classroom setup

A Cricut in my Classroom

September 1, 2015 by Jodi 7 Comments

Have you ever tried a Cricut? I was lucky enough to get one to try out in my classroom, and I am in LOVE with it!!! If I wasn’t so overwhelmed with all of the “back to school” craziness, I think I would sit around and make things with it all day long.

It is so easy to use. The setup took maybe a whole 5 minutes, and within no time, I was cutting away.

My first project was to fancy up my entryway into my classroom. I have a weird half wall as soon as you enter my room. {The sink is on the opposite side.} I wanted something bright that would catch my student’s attention each day.

I cut the letters for “AWESOME” from thick cardstock. Then, all I had to do was switch the dial on the Cricut, and I was ready to cut “Make today” from vinyl.

The next thing I added to my classroom décor was this vinyl on the full length mirror in my classroom. This mirror is used all.the.time! It’s perfect for checking out those wiggly 1st grade teeth 😉

My third project was this fun Welcome Banner. The Cricut gives you the ability to print using your computer, and then cut using the Cricut.

The possibilities are endless. Here are a couple other projects in my classroom.

{I organize my papers for the week in these tubs.}

{This tub is perfect for storing our clipboards.}

{I love having “sharpened” and “unsharpened” buckets for our pencils.}

{The Cricut is great for printing out letters on cardstock in ANY font you have on your computer.}

{This is a super simple way to fancy up an old, ugly teacher’s desk.}

{I have “hello” on the front of my classroom door, and “goodbye” on the inside of my door.}

So…now for some great news. Did you know that you can enter to win up to $20,000 in prizes for teachers and educators? Click on the picture below to head on over to Cricut’s Facebook page, and enter to win!

My Room is Done {Classroom Pictures}

August 15, 2013 by Jodi 35 Comments

Summer is over 🙁 I will truly miss my wonderful summer days. On a more positive note, my room is finished and I am really happy with my color scheme. It is so bright and cheerful!

I love this e-card I found on Pinterest! It was just too perfect!

I know that a classroom doesn’t have to be “super cute” to be an amazing learning environment, but I also love to make my classroom a place that puts me in a good mood. Happy Teacher = Happy Students!

So……here is my classroom reveal. I didn’t do a theme this year. Instead, I decorated in black, pink, lime green, and turquoise.

This is looking into my classroom from the doorway area. {I don’t have a door. Just a long hall leading to my classroom.}

This is my desk area, which I just LOVE!

I will use the board behind my desk to tack up important notes and reminders.

I made some new labels with my Silhouette for the containers to hold my copies for the week.

My job chart.

These are my supply tubs…and yes, it does bother me that they don’t technically match, but not enough to spend $5/tub to change them.

Here is my classroom library area and my Daily 5 CAFE board.

Our calendar and meeting area is next to the classroom library.

I love these Daily 5 posters from A Year of Many Firsts.

Here are my student book tubs that they will use for Daily 5. Two of my friends made an IKEA trip and got the tubs and the pictures and frames. So cute! {I just added some Washi Tape on the tubs to brighten them up a bit. I will be adding student numbers and their pictures to the tubs as well.}

This is my objective board that I made last year with vinyl and my Silhouette Cameo.

I love the crate seats I made for my Guided Reading table. The fabric matches the fabric that I used for my pennant banner above the library and calendar area.

I changed out the ribbons on my “Going Home” charts.

Here is the view from the back of the room.

I think I’m ready!

(I’ll put the Focus Wall labels and the Job Chart in a free download when I get a chance.)

Here’s to a GREAT school year!

Five for Friday

August 9, 2013 by Jodi 7 Comments

My summer is quickly coming to a close. Teachers return to school in one week and the students come back the following Monday.

I’m linking up for Five for Friday today to give a recap of my last full week of summer.

1. Our school has been under a major remodel this summer, but we were finally able to get in for a couple days before they started waxing the floors. I was able to get some things finished, but I still have more to do.

This is my classroom library area, my guided reading table, and lanterns above my desk. {I am loving my new crate seats!}

I purchased some new tubs from Big Lots for my classroom library.

I also relabeled my classroom supplies.

I am in love with my desk area. I just used my Silhouette and vinyl to make the polka dots on my desk.

2. Last Friday – Monday, we made a last minute trip to Saint Joseph, Michigan.

I had never been before and it is gorgeous! {A huge bonus is that it’s only 4 hours away, unlike Florida beaches.} The weather was perfect and Saint Joseph is such a great town!

3. On the way back, we made a detour through Indianapolis to visit the new Lakeshore Learning store.

4. Yesterday we went to our children’s museum. I am trying to take advantage of every last moment of summer.

5. Just in case you’re not a Facebook follower, here are some of this week’s Daily Tips. Click here to follow me on FB.

Chalkboard Craze

June 11, 2013 by Jodi 12 Comments

Have you seen all of the chalkboard themed items lately? Love it! I would say that other than chevron, it’s definitely the latest craze. So, I had to jump right in and find some of my favorite chalkboard fonts.

You can Google any of these to find them, but most of them I just downloaded from dafont.com. The fonts are free for personal use, but they all have a commercial use license as well. Always make sure to read the licenses before using fonts.

I also decided to redo my supply labels in “chalkboard” style.