activities for your students with the famous Fran Kramer emergent readers. They are two of my best sellers. Take a look at T is for Turkey and Turkey Leftovers if you want some meaningful work at this time of the year. I don't think you will be disappointed. Trust me. Check back for some fall freebies.

Are your reading Pete to kick off the year?

My kindergarten friends asked me to make a headband for students to wear home on the first day of school. It has to be Pete the Cat! Picture your students hearing this fabulous book, singing the song, and going home with a positive message about school. Another year... make it your best ever. This is just a quick little freebie that your students can color ( Have everyone hold their blue crayon in the air before it hits their paper- just sayin'.)
You can put this on a sentence strip if you want quick and easy and see who can actually write their name. Okay now run around the room like a nut putting names on most of them.) Who said teaching wasn't a workout? Grab your Pete right here.
I want to know who has the guts to let them cut this out on the first day of school. It might be a good idea to wait a bit before you release the scissors to five year old people.

If It's Pete They Will Come...

I was pulling my hair out a few weeks ago since the little ones in my class were having so much trouble remembering what to do during their workshop time. Then my friends next door suggested a chart to anchor their thinking. I used Pete on my chart because my class is obsessed with him (okay maybe it's more about the teacher). Did this help? You betcha. If it has Pete on it everyone seems to focus a bit more... just sayin'. So here is Pete working and then Pete having some fun.

My tee shirts came in the mail from the artist of this book and I cannot wait to wear one on a casual day to school and watch the reaction in my class.. Pete with a coffee cup is so perfect for this teacher. Now do I need a piece of art? I'm thinking...

Pete the Cat...keep walking along, singing your song

Download this mat if you want it for your collection!

   

Attention Kindergarten Teachers: 
How cute is this? My kids love this book and if  you are not familiar with it order it ASAP. It is also a song that you can download and put on your school  ipod. My kids sing it all the time and it is all about never giving up and taking life's challenges on with a smile. The author is Eric Litwin and the kids in my class insisted that I

make them a little book of their own. Here is a video of this song with the author. Fantastic-right?