Classroom Reveal 2015

Well… it's finally here… tomorrow is my first day back at school. We have 2 days of training and then the kiddies come in on Monday. I'll be honest, I never feel 100% ready… I'm always more about 85% but thats's ok, right? 

So before the madness and tiredness of back to school hits I'm linking up with the lovely Ashley and Angie for this month's #2getherwearebetter link up and the wonderful girls of Blog hoppin' for the very first time as part of their Teacher Week! 

#realtalk alert

This is really only a part classroom reveal! 

Seeing as I have 2 days of in-school training (INSET) left then I still have things I want to tweak and tidy before my new little friends come in on Monday so I've taken pictures of the areas I am happy with.

Don't worry….I'll be updating my 'Classroom' page over the weekend with my full- on 2015-2016 classroom!

So…

I have a small board right outside of my classroom where the children's lockers are and I like to use it as my welcome board.

I loved last year's board soooo much that I knew it was going to be hard to beat. 

I like to mix up my backing paper and I think splattering it with paint looks so effective. 

I agonised over what text to put on the board and how to arrange it for ages but now that I've got it up I'm pretty happy (even though I can spot where it needs straightening out!) 

I used oversized KG and Hello Literacy fonts to make it pop!(thanks for the idea Ashley!)

The HUGE crayons just add that WOW I so love!

I love all things Glitter Meets Glue and Amie's glitter art supplies set looks amazing with the children's names on around my board. I'm also loving my Tallahassee Sunday pencil- I snagged it in a give away and I couldn't be happier!  

Let's go through the door!!! 

I have 2 parts to my classroom- the small entrance we call The Den has my sink area as well as a large set of shelves and it's where I have my library and small group area. 

When you walk in the first thing you see is my reading display- I decided that I would keep the same one up from last year seeing as it still match everything and it had no work from the children on it- 

To the left of my reading display board I have my library books and CAFE board…

I like to have my kiddos put their peg onto the ribbon to set their targets.

This area has cushions and book buddies so that the little ones can choose a book, curl up and read to themselves, a book buddy or a friend. When the big light is off and the lamps and fairy lights are twinkling away it's magical!

To the left of my CAFE board are the huge set of shelves!!! 

For the past 3 years they have had a curtain across them but this year I finally plucked up the courage to tackle them!!! 

Other than putting some labels onto the big plastic boxes and writing on the little chalkboard tags attached to my book baskets, I'm pretty much done with this area and I couldn't be happier!

Just beneath the big selves is a really cute set of pink cubbies from Ikea which I keep my Phonics resources in. There is also a comfy teacher chair, display board (yet to be backed) and a wall mounted whiteboard so this area is perfect for small group work especially because I can close the door into the classroom and it's nice and quiet! 

Straight opposite the big shelves, to the right of my main door is my sink area-

I have the wonderful Rachel Archer  of Archer's All Stars and her Periscope to thank for the amazing hessian ruffle boarder! I adore it!!! 

This board will have ribbon draped across it and I will peg up artwork during the course of the year but it's blank for now because on the first day back I like to do a 'Recipe for Success' activity from Educating Abroad which I will peg up here for a week or so.

I also kept my 'What's The Crack?' parent's board up from last year as I only changed it in January and I still love it! 

I spent some time yesterday getting this area ready for the first day back-

I'll put the morning activity or any letters to go out to parents onto the clipboard and children can put finished books which need changing into the basket. 

We use Accelerated Reader at our school so the small chalkboard sign will say 'Don't forget your peg' to remind the children who have returned a book to move their peg onto the 'I'm ready to take a quiz' poster. 

So…let's wave goodbye to 'The Den' area and 

step into my classroom! 

This is the area that I'm still tweaking so I've only included a few pictures for you today!

As you come into the room over on the right wall you are greeted by the boards I use the most.

My main boards aren't really boards!!! The paper is stapled straight into the plaster board!! 

I simply didn't have enough useable board space and so I spoke to my head when I first moved into the room 3 years ago and asked if this would be ok seeing as it would be a few small staple marks rather than lots of spots where the sticky tack had pulled paint off and, seeing as this was way cheeper than buying board, she kindly agreed! Yay!!!

