Baby Steps

We came in to an empty classroom (this is how we left it in May), which is nice, because I'm a big fan of a blank canvas.

We started the day off with a staff meeting, and then Amanda had to go to CPR and first aid training (I'm up-to-date, so I didn't need to attend either session). While she did that, I got to work organizing our files. The files in our classroom are several years' worth of lesson plans, craft ideas, finished crafts, etc. And they were a hot mess. I really should have taken a pic of the "Christmas" folder before I broke it down into multiple folders...it was horrifying. I wouldn't even use the files last year because they were so overwhelming.

We also figured out the general setup we want for our classroom. It's quite different from last year.

On  the carpet, we've gotten rid of the circle time rug. We only have eight students currently signed up, so we moved one table to the carpet for table activities. We also decided to move the dramatic play area to the carpet.

excuse the mess...it's a work in progress :)

We moved the rug and the two-sided shelf (which holds blocks on one side) to the corner of the linoleum, where our new block area will be. The other side of the shelf will hold art supplies, so the kids will be free to grab whatever they need when they need it. The sensory table will be in the other corner of the linoleum, and the remaining table will be the art and snack table. We also made a change with our cart. Previously, it held teacher-only items, but we've decided to make it into a circle time cart instead. The top shelf will hold teacher items for circle (stamps, dry erase markers, the day's story, etc.), while the bottom two shelves will hold activities for the kids, like puzzles.

We also went to get our TB shots, and then went to pick up some small gifts for birthday bags :)

As for the theme, we've decided on a soda fountain/sweet shoppe/Candyland kind of thing. I can't wait to see it all come together!

It might not seem like a lot, but we made a lot of progress. I can't wait to make more!

Back to School

I've been pretty quiet on this blog for awhile now. Things got really crazy. And things are about to get crazier, but that also means the blog is picking up again! Preschool doesn't start back up until September, but teacher prep begins today! I'll be teaching Preschool I again (the class I switched to last year), but I'll have a new co-teacher this year. Arelis, my co-teacher last year, is married to a guy in the Coast Guard, and they got transferred to North Carolina. My co-teacher this year is Amanda, whose son was in our class last year. She taught previously, and I'm really excited to work with her this year!

I'll be sharing our prep work over the next couple of weeks, including our classroom theme and finished product (decorating is my favorite part of prep!). I also plan to share the lesson plans I write over the course of the school year, and share more craft ideas as well. I'm also back in school myself this semester (studying early childhood education, of course!), so I'll be sharing some of my related assigments too!

I'm excited to get the school year under way, and to share it with you!

Teacher-Appropriate Work Wear: Kohl's

Kohl's is a good place to pick up clothes for work. They have a ton of work-appropriate pieces, and with frequent sales and Kohl's cash, you can snag things on the cheap.

I think sometimes when we think of work clothes, we think neutrals, particularly on the bottom. But why not have some fun with your clothes, add in some color, and switch it up? Bright blue pants are fun, but still look great in the classroom when paired with a black and white blouse, black wedges, and silver jewelry.

Teacher-Appropriate Work Wear: Kohl's by goodgirlgonewife featuring an apt 9

Elle polka dot blouse
kohls.com

Apt. 9 slip on shoes
kohls.com

Apt 9 crystal jewelry
kohls.com

Apt 9 apt 9
kohls.com

Apt. 9 Curvy Fit Ankle Pants
kohls.com

My 3 Favorite Places To Get School Supplies

I'm linking up with T_____ Things Thursday, hosted by Operation Skinny Jeans and The Carbmonster :)

As teachers, though we normally have basic supplies (paper, paint, etc.) paid for by our schools, we often spend a lot of time and money getting supplies on our own dime (especially if you homeschool or do in-home care). So I thought I'd share my favorite places to pick up supplies on the cheap!

