I've been planning this blog for quite some time now. I finally had time to sit down and compose the first post. I am going to show you around my classroom.
This is the door to my classroom. Here it was decorated in greetings from around the world. Also on the door is a message board. This is one of the places I leave messages for the parents in my room.
There are many other ways I keep in contact with parents in my classroom. I send out a monthly newsletter with our goals, themes for the month, and a calendar of events. There's also a parent board in my room. On this parent board a copy of our newsletter, school menu, example lesson plans and classroom schedule can be found.
Centers
Here's a look at some of the centers in our classroom.
 |
| Art Center |
 |
| Computer Center |
We were luck enough to get these great Macs for our classroom this year!
 |
| Housekeeping Center |
 |
| Library |
 |
| Sensory Table |
During centers, we have a system that seems to work really well for our class. We generally have four centers out during our center time. Students are able to move centers as they choose. These centers we have out are a combination of theme-related centers, housekeeping, computers, child-selcted toys, and activities to meet the academic goals for each month. Each center has a color (red, blue, green, and yellow). There are posters hanging on the wall with velcro dots to let students know which centers still have room.
Each center is marked with a paint container. Each color center is generally in the same area each day. Later on in the year, we don't need to put out the paint containers. It's just a visual clue in the beginning.
We use laminated hands to choose centers. When there is no more velcro dots on a color, there is no more room at the centers. This allows the kids in my class to choose their centers with little teacher help. This frees me up to work one on one with students, work with small groups, or fully focus n interacting with students at centers.
HERE ARE SOME RANDOM PICTURES FROM AROUND MY CLASSROOM
 |
| Birthday Wall |
 |
This is a behavior incentive for our class to earn. When we fill up the "brownie pan" we earn a reward that's decided on, as a class.
|
 |
These are the student's cubbies. They're decorated for each month or to match our theme.
|
 |
| To create a homey feel in our classroom, we have a family wall. Each child brings in a family picture to add to our display. |
 |
| We recently started adding "fancy words" to our daily routine. These are words to build vocabulary in our preschool. After learning their meanings, we practice using them in a sentence. |
 |
| This is part of our "take-a-moment" area. When students need to take a moment, either teacher instructed or by choice, they can use this area and a comfy pillow or stuffed animal, to calm down. |
 |
| This year there requests for homework. I don't believe that preschoolers should be required to turn in homework, but due to many parent requests, we made it optional in our room. This is where their homework is turned in, |
 |
| This is our "I Can" wall. After students learn their address, phone number, or to tie their shoes, we add their names to a star and place it on the wall. |
 |
| This is my Inbox for parents to place notes, field trip permission slips, etc. |
 |
| We use a milk crate for file folders to send home important papers and artwork, |
 |
| Our classroom fishbowl is used as an incentive for good behavior. When students are doing a great job, they "feed the fish". They place their name on a slip of paper and drop it into the fishbowl. Every so often, I will choose names for prizes or special privileges. |
 |
| Math and Science Wall |
 |
| Teacher Corner |
 |
Wonder Box...We add questions occasionally and turn them into science explorations.
|
CIRCLE TIME
Circle time is one of the main learning periods in our classroom schedule. During this time we complete our calendar routine, phonemic awareness/phonics/reading and writing activities, read alouds, and any themed activities we need to complete for the day. Here are some pictures of a circle time area.
 |
| Circle Time Area |