 These boards are my Working Walls so their content gets changed almost fortnightly to match our current text type and Numeracy strand. The children have full access to these boards and often stick things on them or respond to questions. 

I snagged the whiteboard in the cute frame from The Range, it's also magnetic and will make a perfect place for me to pose maths problems and have the kiddos work them out. 

The shelving unit you can see the top of houses all of my manipulative, number lines and maths games so that the children can access them easily. 

To the right of my Working Wall is a new area this year. It used to be where my old and tired computers were and the board had our Learning Challenge questions on it. This meant that the board HAD to be changed EVERY half term and had things getting put up on it every week! Lots of work!!! Since I have another board in my role play area which I can use that as my main Learning Challenge board (I'll give you a sneak peak of that next week!) I've decided to make this one my Bucket Fillers board and I adore it!!!! 

I snagged the gorgeous posters for free from the amazing Miss May over at One Fab Teacher!

Seeing as this board will stay the same all year it will totally help me in my bid to work smarter not harder - something I really need to do!

Beneath the board is a set of shelves from Ikea- like the ones in The Den with 4 cubbies but long and thin instead. In each cubbie is a box with construction equipment in it and on top are 4 baskets with the children's work books in them. 

Here are a few small details from my classroom that I'm ready to share with you…

My marking holders currently hold the baseline assessments we need to do when we get back to school  seeing as I have no marking at the minute (whoohoo!) I also need to update my 'It doesn't get much better than this!' frame with a picture of my new class but seeing as they aren't in until next week then I'll just keep looking at my little cuties from last year for now as I hate empty frames!

How adorable are these cork boards from Wilkinson's?! 

We'll pin new vocabulary we find in our text up on them so that we can use it in our own writing.

And finally….I spent sometime yesterday adding these cute ribbons to my working walls! Why? No reason…they just look adorable and I looooove the heart push pins! 

I can't wait to get back to school now and add all of my finishing touches! 

Be sure to head back and check out my 'Classroom' page next week for a full classroom reveal!!! 

Don't forget to hop over to the other wonderful teachers in the #2getherwearebetter and Blog Hoppin' link-ups! 

Have a wonderful back to school guys

Home Office Space Sneak Peek

I am so excited to be linking up with the awesome duo that is Ashley and Angie. They are 2 of my most favourite and inspirational blogging celebrities and together they are a force to be reckoned with! 

This month's #togetherwearebetter link up gives all of our readers a sneak peak inside of our home offices so come on in and take a peek…

About 2 months ago we moved house. We lost a bedroom but gained some out buildings and one of them has an office space on the top floor. As soon as we saw this, I claimed it for mine! It has wifi, heating and a TV arial- I don't know about you but I work best in front of the TV! 

The only problem is….I've been locked out! Mr T put all of my school stuff in there on moving day and then-poof- lost the key!!!!! I have been pulling my hair out looking for it but until today, link up day no less (how spooky!), I had been unsuccessful! I was gutted- laminator, paper cutter, books, CDs- THE LOT- all locked inside! 

Apart from having separation anxiety from not being able to cut and laminate like a fiend, my main panic was about this link- up! I really wanted to take part but had no office space to speak of- this is where I have been working…

yep, in bed watching 'Once upon a time' on Netflix (anyone else obsessed with this show?). 

So, as I said, I have been locked out until today! 

Here is what awaited me-

It really is bigger than it looks on these pics!

I have grand plans for this space but I think my first job will be going through all of the boxes and figuring out just exactly what I've got!

As you can see, I have a red sofa-bed in there which I intend to curl up on with my laptop and a cup of tea- I'm not much of a 'sitting at a desk' kind of worker- how about you? 

I've also got my TV ready to set up- no Netflix but DVD's are just as good. 

I've picked out an area for my desktop computer,  printer, laminator and cutter- perfect for all those TpT product tests runs! 

The things I'm most excited about are 

1) Keeping my work clutter out of the house

2) DECORATING!

I've got my colour scheme all picked out- 

I've got to work with the red sofa so figured a nautical theme with hints of mustard and teal would work well. I've also got some lovely teacher-themed prints from The Night Owl  all set to frame because, let's face it, who doesn't love an inspirational quote or 2?! 

