Classroom 2014-15

All my classroom "Pinning" is starting to become a reality....

I made this alphabet banner by cutting card stock into triangles with a paper cutter, gluing on letters, and then laminating.  I used a two hole punch before stringing the pendants.  These pictures don't really show how much this banner cheered up my plain windows.

I used the 4 inch Sorbet Letters

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And these are the numbers that I cut out by tracing around an old set of numbers...Literally "Old School," but kind of fun to create.

Stay tuned for a complete tour of my classroom next week.

Hugs,

Eilis

Back to School Sale at TPT and My New Portfolio

I am participating in the Back to School Sale at Teachers Pay Teachers today and tomorrow.  Be sure to stop by my shop for 20 percent off of everything during these two days!

I have just added a new file of Portfolio printables and it is included in the two day sale!  Click on any of the pictures to take you to my shop.

There are covers for Pre-K, preschool, and kindergarten.  The pages cover handprints, self-portraits, family pictures, letter recognition, sight words, and more!  Just print the pages you wish to use.

  

I like to use bingo daubers with these pages.  You could also have students color the circles of the letters they know.

 Most of the pages have both color and black and white versions, you can choose which to use depending on your ink and printing situation.

There are lists for Pre-primer and Primer sight words.

You can choose to do pages once or several different times during the year to track progress. I like to place the pages in a binder, so I can also add other student treasures.

I love to read your comments.

Eilis

A Happy Find for my Classroom Floor

I'm linking up my back to school find with Kickin' it in Kindergarten's Teachers Be Shoppin' Linky.

I found these 23 inch interlocking foam floor squares for 3 dollars each at Five Below.  Five Below is kind of like a dollar store.  Everything they carry is either 1,2,3,4, or 5 dollars.  It is pretty new to me, but I thought it might have something for my classroom.  Did it ever?!!!  I bought 25 (they are sold individually), so I can either set them up in a 5x5 square or a 4x6 rectangle.

I had similar foam squares in a previous classroom but they were in primary colors.  (They came in sets and were a little better because they came with strips to make the outsides straight.)  I love having a square for each student to sit in at carpet time.  Plus, these will cover a lot of the ugly fraying seam in the carpet of my classroom. And, these squares are in the colors that I am using in my classroom this year!  Happy Teacher.

If you are interested in seeing my Target and Walmart back to school finds from last week, check HERE and HERE.

Blessings,

Eilis

Monday Made It

I'm joining the Monday Made It link up at 4th Grade Frolics today.  While all my ideas are borrowed from blogs and Pinterest...

I'm still really happy that I am making them into realities!  And it is only July 21st!

     The frame for my students to hold while I take their first day photos.  I had this black plastic frame 

            on hand because it had fallen of a wall and the glass had broken.  I also purchased the letters on 

            clearance at Hobby Lobby years ago intending to use them in my classroom.  Well... I finally am.

      Pails for sharp and dull pencils.  The buckets and stickers are all from the Dollar Spot at Target.

            My classroom is going to be a little bit beach this year.  

                     Paper plates with colored dots for subitizing practice.

Hugs,
Eilis

Walmart Back to School Find

I found a few treasures while stocking up on school supplies at Walmart yesterday.  They were in the back to school aisle.

I know... it is time for an intervention or something...
But they were about two dollars each!
And I love how simple they will be to use in beginning of the year centers.  Actually, I will only put out the puzzles up to ten at first.  I will also use the rhyming puzzle in a whole group activity where I hand out pieces to students and have them pair up if their words rhyme.

Hugs,
Eilis

More Loot from Target Dollar Spot

In my previous post I shared my excitement about recent back to school finds at Target's Dollar Spot.  I mentioned that I was still looking for some word puzzles that Fran from Kindergarten Crayons had found there.
Well.... I am so happy I persisted.  I have lived in the Dallas area since August.  I have no sense of direction and am terrible at finding my way around unfamiliar places.  Thank goodness there is an app on my phone called Waze.  It is my new best friend.  Yesterday, after using it to find an appointment, I used it to find another Super Target close to the appointment . . . . jackpot!

These puzzles are three dollars each.  I didn't expect too much because the boxes are the usual flimsy cardboard.  I was pleasantly surprised by the sturdy puzzles inside though.  The pictures and colors are fun. Each puzzle is also reversible.  Each picture above shows one side of same set.

