Classroom Reveal, Winner & Freebie :)

Well, school is officially back in session and I am officially EXHAUSTED!  But, I must say, I am loving third grade more and more each day.  I'm going to keep this post short and sweet, and I'll try to get around to an actual update or blog post of some sort soon.... but for now, check out my classroom pics.  Make sure to read all the way to the bottom to find a little freebie ;)

So, if you remember my ikea-makeover last year, a lot of this will look familiar... And despite appearances, I actually don't enjoy re-decorating my classroom.... but since I was changing grades (and staying in my same classroom), I wanted the classroom to look and feel different... and it was a great excuse to change out the brown and blue color scheme I went with 3 years ago when moving into this school.... now I am in pink heaven with all the pink, black, and chevron that I was able to find at UISchoolsupply.com  Hope you enjoy this little tour of my classroom!

This is a view from my desk, which is in the back corner of the room.

Student Mailboxes / Fancy Nancy shrine ;)

More Mailboxes... I love decorating my shelves with books.

My new card-pull chart. I found the Chevron pockets at Lakeshore and couldn't resist! And just as a little side note, if you ever decide to cut the numbers out with a cameo (like I did)... cut them on vinyl, not cardstock... this was a PAIN to glue all the numbers onto the envelopes.... DUH! Vinyl would've been so much easier.

Back of the room... I have a few ideas for the large bulletin board... sill not 100% sure. Also, the "question / concept" board is for our reading program.

I am LOVING my new helper chart... I made this using my cameo (and VINYL this time! YAY). The chevron letters came from THIS pack.  

Just doing my part to encourage my students to go to the BEST university around! Go Utah State Aggies!

Here's a view toward the front of the room... see that random bulletin board above my file cabinets... I've never known what to do with it... so it's just been ignored for the past three years.... then I had an idea....

TA-DA! I love how this turned out!  I printed a few posters from THIS pack, added a little ribbon, and it was perfect!

I am trying something new with the calendar this year... I got the number of the day set HERE, and the calendar pieces HERE.

a view from the front of the room

my new table totes... I didn't actually NEED new totes... but target had PINK and BLACK ones... so I knew it was a sign :) LOL! I love them.  It's really the little things that make me smile I guess!

 And last, but not least.... it's giveaway time!!  Thank you, UISchoolsupply.com for donating a $25 gift certificate to one lucky reader...

ANDREA LEE! Congrats to Andrea! She said she would like to buy cardstock or classroom answer buzzers... happy shopping, Andrea!!

BUT WAIT... there's more... UISchoolsupply.com has offered ALL my readers a discount on their next purchase... simply enter the code "goodenough" at checkout to save 10% off your total purchase.

AND, since it took me forEVER to get this post up... I have a little freebie for ALL of you.  Click HERE to download some "super reader" bookmarks for your students.  I made these the other day after my students went to the library and I realized that I didn't buy bookmarks for them... DUH! Talk about a teacher brain cramp.  These bookmarks are in black and white, and I printed them on white cardstock and let my kids color them... they loved it! Hope you can use it too.  Enjoy :)

I'm linking up my classroom reveal with the lovely Cyndie, from "Chalk one up for the Teacher".... feel free to check out some other darling classrooms below:

An InLinkz Link-up

UISchoolsupply.com {Giveaway & Review}

This is my first week back at school, and I've spent most of my time in meetings and trainings. I'm almost ready for my big classroom reveal.... But first I wanted to tell you all about UIschoolsupply.com

Ever since I started teaching ten years ago, Utah-Idaho Supply has been one of my favorite places to shop locally for school supplies and classroom decor. Their website recently got a big makeover and I loved being able to find everything I needed for my classroom this year all in one spot!

If you follow me on Instagram, you know that I decided to go with a chevron theme this year, and I loved the huge selection of chevron things they had on their site (here's a sneak peek that I posted on instagram last week:)

Here's a few things I chose for my classroom this year:

Black chevron calendar, Welcome bulletin board (which also doubles as my helper chart), Chevron style Bulletin board letters, First day name tags, and no pink classroom would be complete without pink chevronborders (these borders were sold out all around the valley, so I was so excited to be able to get them!)

In honor of their new website design, UIschoolsupply.com has offered to give one lucky reader a $25 gift certificate to shop on their new site!

