Ocean Themed Classroom

 Here are some pictures of my classroom. It of course is always a work in progress. I am always wanting to change things around and make things flow better. I did not take any pictures of the desks but I keep them in pods of 4. This allows for my cooperative learning structures that I LOVE! Every once in a while I will have a creative idea come to mind but that does not mean I don't turn to my beloved teachers and of course Pinterest for some additional help. :)




My easy bulletin board was inspired by a picture on bulletinboardideas.org. I just painted on some waves, printed out surfboards, and cut up a lay from the dollar store.

 

This is my reading library. I sorted out my books according to grade level (yes I wrote (with the help of my awesome husband and a friend) in each and every book so students know where they belong.) I know my seat crates are not the cutest ones out there but I got these crates for free (and they didn't come with the ledge) from the school cafeteria and made some fluffy pillows to put on top. The board in the background will eventually display student work.



This is my teacher desk. Behind the desk I hung up a dry erase board and a magnetic board so I can keep important information. (First week of school and it is already filled up. :) ) I also have my math board. This is where I keep track of the student's multiplication tables as well as where I will put study guides for that weeks lesson.

Instead of a traditional word wall with the alphabet I decided to do a word wall based on grammar. Since I use Fetzer strategies I color coded it to flow with the other grades.



On the left is my reading choice board. Every couple of weeks I will put out a book that the students can read. Each student will have a picture of themselves and after they finish reading a book they can either put their picture under "yes, I recommend or no, I don't recommend." On the right is my board configuration which says what we are learning each day. I chose to put up some really cute duck tape to separate each section.

 

 

On the inside of my front door I have my "Who is Where" sign. The students have to sign out every time they leave the room. On the bottom are ribbons that tell how each child is going home every day. If they change their way (which is frequent) than I will just change their clothes pin. This is a great way to let substitutes know how they are going home.

 

 

This behavior chart is quite small. When I taught younger grades this chart was large and in the center of my room. Now that I am in 4th grade I decided to make it a bit smaller. It is on the corner of my white board. I took mini Popsicle sticks and used sticky magnets to attach them. Once their names are on the sticks students will be able to move them up or down based on their behavior through out the day. (We always start out on "ready to learn")

 

 

We do a lot of AR at my school. One way I track it is by putting out a bulletin board in the hallway. Students love to see their picture move from star to star. I take pictures of the students wearing those huge sunglasses from the dollar store (they love it!) My sign says "We're so bright we have to wear shades."

 

Wall Shelves

 
 This past Feb. my husband and I bought our first house! We have slowly but surely been decorating it one room at a time. We had this huge blank wall in our living room that we had been staring at for 6 months and finally we said "enough is enough we have to make it visually appealing." Thanks to Ikea and a few other stores we were able to add shelves and a great entertainment center for very little $ (which is my favorite part!) I like to keep things simple and clean looking. There are just a few odds and ends mixed in with pictures we haven taken from various vacations. Here are the results:

(My puppy likes to be center of attention. Notice her basket of toys, safe to say she is a spoiled little thing. :) )

 

 

 We still have to back the entertainment center so you can't see the ugly cords. (Always something to do :) )

 

Shelves: Ikea - large shelf $19.99

                         small shelf $14.99

              entertainment center $99

 

Picture frames (my splurge item) Pier 1 -$22 +20% off

Shelf items- JoAnns, Bealls Outlet, and Target

Cornbread Chicken Pot Pie

Happy Sunday! Well I know I said I was going to post some pictures of my classroom today but when I sat down to do it I realized that the camera on my phone did not do it justice...so I will take my good camera in tomorrow and will post them later on in the week. Tonight was another amazing Sunday dinner with family and friends. I made one of our favorites (and easiest) meals...cornbread chicken pot pie! This recipe is very easy and very very yummy! Try it out and let me know what you think. Enjoy!

Cornbread Chicken Pot Pie

ingredients

3 chicken breasts cooked and cubed

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can southwest corn (regular corn will do, I like southwest because it comes with peppers and black beans.)

1/4 cup carrots sliced thin

1 box of cornbread mix

3/4 cup milk

1 egg

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

directions

In your pie pan mix together chicken, soup, corn, and carrots. In a separate bowl mix together cornbread mix, milk, and eggs. Pour it on top of your chicken mixture. Bake at 400 for about 25 minutes. (or until cornbread is golden.) Top with cheese and bake until melted. That's it!!

