Chicka Chicka Boom Boom! Welcome to Our Classroom! I added an area for the children to hang photos of their families. Other teachers have used this in their classroom and it is another way to provide a home-school connection! I have taught in an open classroom for the past two years. I am VERY excited to have four walls and a door! Just inside the classroom is the fish pond. Since taking this picture, I have added some water plants and another goldfish. The bear is one of our class mascots. As a community builder, our class will participate in naming the bear. I used a magnetic white board to make a "Yes/No" chart. Each student will have his or her name on a small, laminated die cut. The die cut will have a small magnet on the back. Every day, I will post a "Yes/No" question for the students to answer. The students will move his or her name to answer the question. Each center has "population control", or a limited number of students that can be in the center. Last year, I put paper frogs on logs. Numbers were written on the frogs bellies. A sticky clip is put on the front of the frog. Students carry a name tag from center to center. (Name tags are made out of laminate die cuts.) When all of the hooks are filled with name tags, the center is full. The small happy face pocket chart is used to hold the students' name tags. I hung a dust buster and broom and dustpan set near the Sensory Table so that the students can clean up the inevitable messes. I bought 2 red clawed water crabs for the Discovery Center. I also have a variety of crab stuffed animals that the kids can play with during center time. The Discovery Center will have games and science activities. The center also includes a pocket chart. At the beginning of the year, the chart has a color matching game. This changes throughout the year. What is wrong with this picture? * HINT: Look closely at the alphabet! * It took me several weeks to notice my mistake! Since the first picture, I traded the pond rug for this animal rug. I will have room for my students to sit on the carpet and around the back edge of the carpet. Our group time includes a large easel (with a dry erase board), a big book stand, and a cd player. I sit on the black stool (it folds up and is easy to move around). There is also a red "share chare" for the students. The alphabet set is from Frog Street Press and has a cd with songs about each letter. I use a plastic shoe holder so that pointers, puppets, and other props are within reach! The Pretend Center I want to share this photo with the viewers of this site to show you that these centers all have beginnings ! Jill shows a photograph that is a true testament that you can take a space and turn into in to something really great with just a little effort and a lot of imagination and thought. The Block Center The Math Center is just in front of the Block Center. Math manipulatives are stored in numbered tubs. A small round table gives the students room to explore and discover. During centers, the students can also use the group time rug to "spread out". I am fortunate to have two computers with internet access. I have bought several computer games for the students to use. Class favorites include Fisher Price Pet Shop, Fripple Town, and I Can Be A Veterinarian. The frog bulletin board will display the Star Students' self portraits. The Writing Center will be stocked with a variety of paper and writing utensils. It also includes the Name Wall. We will add names to the Name Wall each day when we draw the Star Student. I have a lot of clipboards for my students to use. If a child is more comfortable laying on the floor than working at a table, they can grab a clipboard and go! I used a band saw to cut spiral notebooks in half and created Story Response Journals. I added a "new" table (from my Pretend Center) for the students to use during center time. This table sits in the middle of the room behind the Writing Center. It is between the Math Center and the Art Center. I add materials to the Art Center as I introduce them to the students. I want to be sure that they understand how to use materials before I put it all out. I put an inexpensive vinyl tablecloth on the Art table to protect from "messy projects". The art easel sits on a sheet of plastic. The large bordered area will be an area for students to hang finished artwork. The Reading Center is one of my favorite centers! The center includes a fish tank (the bubbling sound is relaxing), fluffy pillows, a bench, and plenty of books! I made this bench from a shelving unit I bought at a garage sale for $2! First, I wrapped batting around the top shelf. Next I covered the top and bottom shelf with denim material. I used a staple gun to hold the material in place. Finally, I put a rope-like ribbon around the edges of the top seat. It's the perfect bench for little ones (and hiding spot for another brown bear)! I stole this idea from Vanna Levin, creator of Pre-K Pages. I hung a shoe chart to hold my Reading Buddies. Students can choose a buddy to read with. You can also see the alphabet bucket created by Victoria and Tricia! I decorated throw pillows with palm trees to match the Chicka Chicka Boom Boom tree. I found the pillows on clearance at Wal-Mart for $2.25 each! I carefully painted a foam rubber stamp with a small sponge paintbrush. I chose to stamp a variety of colors on one side of the stamp. They are a comfortable way for the children to look at books! Read the Room is a popular center! The two "readers" wear these plastic visors. They use a variety of pointers to read words that they find throughout the room. They can also use the dry erase board to write! Chicka chicka boom boom, I can read the classroom! Two talented KW teachers, Victoria Saied and Tricia Crutchfield, make and sell these Read the Room buckets. The buckets are hand painted and include a variety of pointers. I have a Chicka Chicka Boom Boom bucket and an alphabet bucket. There are several buckets to choose from. My mom made the tree for my son's nursery! When he outgrew the Jungle theme, I brought it to the school. The kids LOVE it! It goes well with our Chicka Chicka Boom Boom theme. This is part of my storage area. I am SO fortunate to have so many things and a nice place to put them. Notice the large drawers for posters and bulletin board materials. This is another view of the storage area. When I moved to my new room, organizing this area was the first thing that I did. As you can see, I have theme boxes stacked three or four high on top of the cabinets. Here is my memory board. I love having pictures of my family and friends. My son, Alden, and nephew, Cade, are stars of the memory board. Traveling Book Buddies are a fun way to build family literacy! A traveling buddy is a stuffed animal that goes home with a student. Each traveling book buddy comes in a special travel bag and includes one or two books and a journal. The books are related to the book buddy. For example, Clifford the big red dog will have a Clifford book and the book Corduroy will come home with a overall clad teddy bear. I send one traveling book buddy home with the Star of the Day. The student will be able to choose from five traveling buddies. At home, families will read the book and write in the journal. The traveling book buddy, book, and journal are all returned to school the next day. Brown Bear Book Bags are another way that I get families involved in literacy. The bags include a book, activity, materials and a journal all stored in a bag. At the beginning of the year, I will draw one name each day. This friend will take home bag 1. We will continue this until everyone has had a turn. Then we will start bag 2. When the students get comfortable with taking a bag home, I let more than one student take a bag home. So, at the beginning of the year, students will bring home a bag every three to four weeks. Later in the year, they will bring home a bag about every two weeks. Bags are checked out for one night, Monday through Thursday. No bags taken home over the weekend. The book bags are to be returned the next day. Students will have the opportunity to sit in the Share Chair and share their activity and their page from the response journal. If the bag is not returned to school, we will quit drawing names until it is brought back.