All you have to do is visit their new website and let me know what you would buy. Comment below telling me what you would buy, then use the rafflecopter below to confirm your entry (which will make choosing the winner easier :) )

Thanks and good luck! Giveaway closes at midnight August 29th.

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I will post my classroom reveal next week when I announce the winner :)

Where are we?! {A sign for your door!}



I'm kind of in love with this little "confused" girl!


First off, do you "like" TPT on facebook? If not, you might want to head over there and like them :) just sayin' :) :)

Ok, on with the post. This year, my school started a "block" schedule.... basically we have all of our "specials" classes at the same time each day, which helps minimize disruptions throughout the day, and allows each grade level to have more time to work together, since we are all in and out of the classroom at the same time.  Block schedules are great, and I am a big fan of them... I'm just not a fan of block time being first thing in the morning... I have SO MANY kids who are late EVERY SINGLE DAY... how is it that by 2nd grade, parents still can't figure out what time school starts?! It drives me crazy, and I know it is frustrating to the kids, who walk into an empty classroom, or encounter a locked door, and have no clue where their class is.  And because all of 2nd grade is out of their rooms at the same time, there isn't a teacher nearby who can quickly point them in the right direction.  About the same time I was feeling frustrated and trying to figure out a solution to the problem, the ever-so-talented Nikki, AKA Melonheadz Illustrating, released the most DARLING school subject clipart, and thus my idea came to life! (I am kind of obsessed with her kidlettes... they are simply too cute for words!)

So... here's the details on how the packet works... first off, it's very versatile and can be used two different ways (maybe more, if you're more creative than I am :)... after making both of them and taking photos, I *STILL* can't decide which one I like more... #teacherproblems right?!

If you want a standard sign on your door, you can print one of the signs like this one pictured below. (And, since I am so indecisive, I made the poster in 10 different colors of chevron borders, and 2 black & white! LOL.)  With the poster, you can attach each "location" card with Velcro tabs, and swap them out as you come and go. (The packet has 23 different location cards, and I have included some directions so that your Velcro will line up perfectly!)

Standard sign on your door...

If you would rather not mess with the Velcro, you can make it this way instead... print off the location cards that you want, punch a hole in the corner, and connect it with a binding ring (available in the office supply section at Target).  You leave this hanging on your doorknob and quickly change it as you're heading out the door.

Doorknob hanging signs

Here's a little sneak peek of what's included in the packet.  I was having so much fun with the kidlettes that I just couldn't stop!  I ended up making hall passes and office passes, too!  I have seen other teachers make little lanyard-style hall passes, so I left room for hole-punching if you wish to punch a hole and put a string around it, then you have an easy hall pass!  I have my students set the hall pass on their desk when they leave the room, that way I know where they are in case of an emergency.

this is a preview of what's included in the packet!

So, you probably know the drill by now... it's currently on sale in my TPT store, but you can enter below to win it!  The rafflecopter closes at midnight, so hurry and enter!!  I will pick THREE lucky winners at some point on Monday!

Hope you have a great Sunday and a great week... we have "fall break" this week, so I only have 2 1/2 school days this week! YAY! Looking forward to a fun weekend with friends and family... my friends and I are going to the P!NK concert Thursday night... I'm both excited and nervous! LOL... P!nk has a bit of a potty mouth, but I've heard she's amazing in concert.

Also, one final shout-out for the educents bundle that's on sale right now.  Today is the last day to get it, so grab it before it's gone!

 

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Ikea-style classroom makeover

Oh. My. Goodness. I am SO tired!!  Why is the beginning of the year ALWAYS so exhausting?!?!  Every year I think it will get easier... it never does... *sigh*.... so, sorry this post is about a MONTH late...but better late than never!  So this summer, I had the awesome opportunity to go to Ikea and participate in a special catalog launch party for bloggers... I called up 2 of my teacher friends and we headed to ikea for breakfast and shopping!

Ikea breakfast... yum! Much better than the muffins or slimfast I end up taking to school for breakfast each day.

 I had been busy blogstalking other teachers all summer, and had already planned on getting some things at Ikea, so I was super excited to explore {confession: I've only been to Ikea once or twice before with friends... and the store OVERWHELMS me! So I've never *really* explored it!!}

My main Ikea inspiration came from the lovely Tracy @ Creekside Teacher Tales... I saw this storage bin and was in LOVE:

Click on the picture to visit Tracy's blog and learn more about her writing centers!