Wish List

Hey yall! Well yesterday was meet the teacher night at my school. (I always get so nervous leading up to it and then after it's done I wonder why I was nervous.) It was great! I am very excited to kick off a new school year in a new grade. :) I love organizing my room for this night. Not only do I get to decorate (which is my favorite part) but I also get to organize, put together goodie bags,and set up all the fun stuff for parents to look at. I always put out the text books so they can get excited about what they are learning this year. I also put out a "wish list." We all know that funding has gone down and those little items that seem like no big deal to purchase at first really start to add up! I have set up a really cute display so parents that would like to donate items can grab a surfboard and know exactly what we will need. My room this year is a beach/under the sea theme which explains the surfboards. :) I will have more pictures of my classroom coming on Sunday. But for now I thought I would share my "wish list" wall.

I always use printer paper for art project and our "Thinking Maps" and nothing erases dry erase markers better than magic erasers. (It is the best for getting it off of all our laminated projects. Also gets off permanent marker!)

Great Summer Days

Happy Sunday! Since today is my last day of summer vacation I decided to reflect on the most memorable moments. For our first wedding anniversary Loyel and I went on a Mediterranean Cruise. We started our trip in Civitavecchia, Italy. From there we traveled to the French Riviera and different ports around Spain. We found some of the most amazing parks and beautiful streets around Spain and climbed to the top of a castle in France. While we ate our way through Italy we found we missed only one thing....ice! Here are some pictures that highlight some of our amazing trip!

 Love the markets!                            The Sagrada Familia
                                             





The site of the "92 Olympics 
It was so beautiful how it
overlooked Barcelona                    
    






Enjoying some delicious                   Out for an evening stroll
pizza in Rome                                on the Mediterranean

                   
                                                                                                                                                   

   Always Remember:

• Drinking wine it Italy and then an Opera singer appears
• Our long long long hot walk in Palma
• Discovering new parks in every city
• Our sky ride over Barcelona
• Trying tasty treats in France
• Watching the UEFA Euro finals while in Europe
• Our double decker bus tours
• The cute bed and breakfast with the great patio
• Delicious coffee...yumm!
• Gaudi's amazing buildings
• Reminiscing on our 1st year of marriage! <3

Southwest Peppers

Hello all. Tonight I decided that I wanted to make a good dinner for the family. My favorite food of all time is tacos, nachos, fajitas... (okay anything Mexican) but those are my easy go to meals that appear on the menu at least once a week. This week I decided to try something a little bit more fancy but with the same southwest taste. I found a recipe from the blog simplylovefood.blogspot that looked delicious. This meal was not only super yummy but was really easy to make, not to mention looked pretty which impressed the fam.

Southwest Peppers

ingredients

1 pkg. of ground turkey (can also use hamburger or veggie burger)

3 peppers cut in half (I prefer red for their sweet taste)

1 cup diced onions

1 can drained black beans

1 can drained corn (can also use frozen)

1 tbs. taco seasoning

2 servings of brown rice prepared by package directions (instant works great)

1 jar of salsa ( I love Newman's Own pineapple)

Shredded cheddar cheese

directions

Place peppers in a baking dish and sprinkle with olive oil. Bake on 400 for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile cook meat. Once cooked combine it in a bowl with onions, black beans, corn, taco seasoning, rice and salsa. Add mixture to peppers and return to oven for another 15 minutes. Top with cheese and bake again until cheese is melted. Top with cilantro, sour cream, or guacamole.

leftovers

There will be some leftover filling. I fixed these in spinach wraps for sandwiches the next day. You could also do lettuce wraps or a nice southwest salad. Enjoy!!

Math Task Cards

Hey hey! So I know it is not Sunday but I was so excited about the math cards I made that I had to post them right away. This year I am teaching 4th grade....which means I needed to make all new math stations. At my school we use the "GO Math" series. I took the pre made task cards and made flash cards out of them. I have found that they take up less space and are harder to destroy (plus lets face it flash cards are just cuter). :) Then I put them on a ring so my students can flip through them.




             This is an example of how the task card started

I made some generic numbers that can go with many different lessons.

    The small number on the bottom is what lesson we are on. This helps keeps me and the students organized.

Hey Y'all!

Hi y’all! This is my first blog and I am really looking forward to sharing my projects, recipes, and adventures. I love to craft, scrapbook, cook, teach, paint, travel, relax, and play. This blog will help me to share my ideas and give me a time to reflect on everything my family and I have been up to. Sunday is without a doubt my favorite day of the week. Growing up it was the day of family get togethers, bbqs, and relaxing. Since I am so busy being a teacher, wife, and momma to my little puppy I have decided that I will share most of my ideas on those cozy Sunday afternoons. Hope you all enjoy!