Back to School Update, Watermelon, and a Birthday Sale!

Hey everyone, it’s Caroline!  Can I just tell you how CRAZY it’s been since school started?!  Moving rooms definitely threw me off.  I might be catching up now…  :::collapses on the ground:::

Honestly though, I’ve really enjoyed getting back in the swing of things.  I don’t remember back to school going by so quickly!  So far, my new kids are great!  They are picking up routines pretty quickly and I just LOVE my new behavior management chart.  I found inspiration on Pinterest  and found a super cute polka dot version from Teaming Up to Teach.  Here’s a picture of my clip chart (please ignore the Purell dispenser right next the door!)

My kids LOVE being able to clip up.  I added my note about the system and my clip chart sheet as freebies on Google Docs.  Hope it helps!  I’ve loved being able to keep in contact with the parents on a daily basis.  It’s made a big difference in my parent communication already (and hopefully curbed some not so great behavior). 

And my long promised Watermelon Unit is also on TPT!   Hooray!!!!

I’m so excited to share it with you!  So excited in fact that I put it on SALE!  That’s right, since my birthday is tomorrow; I’m having a birthday sale on my watermelon unit!  This is a weeklong unit (or more depending on how long you work on it) you can use with kindergarten or first grade.  It primarily contains literacy activities with a little art and graphing thrown in.  We are going watermelon crazy in my room this week and I will be sure to post some pictures of our work!  Big thanks to Nikki Casassa from MelonHeadz Doodles and Illustrations for the ADORABLE clip art I used in this unit.  She is SUPER to work with!

Hobby Lobby, Classroom Set Up, and Modge Podge!

It's Caroline again!

I promised to show some pics of what my room looks like right now...  Be warned, it's not pretty!

Here is a pic of the empty room:

Isn't that floor so shiny and pretty??

Then my hubs and in-laws moved ALL my stuff (aka JUNK) into the room (HUGE thanks to them) and it looked like this:

SLIGHT PANIC MODE!!!!!!

After staring at everything in shock, wondering how all this stuff is going to fit, I opened up the closet and started to put things away (I even organized and threw some stuff away!).  I managed to get a few boxes unloaded.  

Then my teacher ADD kicked in  (do you ever bounce from project to project?  Please say it isn't just me!).  I just HAD to try out the scrapbook paper and Modge Podge I got at Hobby Lobby on the backs of my ugly cubbies!  Here's an action shot of me with the paper at Hobby Lobby.  Black and white!  Can I just say how much I want my black and white borders to come from Creative Teaching Press??  Thanks to my vacationing blog buddy Alison for the picture!  She is so good, she sent me pics from Florida!  Thank goodness for Dropbox!

I couldn't stand looking at the back of these old cubbies anymore  (I bought them from Target 6 or 7 years ago...you can tell they have been used!).  Since the back will (probably) be showing this year, I wanted them to look better!  I put Modge Podge on the back of the cubby (it's a cardboard type material), put a thin layer on the back of the 12 x 12 paper and slowly spread the paper on, pushing on any bubbles.  After the first try I decided to put the Modge Podge on half of the cubby square and half of the paper.  Then I stuck it on and did the other half while it was attached.  It worked better!  I put a very thin layer of the Modge Podge over the paper to finish it (I had some bubbling but I'm pretending not to see it).  Once my border comes in I will frame it out and it will have a whole new look!    Yay!  Something is (almost) done.

I'm working on a Back to School bulletin board idea to share and a fun Beginning of the Year Watermelon Unit!  I have to get some homework done first before I can get to that (it's funny that the module I'm on is about motivation and I am lacking some!).  Thanks for reading!