                                       

 

I've loved linking up with the ladies of Schroeder Shenanigans in 2nd and Lucky Little Learners and I hope you've enjoyed a sneak-peak inside my mess of an office- to look around some more (organised!) teacher's office spaces then click on the links below.

An InLinkz Link-up

You oughta know…about Mystery Readers!



This has got to be one of my favourite link-ups ever!!!

I'm linking up with Jasmine over at Buzzing with Mrs McClain again and a whole heap of other amazing teacher-bloggers.

This month I'm sharing an idea with you that I can totally, hands on my heart say, wasn't mine! I'm pretty sure I saw the idea of having a Mystery Reader on another teacher-bloggers Instagram and loved it! 

If you need to inspire a spark of interest in your children when it comes to reading or if you, like me, have a class of kiddies who are desperate to read at story time then a mystery reader is for you!

It is such a simple concept-

1. Ask who would like the chance to be a Mystery Reader- it is an optional, fun experience

2. Put names into a pot/ bag/ hat and draw one out each day

3. Secretly  let the child know that they will be the following day's Mystery Reader- I put a note inside their home reading diary so they don't find out until they are at home and can share the fun with their family (obviously I know the children who won't get this experience at home so I pull them aside and let them know before they go home)

4. Set aside a time every day where the children close their eyes and the Mystery Reader can then come up to the reading chair ready to read

5. The children then open their eyes with gasps of  'ooo, ahhh, I thought it would be you!' And the reading begins!

THAT IS ALL!

My class love it- they choose a book from home or our class which they feel comfortable reading and get sooooo excited for each other that you could hear a pin drop whilst the story is being told!

The rules are simple- 

1. If you don't want to be one then you don't have to be

2. Keep it a secret

Our class love it and I'm sure yours will too!

we've even had adults from other classes and the school caretaker be one!

Mystery Reader is most certainly one of the best teacher shares  I have spotted and I couldn't resist sharing it with you today!

An InLinkz Link-up

March Madness blogger match-up

Look familiar...

You must have seen it, it's all over IG!!!

 Myself along with 62 other fabulous bloggers have linked up with the lovely Ashlyn over at 

The Creative Classroom to cheer on a March Madness team.

 'What's the point?' I hear you ask well.... every blogger has a team- mine is Kansas (Go Jayhawks!) and just as our teams go head-to-head so will we, only rather than our pride being at stake if we loose, we must run a giveaway for a product of at least $5 value to all of our lovely blog readers!

Here is the product I'm giving away should my team loose-

Why not hop over to one if the other bloggers taking part to see what their give away will be-

Learning with Mrs. Langley cheering on Belmont

Second Grade Stories cheering on Indiana

The Neat and Tidy Classroom cheering on UC Irvine

Live, Laugh, I LOVE Kindergarten cheering on Coastal Car.