The two photos above are from the letters and numbers set. Cute and educational - my favorite combination!

No picture of the reverse side of the four letter puzzles, but I think you get the idea....

I also picked up a few more of the one dollar puzzles.  They are small, but as I mentioned previously, they will fit in tubs.  The pieces are nice and sturdy.  Thank you Crayola!

Two minutes and a Sharpie turn this ocean animal puzzle into an ABC center activity.

And a few more fun dollar items... How cute are the alphabet sticky notes and matching note pad?

One more fun thing to share...

I found this near the check out lane.  No they didn't have Eilis... but they did have Kate.  My college freshman daughter loved it!

I love to read your comments :)

Eilis

Spotted at Target Dollar Spot

I have been checking my local Target's Dollar Spot without success so far this summer.  Today, Fran from Kindergarten Crayons shared her recent purchases from Target.  I was VERY jealous.  Did I just stew on it?  Goodness no.  I drove to a Super Target in the next community.  It's all good (to quote a smart cat).

Here's my loot:

My favorite color of pocket charts! Thank you Target!
The self inking stamps were $3, but hey- these little things make teachers so happy.
I still need a few more colors of the little buckets (hoping they are available in red and pink....) because I want to do Pinteresty buckets full of one color of crayons.
The puzzles are smaller than they were in past years.  I almost left them there until I realized how nicely they would fit in tubs....  Now I want more of them....
No sign of the connect a word puzzles though.  I guess I'll be trekking back to Target again very soon.

Almost forgot... these cute owls were also a Dollar Spot find:

There were six each of four colors, so I filled in the blank spaces with numbers, number words, tally marks, and dots (1-6).  There is a dice game in the making, but I haven't quite come up with the rules yet....Suggestions welcome.

I'd love to hear about your back to school bargain finds!

Hugs,
Eilis

UPDATE:  MORE GREAT FINDS

IKEA Puppets

I went to IKEA yesterday.  My plan was to purchase a cardboard puppet theater/store that they have advertised.  Once I saw how beat up the display one was, I changed my mind.  I'm sure it would hold up better under classroom supervision, but somehow it just didn't seem sturdy enough to bring to school.  It only seems to be available at retail stores.

 I also looked at a circus tent that they are advertising right now, but since I don't do a circus theme, I was able to leave without it.  It does seem to be available online if you would like to purchase it.  It might make a good reading place if the bright red isn't too stimulating for your class.  I wish they would bring back the igloo tent I bought there a couple of years ago.  It is a wonderful quiet place for kids to read in the winter months.

I did buy two adorable puppets though.  They  are both very soft plush and seem like a great value.  The owl cost five dollars.

I am kind of an owl junkie.  I have a hard time walking by anything owl.  Wouldn't this be great to use on the first day of school with a song like:

I am Owl, I am Owl,
Who are you?
Who are you?

He could even be the class mascot.  "Who's following the rules?"
                                                       "Who's here today?"
                                                        etc., etc.








The other puppet I bought is a friendly looking dragon or dinosaur (no wings). It was a little more, I think seven dollars.  I will use him when reading aloud books on those topics.













I'd love to hear about your back to school finds!

Blessings,

Pink Crayons !

Crayola must have heard me (and lots of other early childhood teachers)!  Guess what I found in the school supply department at Walmart today....boxes with a variety of PINK crayons.   They were 78 cents and yes... I stocked up.

They also had other color specific boxes.  I plan to use the "sand" colors to fill in some missing spaces in my Lakeshore People Colors box.  I purchase these myself and the kids know they can use them when drawing people, as long as they return them to the box.  These popular colors do tend to wear out though...

These little paper hole punches were 98 cents each.  They will be great for one of my fine motor tubs.

This metal pencil box was about 4 dollars.  I love these for storing magnetic letters and having the kids make words on the front of the box.  There were several bright colors available.  The orange and black combination would be fun in October.

These Scholastic dvds were in a 5 dollar table.  The Pigeon one includes Knuffle Bunny!  The Magic School Bus one includes three body related programs.  No.... I do not show a lot of dvds to my class, but there are those emergency times and I like to have really good quality educational ones available when those times arise.

Blessings,