And yet... as I am working on this post... I just realized I don't have a picture of this in my classroom! LOL... mine is not NEARLY as cute as Tracy's, so maybe it's better that I don't have a picture... I haven't had time to get the cushion made to put on top of it... and I am using mine to store all sorts of different random things... I am already thinking about buying another one!  I love it!!

RUGS! I've been teaching for 9 years and have never had a rug! One of the teachers bought the orange one, then another teacher saw my pictures and bought the black one! Can't beat it for $20!

This button rug was love at first sight... but by the time we got to the rugs, I already had SO MUCH stuff in my cart.... so I took a picture and just kept drooling over it.... This rug was $40, and I knew I would need two... so I didn't buy it :(

Some of our loot! Obviously this picture doesn't do it justice since everything is in boxes... notice, all the PINK stuff is mine :)

Ok, so once our field trip was over, it was back to reality... time to set up my classroom!  I moved to a brand new school in my hometown and this is the beginning of the 3rd school year that we have been open.  My darling little 2nd graders love that they are the first group who has been in the school since Kindergarten... I don't really have "before" pictures (didn't really think of that back in June)... so just use your imagination with the plain "before" that the classroom was.

Oh, before I show you the classroom, here's some of my new school supplies... I think I could be on an episode of Hoarders for the insane amount of school supplies I buy every year!


Dry erase pockets, washi tape, duct tape, pocket charts, magnets, planner, calendar, supply totes, command strips, name tags, post-it notes, advil, Dr. Pepper {not pictured, but equally important!!}

I got most of my supplies at Target's dollar spot, and picked up a few items at Lakeshore as well.  That store is DANGEROUS! LOL!

Ok, enough rambling... time for the classroom tour!



This is the view as you enter my room... I hate the color red almost as much as I love the color pink... these desks are a total eye sore!!  Our principal decided to order all our school furniture in our school colors, red and black. *cringe*

Here's another view from my desk, opposite of the door.  I have my desk in the back of the room (and there is purposely no picture of my desk because it always looks like a bomb just exploded!)

 

my lunch basket... SO CUTE! I smile every time I see this!!  I took a plain toy basket and added some cute vinyl to it! {I won't mention the tragedy of my previous lunch basket.... let's just say that one child's bum was probably sore after he somehow managed to land in it and break it into pieces! I still don't know how it happened - and I was NOT the teacher in charge when it broke... but that's another story for another day}.

 

Computer Station / College Bulletin Board: We are supposed to encourage our students to think about college... so naturally I want them to know about the BEST college in Utah! Go USU!!

 

My favorite part of my classroom - my teacher table area!! I LOVE my new pink chair from Ikea... all I've had was one of the student (hard plastic) chairs, so this chair is a little piece of heaven! I might have to buy one for my house too. I love it that much!!

 Here's a few more pictures of my teacher table area.  Another teacher and I went to observe the darling Rachelle from "What the Teacher Wants" this summer, and she had the most adorable crate chairs... so of course we had to make them too... here's her tutorial if you're interested in making them too. (and if you're like me and don't have a husband to help you with the project, I suggest making the other teacher's husband do all the work, and buy them a gift card for dinner at their favorite restaurant.... yes, I'm shameless!!)  Prior to my makeover, all I had was plain black plastic chairs, and NO teacher chair... yup, I was chilling on a student chair too!



SWOON! I just love how these turned out!!  I got the cute fabric at Wal-Mart, ribbon at JoAnn's, and the totes at Wal-Mart and Target.... and I also learned the hard way that Target's crates are 1 inch shorter than Wal-Mart's (which makes NO sense considering that they are made by the SAME manufacturer... whatever)... so some of my cushions are a little too short... oh well!

 

I *love* my chair and whiteboard from Ikea.... these whiteboards are hundreds of dollars in teacher supply catalogs... At Ikea, they are under $20! Score!!

 

another picture.... just because it's so cute!

Also, now that we are using the crate seats, I just have to say again how much I love them! My students love that they can sit OR kneel on these and not get in trouble for tipping their chairs (I have tripped more than once when they are tipping their chairs to kneel or sit in some other random position). I love my new small group area :)



This is right behind my table... student coatracks / mailboxes. I LOVE Fancy Nancy and received the doll as a going away gift when I left my previous school.  The Cabbage Patch is dubbed my "favorite student" haha! She's adorable!