Miss Johnston's Journey cheering on Maryland

The Creative Classroom cheering on San Diego State

Fifth in the Middle cheering on Wichita State

Lessons with Coffee cheering on Arkansas

The Kinder Garden cheering on Notre Dame

Exploring Elementary cheering on NC State

Inspired Owl's Corner cheering on Oregon

Frampton's Fundamentals cheering on New Mexico State

Learning in the Little Apple cheering on Michigan State

NC Teacher Chick cheering on Utah State

A Tall Drink of Water cheering on Baylor

Sara J Creations cheering on Oklahoma

ELA Everyday cheering on Duke

The Blessed Teacher cheering on Lafayette

Mrs. 3rd Grade cheering on VCU

Rock & Teach cheering on Albany

Create Teach Share cheering on North Dakota State

One Happy Teacher cheering on Gonzaga

Fern Smith's Classroom Ideas! cheering on Iowa State

First Grade Roars! cheering on SF Austin

The Learning Chambers cheering on Hampton

Teaching is Sweet cheering on Eastern Washington

Sounds Like Fun cheering on Louisville

Confessions of a Teaching Junkie cheering on Cincinnati

Year2tastic cheering on Kansas

Sparkling in Second cheering on Wyoming

Making Meaning with Melissa cheering on Purdue

One Sassy Teacher cheering on Villanova

Brittany Kiser cheering on Texas

Coach and Teach 24/7 cheering on St. John's

Hardcore Teacher Resources cheering on LSU

The Whole Wheat Class cheering on Oklahoma

Mixing It Up In The Middle! cheering on Mississippi

Teaching Maddeness cheering on UAB

Its Elementary My Dear cheering on Ohio State

Live Love Serve Teach cheering on Providence

 Education Kingdom cheering on North Carolina

A Dab of Glue Will Do cheering on Dayton

Learning to be Awesome cheering on Kentucky

Technology Timeout cheering on Harvard

Kovescence on the Mind cheering on Butler

Blossoms of Blue in 2 cheering on North Eastern

Mrs. D's Corner cheering on Robert Morris

Where the Wild Things Learn cheering on Buffalo

Bright Concepts 4 Teachers cheering on North Iowa (UNI)

A Trendy Teacher cheering on Valparasio

Lucky to Be In First cheering on Wisconsin

O-H So Blessed! cheering on Virginia

Tales of Teaching with Tech cheering on Woffard

Very Perry Classroom cheering on Arizona

A Kindergarten Life for Me cheering on Georgia

First Grade Buddies cheering on Iowa

Miss Case's Classroom cheering on Georgetown

A Grace-Filled Classroom cheering on West Virginia

Third Grade Cupcakes cheering on SMU

The Class Couple cheering on Xavier

More Time 2 Teach cheering on Georgia State

Owl-ways Learning cheering on UCLA

Scavenger Hunt Blog Hop

I am so excited to celebrate reaching 500 Instagram followers with you all!

What you could win…

Here is how this blog-hop works…

1. Read this post and make a note of my letter

2. Click on a link at the bottom to 'hop' onto one of my fab blogger friends posts

3. Read their post and make a note of their letter

4. Repeat steps 2 and 3!

5. Head back here and use the 'Contact Me' section to submit your letter string- 

IT DOES NOT SPELL A WORD! 

There is no particular order to record the letters in- just ensure you have 6!

6. Once you have submitted your letters follow the steps on the Rafflecopter.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

You can enter as many times as it allows you to over the course of the weekend.

Names with incorrect letter strings recorded will be deleted from the Rafflecopter 

and IT will then decide the winner!

DONE!!!

So, seeing as this is a celebration of my Instagram milestone and the fact that all 6 of us bloggers in this hop have met through IG, I thought it would only be right that I tell you a little about my love for the social network!

I began my teacher's IG journey last August (I have had a personal account for a few years now) and I can tell you now… 

man, has pushed me to up my game when it comes to resources and classroom decor! 

There are many things I love about it but here are a couple of my absolute favourites-

I love how supportive the place is! If I have a new idea, resource, blog post or TpT product and I want honest, constructive feedback then I know IG is the place to post my picture. I have been pushed to try things I've been hesitant about through IG such as attending next weekend's Education Show in Birmingham- I'm really looking forward to it despite how nervous I was when booking- thanks IG! 

I have made some awesome 'friends' all around the world! I know it is cyber space and people can appear to be whomever they wish to be (I'm up on my Internet Saftey!) but I truly believe I have made some real connections and mostly with people from miles and miles away from where I live. Take this blog hop for instance, I have never met any of the other 5 teachers and yet they have been kind enough to dedicate some of their precious time to helping me out!

Yes, I work with some amazing co-teachers and I'm luck enough to have a wonderful Teaching Assistant to work alongside day in, day out - real people, real conversations and real hugs when needed but what happens if you don't? I can tell you now… all of my 500+ followers and anyone else who needs it…I will always offer an IG hug if one is needed!

I have found Instagram to be a place where I feel inspired, important, included and invigorated so for this reason my letter is 'I'. 

Have fun on the rest of your hunt and 

don't forget to 'Contact Me' with your letter string! 

Why not keep up with further give-aways by clicking the social links at the top of the page? 

An InLinkz Link-up

You Oughta Know about QR codes

I'm so excited to be linking up with the lovely Jasmine over at Buzzing With Mrs. McClain for this months blog hop.