1.) Discount School Supply

Discount School Supply seems to be the go-to place for preschool supplies, and with good reason; they have a large, affordable selection of anything you could need. Granted, I don't personally order things from there, but my boss does, and sometimes I get to pick things out ;) I thought it would be good to list it anyway, because it's a great resource. I've often poured through the catalogs picking out all the things I'd want in my dream classroom.

2.) Dollar Tree (or any other dollar store, I suppose)

Dollar Tree is the BEST. I could easily spend over a hundred dollars in there. The best part is, if I did, I'd come out with over a hundred items, because EVERYTHING is $1 or less! You really can't beat that. They have plenty of supplies geared specifically toward teachers, like sentence strips and sight words, as well as normal office supplies like notebooks, tape, pens, etc. It's also a great place to get toys/coloring books/bubbles/etc. for treasure boxes and birthday bags.

3.) the Target Dollar Spot

  So you know when you walk into a Target, and there's that little area with bins full of various (often colorful) items? That's the Dollar Spot, and it's a magical thing. Everything's not a dollar (though quite a lot is), but I don't think I've ever seen anything over $5. There are all sorts of fun little things to be found, from supplies to toys to snacks. I once bought some of those little dinosaur  capsules there (you know, you put them in water, the capsule dissolves, and you get a foam dinosaur?) and my kids went CRAZY over them; they couldn't wait to show their parents! There are so many awesome things to be found here!

What is your favorite place to get supplies on the cheap?

Sparkly Snow Scene Art

While the snow here in my corner of the world has melted (and been replaced by horrible, terrible, bitter cold), but we created some snow in class today!

This is a really easy project for little kids, and doesn't require anything you can't get easily (in fact, you may need to look no further than your medicine cabinet!).

What you'll need:

• black construction paper
• white crayons
• warm water
• Epsom salts
• a paintbrush and a bowl/dish

It's best to mix your special solution ahead of time. To do this, dissolve Epsom salts in warm water. We actually didn't have Epsom salts (at least not where I could find them), though I could have sworn I'd seen them a few days before. I substituted ice cream rock salt, which we did have, and it worked just as well.

I was using the paintbrush handle to stir. I like multi-purpose things.

 Then use the white crayon to draw a picture on the black paper. For demonstration purposes, I drew (and I use the term loosely -- I'm terrible at drawing) a snowy landscape with snow falling.

 Paint over the entire paper with the salt solution.

Allow the paper to dry.

If it's done properly, the paper should then have a subtle glittery sheen.

See the glittery bits?

See?

SEE?!?!

It's an easy, fun, seasonally-appropriate activity for kids of all ages! (I did it this  morning with 2 and 3-year-olds.)

Teacher-Appropriate Work Wear: Maurice's

So Maurice's may not be the first store you think of when looking for pieces for your work wardrobe, but it's definitely  worth a look.  The pieces there can be fairly affordable as  far as work wear goes, and they carry extended sizes. The clothes are good quality, and they have a lot of separates that can be mixed and matched.

Teacher-Appropriate Work Wear: Maurice's by goodgirlgonewife featuring a lace blouse

Lace blouse
maurices.com

Belted skirt
maurices.com

Stretching shoes
maurices.com

Blue Bead Coil Bracelet - maurices.com
maurices.com

Blue Petal Earring - maurices.com
maurices.com

Teacher-Appropriate Work Wear: Old Navy

Sometimes it can be hard to figure out what to wear to work (it is for me too, because I don't have a lot of clothes, particularly work-appropriate ones). To help us all out (and help curb my shopping cravings), I'm going to spotlight outfits made from pieces from a different store each week.

This week I'm featuring my favorite store to buy clothes at -- Old Navy!

Teacher-Appropriate Work Wear: Old Navy by goodgirlgonewife featuring pointed toe ballet flats

Old Navy camp shirt
oldnavy.gap.com

Old navy
oldnavy.gap.com

Old Navy pointed toe ballet flat
oldnavy.gap.com

Old Navy post earrings
oldnavy.gap.com

Women's Chunky Cable-Knit Sweaters | Old Navy
oldnavy.gap.com