 

Listening center... the cart is from Ikea... this is one of the items that I went back for later on.... I love that it has wheels so I can roll it around easily.  I think I need to add some vinyl to the sides and jazz it up a  bit!



Remember the cute button rug I was in love with?! Yeah, totally went back and bought one... then another one!!  I love it! My students are very protective of it and take really good care of it! I'm sure it will get dirty in the winter, but it is SO CUTE! Definitely worth the cost because it makes me smile every time I see it :)



I don't have a lot of practical bulletin board space in my room, so I use one corner of my whiteboard for vocabulary. I found these cute magnetic border pieces at Lakeshore this summer and HAD to have them!! I got the pocket charts at Target, and cut the words out with a vinyl cutter (we have a professional vinyl machine at school)

These last 2 pictures are just to show how I organize my supplies at each table... the labels came from this pack made by the darling Cara Carroll.  I used washi tape to label the pens, pencils, scissors, and glue sticks at each table, so when things end up on the floor, I can quickly put them back where they go... sadly, I have already had to confiscate the scissors since a few students decided to give themselves haircuts one day... *sigh*... It's going to be a long year.

 

 Ok, that's all for now... I have a few more posts I need to get finished... I also have a cool freebie for you (I was going to include it today, but totally forgot to take pictures at school today, so I'll take a picture next week and get it posted!!) and I think there's another giveaway right around the corner.... so stay tuned!!

 

Giveaway week 4 - Classroom Decor & Word Walls

Welcome to week 4 of giveaways.  Are you having as much fun as I am?! Today we are going to talk about classroom décor.  You might remember my post about pinterest and how I’ve never had a “theme” in my classroom before… I think that is partially because I was unaware that these themed classrooms even existed.  And while I am not in any way opposed to a cute classroom theme, I tend to put my energy and efforts into other things. I’ve already found a lot of cute things I would like to do in my classroom, but I’m already thinking “maybe next year” LOL!  Summer is almost over and I’m starting to enter panic mode, but I have yet to step foot in my classroom… this has got to be a world record for me to stay away from school for two full months!!  Two years ago I moved into a BRAND NEW school, and had only 5 days to set up and get things ready to welcome my little 2nd graders to school.  If you want to see crazy, you should’ve seen me that week!  I recruited every friend and family member I could find, and was at school most nights until midnight.  Here’s a few pictures from 2 years ago as I was getting ready to start off my new year.  As you can see, it’s nothing glamorous… I’m fairly certain that I will not see these pics popping up on pinterest with comments about recreating this in their own classrooms.  But that’s okay… it works for me and that’s all that really matters. 

 

 

Today’s giveaways will help you get your classroom all decked out in style.  All you have to do is hit the print button and you’re ready to go!  Your classroom will be stylish in no time :)

 

Here’s a rundown on all the goodies up for grabs.  You know the drill by now.  Enter using the rafflecopter below.  Giveaway runs until midnight on Wednesday and winners will be announced on Friday!  Good luck

 

Up first, Mandy from Mandy’s tips for teachers is giving away 2 sets of her adorable bug themed open house, newsletter, and classroom décor set.

 Next – 3 winners will receive this adorable bee themed set from Chrissy at Buzzing with Ms. B.  How cute is this?!

Cyndie from Chalk One Up for the Teacher is giving away customizable book bin labels & an adorable bug themed classroom décor pack to 2 lucky winners!

 Lisa at Learning is Something to Treasure is offering her darling Chevron décor pack to 2 lucky winners (I am *loving* all the cute chevron stuff lately!!)

 

Have I already mentioned my love of all things chevron?  I also adore the trendy chalkboard stuff that’s popping up lately… this next bundle has both of those for one lucky winner!!  Amanda from Mrs. Richardson’s Class is offering her super adorable chalkboard word wall headers, which will complement Deb Thomas’ darling chevron bundle!! Swoon… I wish I could win all these prizes :)

 

The last prize this week comes from Kim at Carried away in K!  2 lucky winners will win these fabulous color-coded Dolch word wall words to start creating a great word wall in your classroom.

And finally, head on over to Gina’s blog, Third Grade Tidbits, where she’s celebrating her bloggy birthday, with giveaways scheduled ALL WEEK!!  I’ve donated one of my items for someone to win!  Have a great week!

 

 
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