Three Days In and Projects

It is funny how you adopt language, because all I have been thinking this week was “Oh My Word!”  I think that is a phrase I have read on Cara’s posts on The First Grade Parade.  I have had staff days for the last three days.  I haven’t been writing because of all the time I have been spending on getting my room set up and getting ready for our Meet and Greet and the first day.  I also did 2 presentations on the new Mathematics CORE Curriculum and ELA CORE Curriculum.  That was a bit stressful – I am not naturally a public speaker!  I have literally been falling into bed when I get home. We also had the Meet and Greet yesterday.  My kiddos are adorable and their families are so sweet!

It was all the other stuff that was literally changing by the minute! I think the office called me every half hour, adding a student or telling me a student moved.  I have to redo all of my labels and magic numbers this weekend and have several new name tags to make.  The staff members that I am working with also seems to be changing every day. Oh, I also thought I had a student teacher as of 2 weeks ago, but my position does not help her meet her requirements, so I no longer have a student teacher coming.  I have never started a year like this and I hope it settles down!  To say the least, my head has been spinning.

I wish I had pictures to share, but I just haven’t had the energy to take many and get them posted.  However, I am going to link to a few project that have inspired me.  Hopefully I will get to take pics. and share them this week.

Mrs. Randell at randalllearninglibrary.blogspot.com made these great chipboard letters.  The ladies at Lesson Plan SOS (http://lessonplansos.blogspot.com/) made the ones below.

I found the letters at Hobby Lobby for super cheap and made them.  Thank goodness HL is about an hour drive for me, or I would surely spend my paycheck there!

Abby at theinspiredapple.blogspot.com totally inspired me with her beautiful sign!  I am not nearly talented enough to paint such a lovely sign, but I printed one and hung it in the back of my room.  It looks so cheery and inviting, perfect for that space!

Then Abby did it again! She painted signs with the rules and had the kids decorate them as a team building activity.

LOVE this idea!!! I have a huge roll of paper that I have stored for years and never knew what to do with it.  Problem solved!  I made the signs and actually painted them myself.  It wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be, but I had to let go of being a perfectionist!  I am going to hang 2 rules on each side of the “First Grade is Fabulous” sign!

The next project I want to work on is from www.thekinderpolkadotpatch.com. I have 6 tall windows in my room with white cinderblock columns between each one.  It is useable space, but I never know what to put there and don’t want it to look cluttered.  This year I hung my Beanie Baby reading posters on 2 of the columns.  I love this picture of the ribbon connecting each poster.  I think it would add to the cheeriness of the room!  Can’t wait to go to the store tomorrow!

I hope some of these projects inspired you too! I hope to post pictures of my version if I can find the energy to stay standing at the end of the day next week!