This month….you oughta know about using and creating QR codes in the classroom!!!

At my school we have been lucky enough to get a set of iPads and one thing we are all desperate to use are QR codes! The problem is not many of my co-teachers understand how to use them or how to make them so I thought I would use this blog hop to share a few of my QR code secrets! I am by no means a techie so please feel free to correct or share a new way of doing things in the comments section. 

Using QR codes in the classroom- practicalities

Step 1- ensure your iPad or tablet has a QR reader on it- there are loads out there and they tend to be free to download just visit your app store.

Step 2- train the children how to use the scan feature by opening the app and holding it over the QR code until the scanner takes you to the desired website, word doc, picture etc. Sounds simple but hold it too close and parts of the code won't get scanned or too far away and it won't read the code properly.

Using QR codes in the classroom- resources

There are lots of resources available on TpT which use QR codes and below I have simply given you examples of some of my favourites which cover a variety of subjects and activity types. Click on the pictures to be taken straight to the relevant TpT stores.

This product boosted my Listening Area texts without me having to break the bank- plus the kiddies looooove using the iPads to read and listen. 

QR codes lend themselves perfectly to scavenger hunts- they are a perfect way to incorporate technology into an already stimulating activity. I love QR codes as a way for children to research topics because they either a) take children to a preprepared word doc containing all of the information YOU want them to have or b) to a specified web page YOU have deemed safe for them to have access to.

I love using QR codes within maths as a way to easily differentiate work OR as a way for children to self check their answers making their learning just that little bit more independent and saving paper!

All 3 of the products I've listed are created by talented fellow TpT authors who's stores are full of QR code products. I would suggest downloading one of their amazing freebies to try with your class first to see if QR codes work for you.

Using QR codes in the classroom- creating

If you are loving using QR codes but need something a little more specific to your class then don't panic- here are a few simple steps to creating your very own QR codes!

Step 1- visit a QR creator website, I like www.qrstuff.com but simply google 'QR creator' and find a site which suits you. 

Step 2- 

I usually choose 'plain text' which is where you input your own information into a word type document or 'website URL' and then paste in the website details from the search bar.

Step 3-

Most of the time QR codes are fine in black but if you want them to blend in or complement a document's colour scheme then here is the place to do it.

Step 4- 

Finally, choose the format you want your QR code in- usually I download it and then paste it into the document. As with most objects you can resize the QR code to fit the document.

So there you have it- your very own QR code!

Need another? No problem just go back to step 2 and repeat- you will see the configuration of the QR code change as you input the new information.

I hope you have found this post useful- I would love to see any QR products you make as result of this so please feel free to tag me on IG @year2tastic 

An InLinkz Link-up

5 for Friday

Well the Half Term break has finally come to an end and I have very little to show for it! 

Today I am linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching to reflect positively on a week of slothenliness!

Since August the Mr and I have been waiting to move house. Moving dates have come and gone (you may have noticed this in previous posts of mine!) but finally a date is set!! Even though I haven't got much school work done this week, I have succeeded in packing up all of my clothes, shoes, bags and jewellery and filling about 5 bags for charity! 

The countdown is on…. fingers crossed! 

I managed to escape the packing for a few hours on Tuesday to spend a small fortune on school supplies in Home Bargains…

One of my favourite clip artists and fellow IG poster, Glitter Meets Glue, posted a pic of a mega cute phone case… I followed the link and discovered Zazzle!!! OMG….my bank balance is going to cry!!! You should sooooooo go and check it out but be careful…one click and you're hooked! 

This week my lazy-ass ways have led me to binge watch the entire first series of 'Revenge' in 3 days… that's 22 episodes people…22!!!! 

I lie… I haven't just been sat watching Revenge, I have also been blogging…a lot! Just FYI I am now on Facebook- check me out by clicking here.

I finally finished my Guided Reading post and I'm rather proud of it thank you very much!

To top it off….tomorrow my second 'You Oughta Know' blog hop with the lovely Jasmine goes live! WOOHOO! 

Check back tomorrow to find out how I use QR Codes in my classroom and a step-by-step guide to creating your own